“Experiencing Character Education:
Student and Teacher Voices” by James Leming and Diane Yendol-Hoppey in Journal
of Research in Character Education, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2004, pp. 1-17.
Type of study
Transcripts of interviews and focus groups with students and teachers who have
experienced character education programs were analyzed using interpretive
qualitative methods. Two of the seven studies reviewed were evaluations of the
Heartwood Curriculum (see p. 3). The findings were in the form of themes that
emerged in more than one of the studies.
Findings
Adolescents value such programs to the extent that they complement the
search for a personal identity.
Most students believe they are moral individuals and know right from
wrong.
Students often believe their values are already shaped and character
education should focus on other, often younger, students.
Both teachers and students believe such programs will only be effective
in the long term. They see a disconnect between understanding values and
acting on them.
Both teachers and students believe such programs cannot compensate for
homes that do not teach morality.
Students feel curriculums should be realistic, not based on extreme
moral choices
Students feel curriculums seen as
coercive or based on moral absolutes will be unsuccessful.
