Character Education: Research Prospects and Problems

Abstract

This article reviews the issues and research problems associated with that form of moral education in which good character is central. It discusses: (1) why character is considered valuable; (2) what the advocates of character education mean by "character"; (3) whether character education constitutes indoctrination; (4) identifying and testing hypotheses about various school influences on the development of character; (5) the political interests served by attempts to teach character; and (6) the role of religion in character education, and questions concerning constitutional constraints on religion in American public schools. The discussion suggests that the questions regarding these complex and sensitive issues are unavoidable, and that the answers are unclear.