Interest in emotional, social, and moral (ESM) concerns in K-12 education in North America has grown considerably during the past decade. This increased concern is considered a response to the increased prevalence of social problems experienced by children and youth, such as bullying, substance abuse, and depression, and to research indicating…

The major purpose of this book is to set out some of the key issues and debates relating to the importance of values in education and of education in values. After an introductory chapter about the concept of values and values education, part 1 provides a variety of perspectives on the values that underpin contemporary education. The introduction…

Since teen violence, crime, drug abuse, and teen pregnancies are a concern to parents and educators, this study looks at the values that are important to adolescents. The sample consisted of 550 Kentucky high school students in one state who completed a values survey (included). Results show that overall, teens reached consensus, (i.e., 67% of the…

This study of values education was conducted in primary schools in Scotland between April 1993 and April 1995. The study: (1) explored the kinds of values implicitly and explicitly taught; (2) investigated teachers', pupils', and parents' perceptions of values education; (3) explored the ways value education occurs; and (4) sought to raise…

The Barnum Effect was generated to teach students about the ethics of deception in research and the feelings of subjects who are deceived. The Barnum Effect occurs when individuals are duped into believing invalid results of psychological tests. People are most accepting when given favorable feedback about themselves. They interpret evaluations as…

Educators are being called upon by various groups to provide ethics instruction as part of the public schools' curricula. At the same time, teachers are coming under close scrutiny for accountability as well as being subjected to decisions about education made by legislators, school boards, and the courts. Moreover, they are finding themselves…

In order to justify ethical instruction for media students, 109 university students in basic communication courses were asked to confront a moral-ethical problem, specifically, the request for information that a sponsoring company or organization wished suppressed. Respondents were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: working for a public…

This paper investigates high school students' reactions to the science theater play "Mapping the Soul," which was developed by the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts. Science theater is both an educational technique and a type of museum theater. This study explores these questions: (1) Do students differentiate learning science from…

Provincial curriculum directors were surveyed and literature reviewed to determine which Canadian provinces have official policies on values/moral education and the extent to which the ministries are implementing these policies through the promulgation of curriculum materials and standards. Reasons for failures to encourage values/moral education…

This article examines moral education in the schools of Singapore, a highly complex society with considerable pluralism plus rapid urbanization and industrialization. Analysis of recent government reports indicates an inadequate response to moral education issues--concern for political stability and ethnic sensibilities promote generalizations…

A study of the effect of incorporating medical ethics into the medical curriculum and comparing two teaching methods (lecture and case studies) found higher moral reasoning after instruction, but neither method was significantly more effective. (Author/MSE)

A study of 720 dental students in 8 cohorts participating in a problem-oriented dental ethics curriculum over 4 years found that, in 7 of the cohorts, the instruction had a significant effect on students' moral reasoning, in comparison with 265 nonparticipants. In addition, the students valued the instruction. (MSE)

A survey of 249 students at the State University of New York at Buffalo identified medical ethics issues arising during clinical training in professional norms, limits of intervention, defensive shielding of professional colleagues, respect toward patients, communication, and student boundaries. Concerns differed by student year, supporting…

Analysis of responses of 63 medical faculty involved in formal ethics teaching programs for medical residents indicated such perceived problems as time constraints resulting from residents' heavy schedules; attitudes of residents; logistical problems; time demands on faculty; lack of reinforcement for teaching ethics; and deficiencies in faculty…

Tested third-, fifth-grade, and college students for ability to apprehend moral messages in selected stories from "Book of Virtues." Asked participants to generate the message, select the message from a list, and select a vignette with the same message from three possibilities. Results Indicate a developmental difference in moral-theme…