Identifies strategies early childhood educators can use to create an environment that encourages character development in young children. Provides reflective checklists for specific areas of character development and character education addressed: (1) content; (2) communication; (3) clarification; (4) community; (5) critical thinking; (6) context;…

Defining teachers as professionals in the same way that doctors or engineers are professionals is reductionist because such definition generally distorts the moral dimensions of teaching by using the wrong language (clients, customers), focusing on limited forms of knowledge, and ignoring the fundamental democratic character of education.…

Offers a philosophical history of the nature of public discourse, describing it as a basic constituent of human rights. Analyzes the dichotomy between the common good and tolerance and protection of pluralism. Discusses the philosophical views of Condorcet, Jefferson, Dewey, and Habermas, portraying public discourse in relation to the…

Explores the experiential subtleties of the moral vocabulary of case in terms of responsibilities to children as parents and educators. Finds that for many parents and teachers caring means worrying. Relates these "moral sensibilities" to the sense of pedagogical responsibility. (CMK)

Discusses the digital divide--the discrepancy between those with access to technology and those without--and what the author sees as the resulting new form of cultural imperialism. Asserts that mass media and the information industries are structures of power, while ordinary people are victims of this power. Suggests that Catholic educators…

Using the randomly selected subsample of 1,000 youth (472 boys, M age = 12.2 years, SD = 1.5; 528 girls, M age = 12.1 years, SD = 1.4) drawn by Dowling, Getsdottir, Anderson, von Eye, and Lerner (in press) from a Search Institute (1984) archival data set, Young Adolescents and Their Parents (YAP), this research employed structural equation…

Teacher effectiveness research has tended to neglect the analysis of values in two senses: the general values associated with the processes of education, and the more specific values underlying effective teaching. The possibilities for re-conceptualising teacher effectiveness, by incorporating a values dimension, are illustrated through two…

The introductory survey of media course is a standard offering in many media studies programs. Students' points of view about controversial issues treated in this class are quite susceptible to change. Indeed, a deliberately value-added approach to teaching this class acknowledges and appreciates that student opinions are likely to change in the…

We investigate how the distribution of AIDS cases in the United States increased homophobia over time. Using pooled GSS surveys, 1973-1998, with state-reported AIDS cases, we estimate models for variation in homophobic attitudes as a function of the time-specific proportion of AIDS cases in a given state. AIDS incidence had a negative impact on…

Saying a kind word to a classmate, acknowledging other students' feelings, sharing books and advice, defending a victim of bullying--these are just a few of the prosocial behaviors that can enhance students' social and academic lives at school. Because children do not develop social values in a vacuum, educators, policymakers, and researchers are…

This research examined individual difference and contextual effects on the disciplinary behavior of a representative sample of 296 parents. Both the use of power assertion and inductive reasoning were found to be higher when the child's behavior violated a moral compared to a conventional principle, and in response to deliberate versus accidental…

Kohlberg's theory of moral development explores the roles of cognition and emotion but focuses primarily on cognition. Contemporary post-formal theories lead to the conclusion that skills resulting from cognitive-affective integration facilitate consistency between moral judgement and moral behaviour. Rest's four-component model of moral…

The relationship between moral judgment and religious knowledge was investigated, with an analysis of the impact of academic skill on both domains. Fifty-six Bible college seniors completed measures of moral judgment (Defining Issues Test), Bible knowledge (Standardized Bible Content Test), and academic skill (Academic Profile). Results indicate…

As a new century unfurls, the "downsizing" and continuing marginalisation of theatre programmes in American higher education correspond to two curricular trends. First, the coupling of fiscal crises and the "back-to-basics" movement has prevailed at all levels of education since the late 1970s. Since then, secondly, students intentions for the…

Argues that there is divergent conceptions of the occupational status of education and teaching. Notes that an indication of the complexity of teaching is its comparisons with other professions, vocations, trades, and services. Identifies and explores the implications of this for the moral educational role of the teacher. (CAJ)