Developing moral literacy in the classroom
| Pages | 514-532 |
| Date | 10 July 2007 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/09578230710762481 |
| Published date | 10 July 2007 |
| Author | Brad Zdenek,Daniel Schochor |
| Subject Matter | Education |
Developing moral literacy
in the classroom
Brad Zdenek and Daniel Schochor
College of Education, Educational Leadership, Pennsylvania State University,
University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this research is to identify and articulate the practical implications of the
teacher’s role in implementing a program related to developing moral literacy in students as well as
identifying what is necessary for professional development opportunities intended to educate teachers
in the realm of moral literacy.
Design/methodology/approach – A broad range of recent literature on the subject of moral
education and moral literacy are utilized to identify best practices and potential pitfalls related to
moral literacy program implementation in schools as well as the particular impact of teacher behaviors
on program success.
Findings – The paper identifies a pervasive need for professional development opportunities for
teachers expected by their districts to implement programs related to moral literacy in their
classrooms. Additionally, the authors identify the need for teachers to address the need for community
involvement, the development of their own moral literacy, synergy between program ideals and
teacher behavior, and developmentally appropriate implementation.
Practical implications – This paper serves as a condensed research base necessary for the
development and implementation of a workshop intended to develop moral literacy in teachers and to
showcase effective methods of integrating moral literacy across existing curricula.
Originality/value – This paper offers guidance for the development of an often overlooked form of
professional development for teachers aimed at equipping them with the tools and knowledge
necessary for effectively integrating character development programs in their curricula.
Keywords Professionaleducation, Teachers, Schools, Ethics,United States of America
Paper type Research paper
As the world continues to increase in complexity and a reduction in human to human
contact parallels the rise in communication technology, it has become increasingly
important to direct attention to developing human ability to act morally and ethically.
While some argue that acting in a value-conscious way is hard-wired into humans at
birth, others believe that, “we aren’t born moral (or immoral), and that we have to learn
how to be good. Learning to be good people involves communication, feedback,
socialization, and education” (DiNorcia, 2003, p. 1). It is the intention of the authors to
address the process of such learning within the American public school context. This
article will serve to represent a portion of the extensive literature relating to the
development of moral literacy and will look at questions raised by the inclusion of
moral literacy programs in our classrooms. After addressing those questions we will
move on to how moral literacy programs have been implemented in the past, where
they have been successful, and where, perhaps, they can be improved upon.
The Teacher Education Institute (2001) states that, “Character education has
become a very popular theme in education since the 1990s because of the increase of
violence in schools, discipline concerns, and a national call to action for character
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0957-8234.htm
JEA
45,4
514
Journal of Educational
Administration
Vol. 45 No. 4, 2007
pp. 514-531
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0957-8234
DOI 10.1108/09578230710762481
education”. They, among many other advocates for moral education, perceive a decline
in the moral behavior of those attending and graduating from American schools.
Clearly there are issues that are currently plaguing America’s youth which are being
blamed on a lack of moral literacy and knowledge. Many proposals offered by
organizations concerned by this perceived decline reveal beliefs that with a stronger
moral literacy curriculum these problems can be, if not eliminated, then strongly
alleviated. Advocates of this position put the onus for responding to these social issues
directly on to the schools. They suggest that in conjunction with improving home and
neighborhood lives, kids need to be taught how to act in what can be considered a
morally adept way within school walls.
Tonkin (2003, p. 1) asserts that schools need to be involved in character education
not only because of federal and state mandates, but because schools, whether they
want to or not, affect the character of their students and must therefore be aware of
their effect on students:
In today’s standards driven environment, teachers need to be subject matter experts as well
as knowing the best instructional methods to promote learning. Character education is often
required as part of state and federal mandates and this is an increasingly important concept
as educators, civic leaders and parents recognize that schools influence the character of
students.
While this influence is much discussed throughout the education literature we have
identified a lack of consistency in the meanings behind key terms used to discuss it. To
provide much needed clarity we will provide brief definitions of the terms used
throughout this paper.
Defining the key terms
Literacy
Prior to a discussion of the literature relating to moral literacy, it is vital to develop a
cogent definition for the term moral literacy. To define moral literacy we shall attempt
to construct meaning through an analysis of its component parts. For instance,
Barbara Herman (1998, p. 3) observes that:
We talk of different literacies: learned capabilities or skills, having to do with the acquisition
and use of knowledge. Becoming literate is not an organic process, like physical growth; nor
is it, like speech, the natural outcome of social life. It is a culture-dependent, intentional
process. To be literate in a domain is to have the capacity to recognize and perform at some
specified level of competency. One can be “barely literate” or “semiliterate”.
Clearly Herman makes the point that to become literate in any field one must make a
concerted effort to do so. Literacy is not a process that occurs naturally ; it takes work to
develop into a true skill. Although literacy is often related to the ability to read and
comprehend written material, it can pertain to any kind of knowledge regardless of its
nature. Within our present context we are interested in literacy as it applies to the
intangible realm of morality in which precise definitions are often hard to find.
Moral
Establishing a single definition for the term moral presents an extremely difficult task.
There is certainly no one accepted definition for the term used by those in the fie ld of
Developing
moral literacy
515
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