CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: AN ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF 1

CHARACTER EDUCATION PROGRAM IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

MASTER’S DEGREE

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: AN ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS

OF CHARACTER EDUCATION PROGRAM IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Musngi, Nerissa M.

December 2022
 CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: AN ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF 2
CHARACTER EDUCATION PROGRAM IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

MASTER’S DEGREE

INTRODUCTION

In today’s world, character formation is one of the fundamental aspects of the

educative process. The four corners of the classroom should teach the learners not only

with their cognitive and psychomotor aspects but as well as with their affective aspect

which includes values, attitude and well-character formation.

Character Education was among the initial courses included in the curriculum when

the Philippine Educational System was formed on January 21, 1901. Then, in high

school, it changed to Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) and Values Education

(VE). Since 1901, initiatives have been taken and novel strategies have been tested to

improve the instruction of GMRC or character education (CE). GMRC and CE were

incorporated into all learning areas rather than being separate learning areas in the Basic

Education Curriculum for 2002.

According to the President's recommendation, it was reinstated as a separate topic in

elementary and high school in 2005. There is a clear deterioration in morality, honesty,

discipline, respect, decency, and responsibility in our midst—in the home, in society, in

government, and even in schools—despite the concerted efforts of educators to help

students develop their character. Therefore, it is accurate to say that traditional education

falls short in developing pupils' personalities and character.

The idea of character education is one that is intended to be educational. It is a

learning experience designed for learners rather than making sense in terms of content.

The curriculum, according to Caswel and Campbell in Zais (1976), is everything the kids

encounter while being guided by their instructor. Teaching kids in a way that will help
 CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: AN ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF 3
CHARACTER EDUCATION PROGRAM IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

MASTER’S DEGREE

them grow in a variety of ways—as moral, mannered, behaved, non-bullying, healthy,

critical, successful, traditional, complaint, or socially acceptable beings—is known as

character education. Character education, previously viewed as an interruption to the

academic day, is now widely acknowledged by school officials to be beneficial to

students' academic performance.

Excellent character education equals good education, according to Marvin

Berkowitz, a professor of character education at the University of Missouri - St. Louis.

Children will enroll in a school if they feel respected, protected, and that the teachers

have their best interests at heart. Children are more driven, there are less outside

distractions, and they study harder—of course they learn more.

The concepts of character education are essentially about how individuals respect

one another. Mr. Berkowitz lists these qualities as respect, accountability, compassion,

justice, and honesty. It is more prevalent in primary schools, and at the secondary level, it

occasionally disappears to make place for more rigorous academics. However, according

to experts, opposition is diminishing in certain areas.