Describes the history of moral and values education in the United States, highlighting concerns about indoctrination and relativism. The current strength of several approaches is assessed: directive moral education supportive of common core civic values; values clarification; and the approach based on Kohlberg's theory. (Author/CS)

This article traces the historical development of the Japanese nation with respect to the education, character, and spirit of its people. Changes in educational thought in the post-World War II period are discussed and indication made of the active interest in and current provisions for moral education in Japanese schools. (Author/SJL)

Early tendencies of peace education in Sweden are discussed in this document. The time span is from the second part of the 19th century to the beginning of World War II. Peace education put special emphasis on exposing the contradiction between religious and history education. Religious education preached love and reconciliatory spirit, while…

This paper presents a historical study of three issues in education: (1) the teaching of morals; (2) teacher retraining; and (3) practices in language arts. It demonstrates that recent actions by the South Dakota legislature to ensure that children are given moral and character instruction are similar to efforts undertaken in the 1890s in North…

Discusses the contributions to educational theory and practice and particularly moral education of Edward Thring. Nineteen eighty-seven is the centenary of the death of Thring who, as headmaster of Uppingham School, built it from a small country grammar school to a thriving public school of national reputation. Includes several quotes from Thring.…

Viewed from a historical perspective, prayer and bible reading have never been unanimously accepted practices in the public schools of the United States. Advocates of secular humanism are defending both a cultural tradition and the law of the land, as interpreted by the Supreme Court. (PP)

Examines the claim of 16th-century English humanist educators that they prepared their students for civic life by providing not only technical training in language use but ethical and moral training for negotiating basic life situations. Attempts to determine what might have been the role of imitation exercises informing students' ethical…

Surveys children's books from colonial times to the present to show how they reflect changing attitudes toward children. (GT)

The history of American education's efforts to fulfill responsibilities for the moral and spiritual development of students is described. Views of Kohlberg and Fowler concerning stages of development are discussed. Recent research findings are presented, and implications for educational approaches are suggested. (Author/PP)

Reviews literature from the first quarter of the nineteenth-century Victorian period. Examines how several Victorian novelists constructed new kinds of heroic stories, combining moral instruction with dynamic storytelling for their young audience. (MG)

The current status of the United States as an "immoral" society has a direct correlation to the lack of serious attention given to moral education in the classroom. Morality, and what constitutes morality education, is a topic of concern for parents as well as educators. Morality, as a term, incorporates the social, economic, and…

This essay considers Jean Jacques Rousseau's conception of history in "Emile" and its relationship to Rousseau's educational curriculum. History is, for Rousseau, at the heart of the curriculum and is one of the chief instruments for imparting knowledge of the world and encouraging moral behavior. (PP)

Describes a 1920s study by Hartshorne and May, the "Character Education Inquiry," and summarizes its three-volume report, "Studies in the Nature of Character," about students' moral development and ethical instruction. Emphasizes findings that discussing hypothetical dilemmas and supplying moral knowledge are less effective…

Examines the relationship between education and citizenship in the quest for a moral "new world order" in two Scottish communitarian villages established by social reformer Robert Owen in the early 1800s. Draws parallels to current debates, focusing on Owen's rhetoric about justice and equality while maintaining paternalistic authority…

Wayland wrote what is arguably the most influential nineteenth-century moral philosophy text. This article examines the Calvinist tradition, from which Wayland diverged; explores his views as they relate to the home and school; and describes his impact on the formation of the middle class of his day. (IAH)