This thesis examines the myth and legend of Don Juan and the development of the dramatic character prior to 1800.

There is a long-held assumption that Outdoor Adventure Education (OAE) can develop character. However, little research has explored this belief. While many practitioners, and some scholars, remain committed to character development through OAE, the literature also reveals a growing body of discomfort and suspicion surrounding this assumption. This dissent centres on the vague nature of the term “character,” and the moral philosophical complexities surrounding the concept of character itself. Until “character” is more clearly explicated, any resolution to the current confusion is unlikely. This thesis employs Aristotle’s virtue theory, as espoused in his Nicomachean Ethics, to articulate an understanding of character. Although several scholars have used virtue ethics, commonly referred to as character ethics, to support their claims of character development through OAE, these treatments have been preliminary, warranting this more detailed account. When viewed from this virtue ethical perspective, the question, “Can character be developed through OAE?,” becomes problematic. For Aristotle cautions that different subjects of inquiry yield differing levels of accuracy, and with regard to ethical investigations, such as those into character, one must be content to “indicate the truth roughly and in outline” (I 3§4). Further complicating the matter, Aristotle asserts that virtue, a disposition, and the building block of character is gradually and arduously inculcated over long periods of time (I 7§16). While virtue theory implies that radical character transformation is, in any context, unlikely over brief stints of time, this does not mean that OAE programmes are of little moral worth. To the contrary, a detailed examination into a virtue ethical understanding of character suggests that certain elements of OAE programmes may xii have strong moral relevance. This relevance is found in Aristotle’s three conditions that cultivate the development of virtue, conditions readily found within many OAE courses: moral reflection; moral practice; and sharing in the moral lives of others. Drawing on my own interest and experience within OAE, an expedition seemed an ideal setting to explore the presence and content of Aristotle’s three conditions. In hope of discovering this moral narrative, a qualitative case study was conducted on a two-week wilderness expedition in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. The expedition was a first-year transition experience for students attending a Christian liberal college in the United States. Utilising interviews as a primary method, and observations and texts as secondary methods, the research explored the participants’ expedition experience from a virtue ethical perspective. A thematic analysis revealed that participants reported reflecting on their moral lives in both formal (e.g. group reviews, solo, journals) and informal (e.g. while hiking and performing camp chores) settings. Similarly, whether through the mental and physical endurance required in off-trail navigation, or the care expressed through the acts of service and gracious tolerance necessitated by the social demands of expeditionary life, the participants viewed their wilderness travel as a constant opportunity for moral practice. Lastly, the participants identified the community formed on their expedition to be integral to their increased moral self-perception. Although a virtue ethical perspective precludes claiming anything definitive regarding the participants’ character development, at the least, the expedition can be said to have contributed to their moral journey in ways that are directly relevant to their character.

Abstract This research explores the relationship between stories from the land and character education, and examines how the land forms the characters of those who live with Her. Twenty-seven participants were chosen through the snowball, or chain sampling, method from three groups of people living roughly within the boundaries of Hastings County, Ontario. Three groups of people were included: those living on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory; generational farmers, whose families had settled in this area; and relative newcomers who have come to the area as recently as twenty years ago and self-identified as coming here in order to be closer to the land. Ages varied, with the youngest participant being 30 years old and the eldest being 94. Each participant was asked to share a story from his or her experience of living with the land in this area. During personal visits, stories were conveyed through conversations between the participant and the researcher, and recorded using both audio and video equipment. After transcription, the stories were coded for evidence of character development and reflected upon using three lenses: Noddings (2003) circles of caring; Haig-Brown’s (2010) ways through which the land teaches us; and the traditional Ojibway story of the Seven Grandfather Teachings. This reflection process was guided by the notion of close reading of the transcripts, close listening to audio recordings for voice inflection and laughter, and close watching of video recordings for body language. Findings from the research revealed rich connections between the stories and the three lenses used. Every aspect of character development was evidenced in one or more stories. The stories affirmed that, as the elders have traditionally taught, the land moulds people. Those who live in the same area develop character in similar ways. There was no substantial difference shown between the character traits evident in the stories given by Mohawk people and those from the other two groups. Character traits identified were reflective of the skills necessarily developed to live and work on this land. Implications for the development of character education curriculum emerged from the consideration of the use of locally based stories within classrooms. / Thesis (Ph.D, Education) -- Queen's University, 2011-12-17 11:03:25.805

This project report describes a supplement for character creation in a tabletop role-playing game “Dragons and Demons." The purpose of this project is to improve the character creation for the players’ trough the narrative elements such as character’s background story. The applied qualitative methods such as a test panel and a questionnaire were conducted for the evaluation of theories used during character creation and to get feedback on the supplement’s creative value for the players. The aim of the questionnaire was to see how the method for the character creation differs from the regular way of making a character for a tabletop role-playing game and if this idea improves user experience during the tabletop role-playing game. The results of the evaluation are based on answers from novice and experienced players, and conclude that the additional background story creates an insight into the character's past, which makes it easier for novice players to get quick started with character creation. The experienced players expressed that the supplement for character creation was more entertaining than the traditional way of making a character for a tabletop role-playing game.

Thesis advisor: Jacqueline V. Lerner / This dissertation considered character development in adolescence from a relational developmental systems (RDS) perspective through the estimation of trajectories of five character attributes and the associations of these trajectories with the contextual factors of intentional self-regulation (ISR) and prosocial socialization from role models whom adolescents reported knowing personally. Character attributes considered were honesty, humility, diligence, future mindedness, and purpose. Data were taken from the Connecting Adolescents' Beliefs and Behaviors longitudinal study of character development in adolescents from the Northeastern United States. Results demonstrated that multiple trajectories can be estimated for each character attribute, supporting the RDS principles of plasticity and individual differences. Associations were also found among all character attributes considered at every time point. Contextual factors had more nuanced relationships with character attribute trajectories than was expected, with high levels of ISR associated with high start points for all character attributes and for overall character attribute patterns, but not necessarily with sustained high levels of character attributes. Prosocial socialization did not demonstrate a stable association with high levels or increasing levels of any character attribute examined. This pattern of findings suggests that additional contextual aspects should be considered as important aspects of character development. Limitations and future directions are discussed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the Applied Ancestry program meets its objectives of assisting at-risk youth with regard to character development. The sample consisted of 40 youth (12-17 yrs) enrolled in the Anasazi Foundation Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare program. These teens were randomly assigned to either the control (n = 22) or treatment (n = 18) group. To measure the impact of Applied Ancestry on character development the VIA Signature Strengths Survey, developed by the VIA Institute, was used. A pre-post test comparison found no difference between the two groups, however the overall negative changes in survey scores for the entire sample (N = 40) were found to be statistically significant. The negative change in scores was attributed, in large part, to participants' self-concept at the time they took the survey, with lack of humility being a key factor in pre test scores.

Character development in higher education is essential for enhancing ethical awareness and moral reasoning. However, inconsistent perspectives exist concerning the impact of ethics education on students' ethical awareness and moral reasoning. This phenomenological study examined the perceptions of senior-level undergraduate business students on their own ethical belief systems and changes in ethical awareness. Astin's student development theory on the environmental effects on learning formed the conceptual framework. The research questions explored how the 4-year undergraduate business school experience changed the students' ability to recognize and evaluate ethical concerns in relation to the ethical aspects of coursework. Thirteen undergraduate seniors pursuing a business degree from a Catholic college were purposively selected. In-depth interviews were used to obtain data about ethical self-awareness, recognition of ethical issues, understanding ethical concepts, and assessing core values. The study followed Moustakas' recommendation for phenomenological analysis, a modification of the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method. Emergent themes included the meaning of moral character development, the perception of the college business curriculum in relation to students' core values, and the approaches used to affect ethical situations. The findings suggest that the business curriculum increase the students' exposure to ethical situations and introduce decision tools that could be useful in ethical dilemmas. Recommendations involve considering a pretest and posttest design and Astin's entire inputs-environment-outcomes model as the theoretical framework. The implications for positive social change include the development of character education toward moral competencies and ethical decision-making skills of future business leaders.

Forming attachments to other creatures and things is not a phenomenon that is contingent on the entity existing in the real world. It’s a common thing in video games that the player grows attached to certain characters in some way, and it can sometimes even be a driving factor for a game’s gameplay. However, the process of creating an entity that the player may form an attachment to, especially for such games where this is a vital aspect, is not defined. By taking the popular virtual pet game Tamagotchi as an example and looking into various character design theories, we developed our own virtual pet game and reviewed our design process in an attempt to establish a baseline model.

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Harper Lee wrote a remarkable novel which provides a great deal of moral insight for its readers; through a use of history, moral instruction, and character development, Lee establishes a foundation for how people in an often intolerant world should live peacefully together. Moreover, she reminds the reader that regardless of socioeconomic status or race everyone deserves to be treated with respect and kindness. In establishing this moral analysis one must consider the historical source of Tom Robinson’s trial, the Scottsboro Trial; the Finch children’s consistent and exemplified instruction from their widowed father, Atticus, their housekeeper, Calpurina, and other close neighbors; and the symbolic representation of the mockingbird as a peaceful and protective creature which generally gets along with other bird species.