Two reports from the University of Birmingham’s Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues argue that it is possible to focus on developing moral character while also improving performance in the classroom.
They urge schools to focus on cultivating “good moral virtues” in children, such as honesty, self-discipline, fairness, courage and gratitude.
The first of the reports – Character Education in UK Schools – surveyed 10,000 students and found that more than half failed to identify “good moral judgements” when responding to a series of moral dilemmas.
The students were presented with a range of theoretical situations and asked what action the person involved should take and why. These were then matched against preferred responses selected by an expert panel.
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