Moral and Character Education: William G. Huitt, Ph.D. Valdosta State University

Moral and Character Education
William G. Huitt, Ph.D.

Valdosta State
University
Last revised: August 2000

Three major issues in the education of

young people today
Identification of what is
possible for both self and
Vision society; includes the
discovery and/or defining
of one's life mission and
desired lifestyle

young people today
Development of the
knowledge, values,
Competence attitudes, and skills
necessary for success in a
given society or culture

young people today
The moral quality and

Character direction of one’s
decisions and behavior
Definitions of Character
The following two definitions provide

examples of a normative view of character:
“engaging in morally relevant conduct

or words, or refraining from certain
conduct or words”
Wynne, E., & Walberg, H. (Eds.). (1984). Developing

character: Transmitting knowledge. Posen, IL: ARL.
Definitions of Character
The following two definitions provide

examples of a normative view of character:
“a complex set of relatively persistent

qualities of the individual person, and
generally has a positive connotation when
used in discussions of moral education”
Pritchard, I. (1988). Character education: Research prospects

and problems. American Journal of Education, 96(4), 469-495.
Importance of Character
Scholarly debate on moral development and

character formation extends to ancient times
• Aristotle's Nichomacean Ethics
• Socrates' Meno
Major thinkers in Western Civilization have been

concerned with moral and character development
• John Locke, 17th century English philosopher
• John Stuart Mill and Herbert Spencer, 19th
century English philosophers
• John Dewey, 20th century American
philosopher and educator
Both educators and American public believe

character education should be an important part
of schooling
• Educators -- competence in basic

skills, feelings of self-worth, and moral
development should be priorities in
schools (Spears, 1973)
Spears, H. (1973, September). Kappans ponder the goals of education. Phi Delta
Kappan, 29-32.
Both educators and American public believe

character education should be an important part
of schooling
• Public -- competence in basic skills and

instruction in schools that would deal with
morals and moral behavior (Gallup, 1980)
Gallup, G. (1980, September). The twelfth annual Gallup Poll of public attitudes
toward public schools. Phi Delta Kappan, 62, 39.
Character versus Competence
Modern educators have placed more emphasis on

competence than character
However, competence and character are not

mutually exclusive (Wynne & Walberg, 1985)
Wynne, E., & Walberg, H. (1985). The complementary goals of character

development and academic excellence. Educational Leadership, 43(4), 15-18.

Stallings (1978) found a positive impact of

attempts to improve student achievement on
independence, task persistence, cooperation, and
question-asking
Stallings, J. (1978). What teachers do does make a difference. In A. Newman

(Ed.), In defense of the American public school. Berkeley, CA: McCutchan

Etzioni (1984) and Ginsburg and Hanson (1986)

reported that students who were self-disciplined
or more religious, hard working, or valued
learning scored higher on achievement tests
 Etzioni, A. (1984). Self-discipline, schools, and the business community.

Washington, DC: National Chamber Foundation.
 Ginsburg, A., & Hanson, S. (1986). Gaining ground: Values and high school
success. Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Education.

Kagan (1981) and Wynne and Walberg (1985)

argue that good character ought to be the more
primary focus as it is a goal in reach of more
children than is high academic achievement and
can result in less alienation from the school
 Kagan, J. (1981). The moral function of the school. Daedalus, 110(3), 151-165.
 Wynne, E., & Walberg, H. (1985). The complementary goals of character
development and academic excellence. Educational Leadership, 43(4), 15-18.
Emphasis on Character Education has begun to

change
National School Boards Association proposed a

project designed to enhance character development
• heighten national awareness
• encourage establishment and improvement of
character development programs in public schools
National School Boards Association (1987) Building character in the public

schools. Strategies for success. NSBA Leadership Reports, 1987-2. Alexandria,
VA: Author.
Emphasis on Character Education has begun to

change
Georgia Department of Education has

implemented program in values and character
education
Georgia Department of Education. (1997). Values and character education

implementation guide. Atlanta, GA: Office of policy and communications.
Impacting Moral & Character Development
Four major questions need to be addressed when

focusing on character development:
1. What is good character?
2. What causes or prevents good character?
3. How can good character be measured ?
4. How can good character best be developed?
Components of Character
Personal
• honest and truthful
• autonomous
• responsible
• self-management and self-discipline
• courageous
• integrity
Social
• sociable
• benevolent
• compassionate
• courteous
• trustworthy
2. What causes or prevents good character?

1. heredity
2. early childhood experience
3. modeling by important adults & older youth
4. peer influence
5. general physical and social environment
6. communications media
7. content taught in the schools, churches, etc.
8. specific situations and roles
Campbell, V., & Bond, R. (1982). Evaluation of a character education curriculum.
In D. McClelland (ed.), Education for values. New York: Irvington Publishers.
3. How can good character be measured ?

• Cognitive knowledge
• Age appropriate cognitive and moral
development
• Values expressed
• Commitments expressed
• Written plans
• Personal and social overt behavior
student discipline; student suicide rates;
crimes; pregnancy rates of teenage girls;
academic effort; prosocial activities
Effective communication and shared values

among families, schools, religious
organizations, and communities

Schools effectively impacting morals and
character are:
1. directed by adults who exercise their
authority toward faculty and students in a
firm, sensitive, and imaginative manner, and
who are committed to both academics and
pupil character development;
Wynne, E. (1989). Transmitting traditional values in contemporary schools. In

L. Nucci, Moral development and character education: A dialogue (pp. 19-36).
Berkeley, CA: McCutchan.

character are:
2. staffed by dedicated faculty who make
vigorous demands on pupils and each other;


character are:
3. structured so that pupils are surrounded
by a variety of opportunities for them to
practice helping (prosocial) conduct;


character are:
4. managed to provide pupils--both
individually and collectively--with many
forms of recognition for good conduct;


character are:
5. oriented toward maintaining systems of
symbols, slogans, ceremonies, and songs that
heighten pupils' collective identities;


character are:
6. dedicated to maintaining pupil discipline,
via clear, widely disseminated discipline codes
that are vigorously enforced and backed up
with vital consequences;


character are:
7. committed to academic instruction and
assigned pupils significant homework and
otherwise stressed appropriate academic
rigor;


character are:
8. sensitive to the need to develop collective
pupil loyalties to particular classes, clubs,
athletic groups, and other subentities in the
school;


character are:
9. sympathetic to the values of the external
adult society, and perceive it as largely
supportive and concerned with the problems
of the young;


character are:
10. always able to use more money to improve
their programs, but rarely regard lack of
money as an excuse for serious program
deficiencies;


character are:
11. open to enlisting the help, counsel, and
support of parents and other external adults,
but willing to propose important constructive
changes in the face of (sometimes) ill-
informed parent resistance;


character are:
12. disposed to define "good character" in
relatively immediate and traditional terms.

Exemplary Programs
Child Development Project
1. supportive adult-child relationships
2. exposure to societal values
3. peer interaction and prosocial action
4. think about and discuss moral issues
5. experiences that promote understanding of
others
Solomon, D., Schaps, E. Watson, M, & Battistich, V. (1992). Creating caring
school and classroom communities for all student. In R. Villa, J. Thousand,
W. Stainback, & S. Stainback. From restructuring for caring and effective
education: An administrative guide to creating heterogeneous schools.
Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Exemplary Programs
Hyde school
1. Comprehensive curriculum for growth in four
areas: (a) intellectual, (b) physical, (c) spiritual,
and (d) emotional
2. Students expected to meet world class standards
3. Students have regular jobs and take
responsibility for growth of other students
4. Students commit to continuous improvement
towards excellence in all endeavors
Gauld, J. (1993). Character first: The Hyde school difference. San
Francisco: ICS Press.
Exemplary Programs
City Montessori School
1. Four building blocks or pillars: universal values,
excellence, global understanding, and service
2. Human being considered as endowed with
spiritual capacities
3. Striving for excellence, especially academic
excellence, is a focus
4. Council for Global Education is diffusing the
program world wide
Cottom, C. (1996). A bold experiment in teaching values. Educational
Leadership, 53(8), 54-58.
Conclusion
It is possible to develop a community consensus
around a relatively small number of moral and
character traits that can be the focus of a K-12
educational program.
These must be integrated into a curriculum that
enjoins young people to strive for excellence in the
attainment of vision, character, and competencies.
The End

Moral and Character Education: William G. Huitt, Ph.D. Valdosta State University

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Moral and Character Education: William G. Huitt, Ph.D. Valdosta State University

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Moral and Character Education

William G. Huitt, Ph.D.

Last revised: August 2000

Three major issues in the education of

Three major issues in the education of

Three major issues in the education of

The moral quality and

The following two definitions provide

“engaging in morally relevant conduct

Wynne, E., & Walberg, H. (Eds.). (1984). Developing

The following two definitions provide

“a complex set of relatively persistent

Pritchard, I. (1988). Character education: Research prospects

Scholarly debate on moral development and

Major thinkers in Western Civilization have been

Both educators and American public believe

• Educators -- competence in basic

Both educators and American public believe

• Public -- competence in basic skills and

Modern educators have placed more emphasis on

However, competence and character are not

Wynne, E., & Walberg, H. (1985). The complementary goals of character

Modern educators have placed more emphasis on

Stallings (1978) found a positive impact of

Stallings, J. (1978). What teachers do does make a difference. In A. Newman

Modern educators have placed more emphasis on

Etzioni (1984) and Ginsburg and Hanson (1986)

 Etzioni, A. (1984). Self-discipline, schools, and the business community.

Modern educators have placed more emphasis on

Kagan (1981) and Wynne and Walberg (1985)

Emphasis on Character Education has begun to

National School Boards Association proposed a

National School Boards Association (1987) Building character in the public

Emphasis on Character Education has begun to

Georgia Department of Education has

Georgia Department of Education. (1997). Values and character education

Four major questions need to be addressed when

1. What is good character?

1. What is good character?

2. What causes or prevents good character?

3. How can good character be measured ?

4. How can good character best be developed?

Effective communication and shared values

4. How can good character best be developed?

Wynne, E. (1989). Transmitting traditional values in contemporary schools. In

4. How can good character best be developed?

Wynne, E. (1989). Transmitting traditional values in contemporary schools. In

4. How can good character best be developed?

Wynne, E. (1989). Transmitting traditional values in contemporary schools. In

4. How can good character best be developed?

Wynne, E. (1989). Transmitting traditional values in contemporary schools. In

4. How can good character best be developed?

Wynne, E. (1989). Transmitting traditional values in contemporary schools. In

4. How can good character best be developed?

Wynne, E. (1989). Transmitting traditional values in contemporary schools. In

4. How can good character best be developed?

Wynne, E. (1989). Transmitting traditional values in contemporary schools. In

4. How can good character best be developed?

Wynne, E. (1989). Transmitting traditional values in contemporary schools. In

4. How can good character best be developed?

Wynne, E. (1989). Transmitting traditional values in contemporary schools. In

4. How can good character best be developed?

Wynne, E. (1989). Transmitting traditional values in contemporary schools. In