At the source of the current crises faced by the United States is societal ambiguity, both intentional and unintentional. It is theorized that this ambiguity results from the emergences of existentialism and pragmatism as central themes in the U.S. educational system. The relationship between morality and education is explored from a number of…

This annotated bibliography is a compilation of books, articles, ERIC documents, and dissertations on censorship and intellectual freedom that were published between 1976 and 1988, representing approximately 50 authors. Its target audience includes librarians, English teachers, journalists, and laypeople. One third of the 60 entries include…

By scrutinizing the extensive and growing literature on media ethics and media codes, as well as the current history of litigation in libel cases, this paper analyzes the risks presented by journalistic social responsibility in the context of expanding tort liability for what might loosely be called journalistic malpractice. Following a review of…

Aware that children conceive of different types of trust, a study examined 60 children's conception of trust. The subjects comprised three age groups: 6-7 years old, 8-9 years old, and 10-11 years old. Each subject was interviewed on the basis of three stories. The stories depicted a hypothesized violation of trust in a moral context (lying),…

This booklet contains 10 short plays written especially for performance by spcial education students who ranged in age from five to ten and in academic level from kindergarten to fourth grade. The plays focus on promoting character development and topics include death, prejudice, manners, senior citizens, responsibility for others, and positive…

The values that are the foundations of the democratic system should be defined, taught, learned, and then put into action in the classroom. The issues associated with teaching values are so complex and controversial that many schools avoid dealing with them. These issues include: (1) teaching about religion; (2) teaching about citizenship and…

A bibliography of about 68 materials authored, coauthored, or edited by Theodore M. Hesburgh on the American college presidency is presented. Specific topics of the publications, which cover 1950-1981, include the following: the future of liberal education, the immigration system, presidential leadership in institutional advancement, science and…

Moral decision-making is an essential element in educational research. The dilemmas examined and explored in this review were drawn from the author's experience as an ethnographic evaluator and consultant in a bay area educational research corporation for the last five years. The major concerns addressed include: conflicting expectations between…

A study was made of the effects of role perspective and gender on the moral judgments of children. Because they represent a transitional period in cognitive development from heteronomy to autonomy, a total of 25 male and 38 female third-grade students of approximately 9 years of age were selected for participation. The effect of perspective taking…

This story, one of three in The Sexuality Decision-Making Series for Teens, contains several different possible plot lines depending on the decisions the reader makes for the characters at various "choice points." The study focuses on the theme of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs): Tracy and Tom have been in love for a year, and they…

Even while struggling with their own biases and values, communication scholars can and should teach a unit on ethics in the basic communication course. One possible approach begins on the cognitive level by describing four different orientations toward ethics: hedonistic, legalistic, altruistic, and situational. By working out case study…

A study was conducted to explore in what ways, if any, male public relations practitioners differ from their female counterparts in their level of social responsibility. Subjects were 105 public relations practitioners (60% female and 40% male) and 215 college students (71% female and 29% male), who completed the Berkowitz-Lutterman SRS Scale. The…

Two important developments have occurred in the field of history education that have had important implications for elementary school teachers. First, our understanding of history as a discipline reflects a new understanding about the nature and purpose of history teaching. Second, we have a better understanding of the cognitive capacities of…

In the article, authors identify some of the problems in the present notions of reflective teaching. The authors argue that none of these conceptions deal with reflection itself in a reflexive way. They tend to use theories of reflection as a canopy for their own "middle level" theorizing about reflective teaching. First, the authors…

In response to increased violence, bullying, and anti-social behavior among young people in our schools and on our streets (Akiba, M., LeTendre, G., Baker, D., & Goesling, B., 2002; Leming, 1996; Males, 2001; Pellegrini & Bartini, 2000; Smagorinsky, 2002; Tendero, 2000), advocates of character education have proposed and instituted a…