The promotion of moral development: A case study of teachers' perceptions and practices in a rural, primary school in the Western Cape
Year: 2007
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The promotion of moral development : A case study of teachers' perceptions and practices in a rural primary school in the Western Cape This research was undertaken to explore teachers' perceptions and practices as mediators of morals and values.Schools have an important role to play in developing future citizens as moral beings.This is variously named citizenship education, character education, moral education, and values education.The literature suggests that certain common core values can be identified and that the process of moral development can be enhanced by active mediation particularly, as Vygotsky has postulated.This implies that teachers have a significant mediational impact on children's acquisition of values and morals.Research also indicates that teachers in different contexts may not necessarily share either the values or understand their role as held by policy-makers and are likely to have a number of concerns about it.This research forms part of a larger research project investigating moral education in various schools in the Western Cape.Using a constructivist, interpretivist framework, the aim of this research is to understand and document how moral education is understood and practiced in one rural school.There were 24 participants: 8 staff, including a recently retired school principal and 16 learners of the school.The methodology was a qualitative case study as this method is anchored in real-life situations.The main data collecting strategy was interviews, though field notes were also used.Themes were identified and woven into a coherent portrait of the school.Teachers in this study valued respect, Christian faith, obedience and confidence and this was confirmed by their students.Their preferred practices to influence moral development were role-modeling, teaching these core values in class and in assemblies as well as through Scripture.The research was conducted in accordance with the ethical guidelines of the American Psychological Association.
Author: Dorothea Hendricks
Language: English
Topic: Values and Moral Education
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2276604177