The study examined the reading and character growth of elementary school students (n = 2144) in urban public charter school classrooms (n = 88), focusing on the relationship between the students’ growth and a character-focused lesson. Reading growth, as measured by in-classroom reading assessments, and character growth, as measured by self- and teacher- report surveys focused on either grit or self-control, were the outcomes of interest. The study employed a mixed-methods design, combining quantitative methods (i.e., descriptive statistics, correlations, and multi-variable linear regression) and qualitative methods (i.e., video observations, surveys, and interviews) to both describe and better understand the relationship between these outcomes. The average reading and character growth of the students in the study was notable, with students—on average—making 1.24 years of reading progress (as measured by grade level equivalency) over one school year and demonstrating character growth beyond expectation. Students in classrooms focused on the character strength of grit grew more with respect to strength of character than did their peers in classrooms focused on self-control. Also, students demonstrating higher levels of grit grew more with respect to reading than did their peers with lower levels of grit. Counter to the study’s hypothesis, the character-focused lessons were negatively (though weakly) associated with students’ character growth. Qualitative examination of a subset of the lessons indicated that (a) grit was often positioned as the more “academic” strength, while self-control was often positioned as the more “social” strength and (b) stronger lessons may have heightened students’ reference bias, such that students had a more ambitious vision of grit or self-control as a result. In interviews with a subset of the teachers in the sample, those who led their students to notably above-average character growth all had consistent, robust character education in their schools, in stark contrast to the teachers who led their students to notably below-average character growth. The study’s findings suggest that particular non-cognitive strengths—in this case, grit—are associated with desirable academic outcomes, even in young school children, and that in-classroom and school-wide character education may help to support the growth and development of these strengths.

A teoria sociológica elaborada por Émile Durkheim parte do embate com o pensamento utilitarista e com a psicologia, e se desenvolve no sentido de superar a relação sempre tensa entre indivíduo e sociedade. Durkheim, acusado de um antiindividualismo atroz, na contramão do legado iluminista, é visto, por parte de seus intérpretes, como um sociologista e um conservador, principalmente no que concerne a seu pensamento atinente à moral. A obra Educação Moral é entendida por muitos como a notação desse conservadorismo. Contudo, em oposição a estas leituras defende-se, a partir de ampla bibliografia mas, sobretudo, a partir dos próprios trabalhos de Durkheim, a tese segundo a qual é possível identificar em sua teoria pedagógica uma tentativa de sintetizar sociologismo e individualismo. Tal tentativa pode ser avistada no modo como o autor concebe a moral e seus elementos constitutivos, bem como em sua definição acerca do tipo de moralidade adequada à sociedade moderna, caracterizada, em que pese sua ênfase nos aspectos coletivos, pelo primado da razão e da autonomia. Com efeito, pretende-se demonstrar que as concepções morais de Durkheim estão em consonância tanto com a sua visão acerca da modernidade quanto com a sua definição de democracia, e que disso se depreende a necessidade de uma educação moral com vistas a formar o cidadão republicano, o ator social, consciente de seus direitos e de seus deveres, mas, sobretudo, de sua individualidade, definida no interior da vida coletiva. A exegese dos textos durkheimianos e a análise das interpretações consagradas pela literatura especializada constituem o ponto de partida metodológico deste trabalho, de modo que a seleção tanto das fontes primárias quanto das fontes secundárias se baseia na relevância, historicamente construída, dos textos escolhidos. / The sociological theory elaborated by Émile Durkheim emerges from the clash with the utilitarian thinking and the psychology and was developed to overcome the always tense relationship between individual and society. Durheim, accused of a strong antiindividualism, against the Enlightenment legacy, is seen by his interpreters as a sociologist and conservative, especially with regard to his thinking on morality. The work Moral Education is understood by many as a notation of this conservatism. However, in contrast to these readings, this research stands, from the point of view of a broad bibliography and mainly from Durkheim own works, the argument that it is possible to identify in his pedagogical theory an attempt to synthesize sociologism and individualism. Such an attempt can be identified in the mode the author conceives of morality and its constitutive elements, and his definition of the type of morality proper to modern society, which is characterized, despite his emphasis on collective aspect, by the primacy of reason and autonomy. Indeed, we intend to demonstrate that Durkheim moral views are both in line with his vision of modernity as with his definition of democracy, and that from these elements the need for moral education comes, in order to form the republican citizen, the social agent, this one conscious of his rights and his duties but, above all, his individuality, defined within the collective life. The exegesis of Durkheimian texts and the analisys advocated by the literature are the methodological point of departure of this research, so that both the selection of primary sources as well as the secondary ones is based on the relevancy, historically constructed, of the chosen texts.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / A presente dissertaÃÃo, intitulada Os educadores-palhaÃos do grupo fantasia: o que aprendem e o que nos ensinam sobre educaÃÃo moral, teve como objetivo geral compreender a visÃo dos integrantes do Grupo Fantasia sobre a educaÃÃo moral desenvolvida nas atividades voluntÃrias realizadas em um dos abrigos visitados por eles - o Abrigo Casa-FamÃlia de MaracanaÃ. Os sujeitos da pesquisa sÃo denominados de educadores-palhaÃos pela dimensÃo educacional e social do trabalho desempenhado e por expressarem-se atravÃs da figura singular, divertida e libertadora do palhaÃo. SÃo jovens pertencentes à Mocidade EspÃrita Nova GeraÃÃo da Sociedade EspÃrita de Maracanaà (SOESMA). Com atividades lÃdicas e artÃsticas, o grupo desenvolve uma proposta de educaÃÃo moral inspirada na Doutrina EspÃrita, codificada por Allan Kardec, no final do sÃculo XIX. NÃo hà intenÃÃo de fazer adeptos para esta doutrina, mas colaborar na formaÃÃo de pessoas de bem, de acordo com a moral do Cristo. As perguntas orientadoras da investigaÃÃo foram: quem sÃo os jovens pertencentes ao grupo? Como atuam? O que o grupo nos ensina e o que aprendem sobre educaÃÃo moral nas variadas atividades pedagÃgicas e sociais desenvolvidas por eles? O referencial teÃrico acerca do desenvolvimento moral, emergiu das perspectivas de Jean Piaget e Lawrence Kholberg; bem como dos princÃpios morais de Rousseau e de Pestalozzi, alÃm da moral espÃrita com base em Allan Kardec. A compreensÃo do Grupo Fantasia acerca da educaÃÃo moral foi investigada combinando duas metodologias qualitativas de pesquisa: a pesquisa-aÃÃo proposta por Renà Barbier e Michel Thiollent e a pesquisa (auto)biogrÃfica desenvolvida a quase trÃs dÃcadas por investigadores que utilizam as histÃrias de vida em formaÃÃo. Os procedimentos utilizados foram: o CÃrculo Reflexivo BiogrÃfico (CRB); criado em pesquisa anteriormente desenvolvida pela professora ErcÃlia Braga com o Grupo Fantasia; a observaÃÃo participante acompanhada do diÃrio de intinerÃncia, de registros fotogrÃficos e de filmagens. O trabalho realizado permitiu uma ampla reflexÃo sobre a prÃtica efetivamente realizada, levando o grupo a reelaborar seu projeto pedagÃgico. A experiÃncia desenvolvida pelos educadores-palhaÃos pode contribuir para o campo da educaÃÃo popular, sobretudo no trabalho desenvolvido com crianÃas e adolescentes, mais profundamente no desenvolvimento de valores e atitudes que apontam para uma sociedade mais fraterna e justa. / This dissertation entitled Educators clown of Grupo Fantasia: what we learn and teach about moral education, aimed to understand the overall vision of the members of Grupo Fantasia on moral education developed in voluntary activities carried out in one of the shelters visited for them - the Family Shelter House, Marazion. The subjects are called clowns by educators and educational dimension of social work carried out and express themselves through the singular figure of the clown fun and liberating. They are young people belonging to the New Generation Youth Spiritist Society of Spiritist Maracanaà (SOESMA). With recreational and artistic activities, the group develops a proposal for a moral education inspired by the Spiritist Doctrine, codified by Allan Kardec in the late nineteenth century. There is no intention to do adherents to this doctrine, but to collaborate in the formation of good people, according to the morality of Christ. The guiding research questions were: Who are the young people belonging to the group? How do they work? What it teaches us and learning about moral education in various educational and social activities undertaken by them? The theoretical about moral development, emerged from the perspectives of Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kholberg; and moral principles of Rousseau and Pestalozzi, and morality based on spiritualist Allan Kardec. Understanding Group Fantasy about moral education has been investigated by combining two methods of qualitative research: action research proposed by Rene Barbier and Michel Thiollent and Research (auto) biographical developed almost three decades by researchers who use the stories of life in training . The procedures used were: Biographical Reflective Circle (CRB), established in earlier research developed by Professor Braga Ercilia with Grupo Fantasia; participant observation accompanied by the daily intinerÃncia of filming and photographic records. The work has enabled a broad reflection on the practice carried out effectively, leading the group to redesign their pedagogical project. The experience developed by educators clowns can contribute to the field of popular education, particularly in work with children and adolescents, more deeply in the development of values and attitudes that point to a more fraternal and just society.

Short-term service-learning experiences such as alternative breaks are increasing in popularity due to the focus on service in higher education and the institution’s responsibility to ensure students are graduating with the skills needed to succeed in an increasingly competitive, global economy and contribute to a democratic society as citizens who address societal needs. To meet this demand, colleges and universities continue to explore ways to increase civic engagement in the form of curricular and co-curricular programs. Additionally, faculty and administrators in higher education are intensely seeking a revitalization of the public purposes of higher education, which include educating for moral and civic development (Colby, 2000). One specific need identified in the research literature includes developing a better understanding of the relationship between service-learning and moral competence. There are strong indications that service-learning experiences support psychosocial development in areas such as appreciation of diversity, empathy, concern for social justice, a greater sense of personal efficacy, and problem solving (Bernacki & Jaeger, 2008; Einfeld & Collins, 2008; Marichal, 2010). While this limited research is hopeful, little to no research has been conducted to date to explore the relationship between a co-curricular service-learning experience and moral competence. An exploratory, mixed methods study was conducted with participants of a short-term service-learning experience known as a Bulls Service Break at the University of South Florida. A pre-post analysis was conducted on participants to determine if there was a relationship between moral competence and the service-learning experience through use of the Moral Competence Test. Additionally, a questionnaire was administered to participants upon completion of their service experience to explore the relationship between service-learning and Rest’s Four Component Model of Moral Behavior. The questions focused on moral sensitivity, moral judgment, moral motivation, and moral character. These data were analyzed using a combination of statistical analysis through SPSS for the quantitative research question, and through thematic coding for the qualitative questionnaire responses. Results indicated that students experienced an increase in their moral competence as evidenced pre-post comparison of C-scores. Additionally, for the research questions pertaining to Rest’s Four Component Model of Moral Behavior, relationships between moral sensitivity, moral judgment, moral motivation and moral character were confirmed via the themes generated from the qualitative data analysis. Participants experienced increased self-awareness and social awareness with relation to moral sensitivity. When exploring the data pertaining to moral judgment, participants expressed a realization of social injustice in our communities. This awareness then prompted participants to be morally motivated to combat social injustices by helping others and giving back to my community and by treating others equally and with respect. And finally, the participants’ moral character was tested when they experienced situations that made them uncomfortable during their service but they persisted toward combating social injustices and helping the communities they served. Based on the findings of the study, suggestions for future research and practical implications are offered.

This thesis considers aspects of Piaget's and Kohlberg's theories of the moral development and education of children. It takes into consideration an old but valuable study of the development of character in children. As a possible alternative model to that provided by Kohlberg we suggest the inclusion of the Philosophy for Children programme into schools. Prior to the elaboration of this proposition we critically analyse certain philosophical concepts put forward by both Piaget and Kohlberg. Our aim here has been to suggest that there are underlying philosophical weaknesses which have a hidden but important impact on the acceptability of aspects of their work. We express our concern at the acceptance of Kohlberg's work in schools and point out why this is unsatisfactory. We put forward what we take to be an acceptable position in introducing moral education into schools and we put forward an approach where this can take place within the context of a broader educational programme and which includes the Philosophy for Children programme.

We live in an age of public accountability. For university-based business schools, housed within institutions with responsibilities for fostering public wellbeing, public accountability represents major challenges. The specific challenge of this dissertation is interpreting that accountability in moral, as opposed to legal or bureaucratic terms. Much of the academic attention to public accountability has focused on the legal aspects of compliance and regulation. The systemic nature of the educative-formative problem of moral accountability argued herein is especially evident inside postgraduate management education. I argue that nascent ideas of moral accountability foreground a systemic and inescapable challenge to the legitimacy of the now ubiquitous Masters of Business Administration (MBA) within university based management education. Illustrating the formative-educative problem via a case study at an Australian university and drawing on a critical review of the management studies literature I argue that current approaches to meeting those public responsibilities are at risk of being marginal at best. This is a view increasingly recognised by those within the management studies field already committed to redressing amoral management theory and practice. Efforts to professionalise management by bringing management studies inside universities have long been abandoned in favour of following market logic - a predominantly financially driven logic that is formatively amoral - thus exposing universities' moral legitimacy to rising public skepticism, if not acute and justifiable concern. Beyond the professionalisation efforts and the compliance mentality of corporate governance and against the commonplace smorgasbord approach to business ethics (foreclosing engagement with larger and relevant political, ethical and philosophical dimensions) I argue for cultivating a specific capability for management graduates - one area that will yield considerable philosophical scope and pedagogical options while meeting the university's public responsibility. I make a case for cultivating reflective judgment on matters of moral accountability {and specifically at the individual level} as a defining capability in management studies - a capability that is worthy of public trust in universities. To that end I argue for a Kantian approach to cultivating reflective moral accountability. The scope of this approach is global, the mode is action-guiding principles under public scrutiny, where reverence for individual human dignity is at its base: a civic or enlightened accountability, oriented to earning and warranting public trust, by individuals and through institutions. Kantian hope in a cosmopolitan ethical commonwealth sustains practical-idealist commitment to cultivating this capability. This Kantian approach is shaped by Kant's grossly under-recognised moral anthropology: a composite of a modest metaphysical framework of justice intersecting with his almost completely ignored philosophy of experience / anthropology. The pedagogical approach developed here is based on Kant's moral anthropology and notion of maturity. It is oriented to deeply experiential organic learning as university-based preparation for reflective moral judgment in pressured, complex situations of uncertainty. The aim here is fostering ideas on approaching what is problematic not to develop a comprehensive theory of moral accountability in the MBA. Taken together this Kantian response sees paideia as central to the public role of university education, and as such represents a radical challenge to seemingly unassailable assumptions of authority in management theory and practice. I follow a phronesis approach in this research, a perspective on knowledge that views the social sciences as categorically different from the natural sciences, calling less for universal laws and more for knowledge drawing on wisdom and moral judgment derived through extensive experience. Flyvbjerg's phronetic approach to the social sciences guides the case study, influences the selection of perspectives in both the literature review and the Kantian considerations. I approach this educative-formative problem out of liberal-humanist, social-contract traditions.

We live in an age of public accountability. For university-based business schools, housed within institutions with responsibilities for fostering public wellbeing, public accountability represents major challenges. The specific challenge of this dissertation is interpreting that accountability in moral, as opposed to legal or bureaucratic terms. Much of the academic attention to public accountability has focused on the legal aspects of compliance and regulation. The systemic nature of the educative-formative problem of moral accountability argued herein is especially evident inside postgraduate management education. I argue that nascent ideas of moral accountability foreground a systemic and inescapable challenge to the legitimacy of the now ubiquitous Masters of Business Administration (MBA) within university based management education. Illustrating the formative-educative problem via a case study at an Australian university and drawing on a critical review of the management studies literature I argue that current approaches to meeting those public responsibilities are at risk of being marginal at best. This is a view increasingly recognised by those within the management studies field already committed to redressing amoral management theory and practice. Efforts to professionalise management by bringing management studies inside universities have long been abandoned in favour of following market logic - a predominantly financially driven logic that is formatively amoral - thus exposing universities' moral legitimacy to rising public skepticism, if not acute and justifiable concern. Beyond the professionalisation efforts and the compliance mentality of corporate governance and against the commonplace smorgasbord approach to business ethics (foreclosing engagement with larger and relevant political, ethical and philosophical dimensions) I argue for cultivating a specific capability for management graduates - one area that will yield considerable philosophical scope and pedagogical options while meeting the university's public responsibility. I make a case for cultivating reflective judgment on matters of moral accountability {and specifically at the individual level} as a defining capability in management studies - a capability that is worthy of public trust in universities. To that end I argue for a Kantian approach to cultivating reflective moral accountability. The scope of this approach is global, the mode is action-guiding principles under public scrutiny, where reverence for individual human dignity is at its base: a civic or enlightened accountability, oriented to earning and warranting public trust, by individuals and through institutions. Kantian hope in a cosmopolitan ethical commonwealth sustains practical-idealist commitment to cultivating this capability. This Kantian approach is shaped by Kant's grossly under-recognised moral anthropology: a composite of a modest metaphysical framework of justice intersecting with his almost completely ignored philosophy of experience / anthropology. The pedagogical approach developed here is based on Kant's moral anthropology and notion of maturity. It is oriented to deeply experiential organic learning as university-based preparation for reflective moral judgment in pressured, complex situations of uncertainty. The aim here is fostering ideas on approaching what is problematic not to develop a comprehensive theory of moral accountability in the MBA. Taken together this Kantian response sees paideia as central to the public role of university education, and as such represents a radical challenge to seemingly unassailable assumptions of authority in management theory and practice. I follow a phronesis approach in this research, a perspective on knowledge that views the social sciences as categorically different from the natural sciences, calling less for universal laws and more for knowledge drawing on wisdom and moral judgment derived through extensive experience. Flyvbjerg's phronetic approach to the social sciences guides the case study, influences the selection of perspectives in both the literature review and the Kantian considerations. I approach this educative-formative problem out of liberal-humanist, social-contract traditions.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Graduate School of Education, Oral Roberts University, 2004. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 158-170). Also available on the Internet.

The aim of this dissertation is to map and analyse planned responses to expressions of racism in upper secondary schools. Three questions are in focus: (1) What courses of action, in response to expressions of racism, are advocated in philosophical texts and equal treatment plans for upper secondary schools? (2) What consequences have these courses of action for the formation of the mission of schools, the responsibility of teachers, and the limits of free speech? (3) What kinds of expressions of racism are these courses of action intended to be a response to? The study takes its point of departure in two theoretical traditions: Pierre-André Taguieff’s categorisations of racism are used to define the problem in the dissertation, while John Dewey’s moral philosophy provides the methodological base. From an analysis of equal treatment plans four temporal phases are identified. In the first phase, preventive measures, the purpose is to prevent students from developing racism. In phase two, limitations in schools, the dominant course of action is to prohibit violations in schools. The third phase, corrective measures, is concerned with how to handle situations that are contrary to the limitations in schools. The final phase, limitations on schools, relates to when schools are required to transfer responsibility for action to the social services, work environment or police authorities. The results indicate that the national laws (since 2006) have a strong impact on equal treatment plans, and that ‘non-violation’ becomes a dominant moral principle that displaces or subsumes other views of morality. How the non-violation principle is applied also affects the space for political conversations on topics that can be hurtful. Finally, the analysis indicates that equal treatment plans are mainly concerned with expressions of racism among students, and pay little attention to expressions of racism that occur in the organization of schools. The plans thus describe schools as a force for good that seeks to combat (potential) racism among students.

How has teachers’ work changed during the 20th century? This question is addressed in this dissertation that deals with two aspects of teachers’ work: moral education/discipline and care. The two aspects relate to two distinct, yet sometimes interconnected problems: the norm-breaking and the suffering child. Drawing on a rich source of material, consisting of handbooks, magazines and journals for teachers, interviews, life histories, school memories, novels, commission reports etcetera, and theoretically interpreted within a frame of mentalities, modernity and institutional features of schooling, the process of change is described in terms of contrasts between “the past” and “the present” or between the modern and the late modern condition. The results are presented in two parts, dealing with discipline (part II) and care (part III). Part II deals with changes in the meaning of discipline or moral education by focusing on the changes of what has been seen as a discipline problem, and the ways in which discipline problems can be counteracted. The question of the meanings of discipline problems is first illustrated by the “rise and fall” of the lying school child. The emphasis is on the ways in which the lie was held to be problematic in the early 20th century, but the fundamental aim is to understand the process of change whereby lies came to be seen as less important and dramatic as a problem for moral education. The meaning of discipline is further analysed in a study of conceptions of the school class. Contrasting the concept of bullying with the idea that the school class is characterised by a high level of solidarity (common in the first part of the 20th century), the changes of moral education are analysed. Further, the transformations of the school punishment are discussed, with a focus on ideas on the good punishment. After concluding the chapters on moral education, the focus shifts towards the teachers’ responsibility toward the suffering school child (part III). The point of departure here is that the problem of the suffering school child is not a self evident problem in the same way as the problem of the norm-breaking child. This means that the analysis of changes in caring relationships in schools has to focus on the ways in which suffering is made visible as a responsibility for the teachers. First there is an analysis of how the attitudes towards the value of being happy at school can shift historically, and how these changes can be related to shifting views on schooling as a phase of preparation. Further the process of making suffering visible is investigated. It is argued that contemporary teachers are both expected to and able to see the suffering of the child in a new way. Another chapter deals with school hygiene and “crisis pedagogy”. These are two different ways of speaking about what it means to work for wellbeing in schools that belong to two different historical time periods. The two projects are both about wellbeing, but the first had “sickness” as the fundamental concept, whereas the later has “sorrow” as its fundamental concept. The former is characterised by a belief in progress and segregation, whereas the latter is characterised by a belief in inclusion and close personal relationships. In describing aspects of teachers work that have often been perceived as difficult to handle, the dissertation’s object, in the widest sense, is to give new perspectives on the meaning of working conditions, and by implication, the historical changes of these conditions. In an even more general sense the aim is to give new perspectives on schooling in late modern societies.