The language of self-belief, including terms like shyness and diffidence, is complex and puzzling. The idea of self-esteem in particular, which has been given fresh currency by recent interest in "personalized learning", continues to create problems. I argue first that we need a "thicker" and more subtle moral psychology of self-belief; and,…

In previous eras, teacher training institutions included programs designed to enhance the moral qualities of prospective teachers. With the exception of programs offered in denominational teacher training colleges, such programs have largely ceased to exist. This article advances the argument against a backdrop of increasing incidents of abuse of…

Can schools encourage children to become independent moral decision-makers, maintaining controlled environments suitable to instructing large numbers of children? Two opposing responses are reviewed: one holds that the road to morality is through discipline and obedience, the other through children's experimentation and choice-making.…

Choices in science--allocation of research funds, selection of research topics, interaction with research subjects (animals, environment, other humans), etc.--often, if not always, include some ethical considerations. Future scientists need skills to deal with and discuss ethical problems, and for that reason we have developed and evaluated one…

Using a historical and biographical, then developmental, approach, this article examines William James's spiritual family history by reviewing key events in the life of his father, Henry James, Sr. It pays particular attention to Henry Sr's tumultuous relationship with his own father, William James of Albany, and Henry Sr's subsequent conversion…

The role of teachers in the social, personal and moral development of students apart from education is discussed.

In response to Gibbs' (see record 2006-08257-011) defense of neo-Kohlbergian models of morality, the authors question whether revisions in Kohlberg's model constitute a coherent refinement of the cognitive-developmental approach. The authors argue that neo-Kohlbergian measures of moral development assess an aspect of morality (the most…

To fully develop the potentials of youth, we must address not only the academic dimension but the needs of the heart and the soul. This article suggests that success is more than teaching to the intelligence quotient (IQ) and emotional quotient (EQ), but we also must attend to the soul quotient (SQ). Recognizing that many traditional practices in…

The relationship among substance abuse counselors' education, experience, recovery status, and cognitive development (conceptual complexity and moral reasoning levels) was examined in a simultaneous multiple regression. Significant relationships were found between counselors' level of conceptual complexity and moral reasoning and their education.…

These days, problems of relations between the church and the schools are at the focus of attention of sociologists. In present-day Russia, religion, particularly the Orthodox religion, is acknowledged to have the right to contribute to the formation of the Russian state and culture. According to the findings of recent sociological surveys, many…

This study investigates the impact of ethics instruction in communication courses on students' moral reasoning competence. Using a quasi-experiment, participants in interpersonal conflict courses and communication ethics courses were exposed to different levels of ethics instruction through a variety of instructional methods. Results indicate that…

Research on moral behavior in children is sorely lacking in the behavioral literature. Yet, behavioral research documenting effective treatment of children with behavioral and emotional problems has often failed to generalize or to focus on moral behavior. Developmental psychologists have researched moral behavior and have provided models of moral…

Randy Shilts (1987), author of "And the Band Played On: Politics, People and the AIDS Epidemic," uses the analogy of the sinking ship and the "band playing on" to draw attention to America's false sense of security in the midst of the growing AIDS crisis. We describe a doctoral curriculum in which students examine the conflicts inherent in their…

Debating whether or not teachers should teach values addresses the wrong question. Education already is a values-infused enterprise. The larger question is how to train teachers for positive character formation. Two teacher education strategies are presented in this article. A "minimalist" strategy requires teacher educators to make explicit the…

Background: The mission of our education service as stated by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Singapore: "is to mould the future of the nation, by moulding the people who will decide the future of the nation. The aim is to provide our children with a balanced and well-rounded education, develop them to their full potential, and nurture…