ERIC Number: EJ1199516
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1543-1223
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Reflections on Robert McGrath's "What Is Character Education?"
Lickona, Thomas
Journal of Character Education, v14 n2 p49-57 2018
Robert McGrath's article has the great virtue of asking an important question: "What is character education?" He argues that currently "what it means to call something a character education program remains unclear." Without a clear definition, McGrath says, one cannot differentiate character education from other programs designed to increase prosocial behavior or promote psychological growth. As a solution to this problem he proposes a "character education prototype" that would enable researchers and practitioners to evaluate a character education program by the extent to which it possesses seven "central features" (it is school-based, structured, and aimed at fostering development in five areas--positive psychological characteristics, identity, moral growth, holistic growth, and the development of practical wisdom). This commentary considers the following in relation to McGrath's article: (1) Fostering good character; (2) Practices central to effective character education; (3) Is a formal curriculum necessary?; (4) The emergence of character education frameworks; (5) The essential goals of character development; (6) The case for identity as the core of character; (7) Wisdom: The missing virtue in character education; and (8) Why self-control should be an essential outcome. [For McGrath's "What Is Character Education? Development of a Prototype," see EJ1199511.]
Descriptors: Values Education, Definitions, Prosocial Behavior, Emotional Development, Classification, Educational Environment, Self Concept, Moral Development, Ethics, Holistic Approach, Program Descriptions, Self Control, Criticism
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Opinion Papers; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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