published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Critical and enduring questions for teachers are whose ethics or what ethics they should be teaching in schools and how, given the pluralism of the wider society. The focus of this study is to establish whether it is possible to identify a common, non-relativist basis for what should be taught in Ethics Education and then to consider how such an approach might best be undertaken. This task involves finding some basis for ethics that we all have reason to accept and requires an understanding of the nature of moral development and learning. An interdisciplinary approach has been undertaken to investigate whether it is possible to find a common basis for ethics and to determine what constitutes the nature of moral development and learning. In the first instance, this interdisciplinary approach has been used to investigate whether there is justification for believing that as human beings we share certain characteristics and patterns of behaviour, or a common humanity, the features of which might suggest a common basis for ethics that we all have reason to accept. This investigation examines empirical findings and theoretical conclusions relating to the sociobiological, psychosocial and sociocultural dimensions of human beings to support the notion that we share a common humanity which is characterised by a number of features. These features include the deeply reciprocal nature of our relationships with one another and the sociocultural nature of our moral learnings. Moreover, we are a highly interdependent social species whose survival and well-being are dependent not only on cooperation with one another but also with sustaining a satisfactory ecological balance with other forms of life within dynamic, natural systems. This interdependence suggests that the norm of having care for one another and our world is one that we all have reason to accept. This norm, in turn, suggests a telos, or set of goals for ethics, that involve the creation of a just and caring society. However, in order to realise such a telos for ethics it is necessary to provide some specific theoretical and practical guidelines related to deciding what constitutes the nature and scope of care within specific contexts. Accordingly, the study undertakes a brief review of contemporary approaches to ethics to evaluate the extent to which these provide a means for realising the ethical form of life based in the norm of having care for one another and our world. This review suggests that feminist theories of care provide the most promising basis for delineating what it is to care for one another and our world. However, it is also acknowledged that there are a number of limitations with existing theories of care. This study, therefore, undertakes a conceptual analysis of the nature and scope of care and outlines an extended ethic of care. This theorising recognises that care for others is characterised by the dimensions of responsiveness, the exercise of responsible action and is refined and amended by critical reflection. It is acknowledged that justice is intrinsic to the nature of care as is the exercise of a range of virtues. The scope of our caring responsibilities is seen to extend to all others in the global community, as well as all other species, while also requiring care for self, and care for particular others for whom we may have special familial or work-related responsibilities. The evaluation of what constitutes caring practice is also discussed and it is acknowledged that caring practices must meet minimum requirements in terms of respect for basic human rights and should contribute to the welfare and well-being of the recipients of care. This specification of the nature and scope of care, in conjunction with a consideration of the nature of moral learning and development, provides a basis from which to develop a philosophical foundation as well as a set of aims and objectives for Ethics Education. It is acknowledged that students need to develop a wide range of cognitive, emotional and social competencies in order to understand what it means to care for self and others within specific socio-cultural contexts and also to develop the sense of empathetic connection and affiliation to others that translates moral decisions into responsible moral action. It is hoped that the study provides the basis for beginning a dialogue in schools that involves students, teachers, families and members of the wider community about what it means to live the ethical form of life and how education itself might promote broadly such a form of life.

The objective of the dissertation is to prove that ELCZ contributed religious education in the Western Deanery. It is also to assess the interaction between Christianity and African Traditional Religion, since they are the major religions in the Western Deanery they should be taught at schools. Prior to independence religion meant Christianity. Missionaries and a few chosen local teachers taught it. The aim was to Christianize as many students as possible. the abduction of students at Manama Mission in 1970 disurbed the teaching of religious and secular education. A new Manama was set up in Bulawayo but was not a success in reviving the teaching of religious education. There were numerous problems which hindered progress. After independence religious education was based on the child's personal experience not only Christianity. It accommodated all religions. Dissident disturbance interfered with the teaching of religious and secular education. Religious education gained momentum after signing of the Unity Accord in 1987. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M.A. (Religious Studies)

The state of moral decline has recently come under scrutiny in South Africa and abroad. Moral development is nurtured and developed by moral teaching. South Africa has put in place various avenues for moral education in order to curb moral degeneration. However, due to the continuing social ills that are experienced in the country further avenues of moral education ought to be explored. Due to the multicultural nature of the South African population, moral considerations should consider the strengths that cultural diversity in moral education can contribute toward a moral society. Moral teachings have been explored through education and religious chastity; however, the indigenous knowledge systems of South Africans have not been tapped in this regard. This is partly because the scientific world has not seen it fit to accommodate these knowledges in the knowledge production sphere. The study employed a constructivist grounded theory approach to explore the role of traditional teachings in Batswana female initiation schools and how the traditional teachings contribute to morality and the construction of womanhood. A decolonial epistemic perspective, the African epistemology and social constructionism were used as concepts that formed a framework to allow the critiquing of main stream theories and to allow a grounded theory to emerge from a Batswana female initiation context. Unstructured interviews with initiation instructors as primary data sources were conducted. Secondary data sources included initiation songs and dance; conversations with people who are involved in initiation schools, people who are knowledgeable in Setswana culture and the cultural celebration that the researcher attended were used. The textual data was analysed using the Attride Sterling model of thematic networks. Womanhood as a particular identity and female morality as mainly determined by context are the main themes in the study. Womanhood and morality are intertwined within this context that determines womanhood according to acceptable behaviours. An ethic of responsibility was the overarching theme when analyzing how female morality and womanhood is constructed in the context of initiation schools in Taung. / Psychology / M.A. (Research Consultation)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / In his lectures On Pedagogy, Kant considers education a condition of possibility for the exercise of freedom. Freedom is understood by the philosopher as the ability to dominate impulses and natural wills, so that man can act in accordance with the principles established by reason, since only free will can turn man into an autonomous human being. Kant considers education an art which requires in its achievement a foundation on practical principles, such as discipline and instruction, legal training (understood by Kant as a catechism of right) and moral education anchored in the laws of reason. Based on the relationship between moral and political education, this research analyzes the link between education, morality and the idea of political education understood as a way to citizenship in a cosmopolitan sense. Thus, our goal is to demonstrate that in the construction of his pedagogical project, Kant establishes the conditions for the modern man´s education in accordance with the concept of enlightenment understood in a critical sense and based on the idea of a cosmopolitan education. Kant´s conception of education can help us reflect on the contemporary education as an exercise of life in society, which implies an effective citizenship actively connected to respect and responsibility. / Nas lições Sobre a Pedagogia, Kant considera que a educação é a condição de possibilidade para o exercício da liberdade. A liberdade é entendida pelo filósofo enquanto capacidade de dominar os impulsos e as inclinações naturais a fim de que o homem possa agir em conformidade com os princípios estabelecidos pela razão, uma vez que, somente a vontade livre pode transformar o homem em um ser autônomo. A educação é concebida por Kant como uma arte, a qual exige na sua consecução a fundamentação sobre princípios práticos, tais como: disciplina e instrução, formação jurídica (entendida por Kant como um catecismo do direito) e, formação moral, ancorada nas leis da razão. Com base na relação entre formação moral e política, a presente pesquisa busca analisar o nexo entre educação, moralidade e a ideia de formação política entendida enquanto via para o exercício da cidadania no sentido cosmopolita. Nesse horizonte, o nosso objetivo consiste em demonstrar que na construção do seu projeto pedagógico, Kant estabelece as condições para a formação do homem moderno em conformidade com o conceito de esclarecimento entendido no sentido crítico, com base no qual pode ser considerada a ideia de formação do cidadão do mundo. A concepção de formação entendida por Kant pode nos auxiliar a pensar a educação contemporânea como um exercício do convívio em sociedade, o que implica na efetivação da cidadania como forma ativa conectada ao respeito e a responsabilidade.

L’éducation morale est un aspect central de l’éthique de la vertu de tradition aristotélicienne. De nombreux auteurs sont attachés à l’idée qu’une bonne théorie éthique doit nous informer sur la manière de former de meilleurs agents moraux. Les éthiciens de la vertu considèrent que c’est par une éducation du caractère que l’on peut façonner des agents vertueux. Or, une telle éducation est-elle vraiment possible? Et si elle l’est, en quoi consiste-t-elle? Ce mémoire entend répondre à ces questions en explorant les horizons de la théorie des vertus, horizons qui dépassent maintenant les limites de la philosophie. En s’interrogeant d’abord sur le naturalisme moral en théorie des vertus, le naturalisme libéral est retenu comme la position métaéthique la plus réaliste pour l’avenir de la théorie. Celle-ci doit tenir compte des avancées scientifiques, notamment en psychologie sociale, si elle souhaite accomplir ses objectifs éducatifs. Pour suivre cette démarche, les caractéristiques centrale du concept de vertu sont identifiés, puis mis à l’épreuve par la critique situationniste des vertus. Selon le situationnisme, de nombreuses études empiriques montreraient que les comportements moraux des agents sont déterminés par des facteurs circonstanciels et arbitraires. Par conséquent, une caractéristique centrale de la théorie, la robustesse des vertus, est abandonnée. Cet abandon ne marque toutefois pas la fin de la théorie des vertus : elle est alors orientée vers l’éducation morale où elle demeure pertinente grâce à la littérature sur l’expertise et sur l’intelligence émotionnelle. Ce cadre théorique et empirique permet de donner une solide fondation pour l’éducation de vertus. Certaines difficultés demeurent présentes quant à l’implantation de programmes concrets d’éducation des vertus dans les écoles. Pour le futur, les chercheurs devront relevés les défis que représentent l’environnement scolaire et la mesure de vertus. / Moral education is a central aspect of the virtue ethics of Aristotelian tradition. Many authors are attached to the idea that a good ethical theory should inform us about how to form better moral agents. The ethicists of virtue consider that it is through an education of character that virtuous agents can be fashioned. But is such an education really possible? And if it is, what does it consist of? This thesis aims to answer these questions by exploring the horizons of the theory of virtues, horizons that now exceed the limits of philosophy. By first questioning moral naturalism in the theory of virtues, liberal naturalism is retained as the most realistic metaethical position for the future of the theory. It must take into account scientific advances, particularly in social psychology, if it wishes to achieve its educational objectives. To follow this approach, the central characteristics of the concept of virtue are identified and then tested by the situationist critique of virtues. According to the situationism, many empirical studies would show that the moral behaviors of the agents are determined by circumstantial and arbitrary factors. Therefore, a central feature of the theory, the robustness of virtues, is abandoned. This abandonment, however, does not mark the end of the theory of virtues: it is then oriented towards moral education where it remains relevant thanks to the literature on expertise and emotional intelligence. This theoretical and empirical framework makes it possible to give a solid foundation for the education of virtues. Some difficulties remain in implementing concrete curricula for the education of virtues in schools. For the future, researchers will have to take up the challenges of the school environment and the measurement of virtues.

The present paper extends previous research in terms of integrating social learning with morality theories, under the framework of moral educators’ and their conflicting moral influences. Specifically, this study aims to investigate the impact of witnessing moral educators breaking (their) moral teachings on individual’s morality and criminal behavior using a sample of two countries, Sweden and Greece, with similar population but entirely different cultural and social characteristics. We focus on three research questions regarding the correlations and (i) the explanatory influence of witnessing this conflict on moral emotions and values by gender and country, (ii) its impact on traditional crime by gender and country and (iii) the impact that witnessing the conflict and morality mutually have on traditional crime in the two countries. Our findings emerge in three key points. First, we found that witnessing moral educators influenced both moral emotions differentially in each country and gender, but only affected Swedish males’ moral values. Secondly, our results showed that witnessing moral educators can explain a moderate to small variance of traditional crime only for males in the two countries. Lastly, we found that witnessing moral educators together with morality can explain a moderate variance of traditional crime in the two countries, while gender is highly important for both countries. Findings are discussed in relation to theory and previous research. Future research is recommended in order to expand the understanding of the cultural and social learning processes that inhibit (im)moral contexts and subsequently affect morality and offending.