Exploring The Core Values Of Character Development In Schools

In this highly globalized and multi-faceted society,there is a diverse range of values for students to uphold,which highlights the necessity and significance of teaching core values in school.Based on the class and co-curricular activities conducted in Yong Peng Chinese High School,Malaysia,this thesis provides an in-depth discussion on teaching core values,through literature review,daily observation,questionnaire,interview and many different research methods.This thesis consists of five chapters.Chapter 1 provides an overview of the core values education.Core values education is a planned,systematic approach used to instill in students core values and moral principles.In today's world,core values education has to be comprehensive,cohesive and coherent.Core values education originated from'New Character Education' in the United States of America.Philosophy and psychology are the cornerstones of core values education.In brief,core values education provides deeper insights into an individual' s character development the school's culture and social norms.Chapter 2 looks into the current situation and discusses relevant issues.Taking into consideration the school environment,individuals' core values and social phenomena,this chapter discusses the findings derived from questionnaire and interview sessions.The issues that Malaysian Chinese High Schools face include funds,vision and management.In this era of information explosion,individualism has become rampant.Students do not show appreciation and commit themselves to what they are doing.These issues are the current challenges.When undergoing reformation,core values education will meet with certain issues and conflicts between values.Based on the survey,this thesis aims to address several crucial issues,namely 'which values to uphold' and 'how to impart core values'.Chapter 3 discusses the construct of core values education.The objective of core values education is to improve students' quality of life through school events(class or club activities),which helps fulfil Chinese High Schools' aim to provide holistic education.To achieve the aim,seven core values are highlighted,which are respect,responsibility,integrity,righteousness,kindness,commitment and gratitude.Furthermore,the implementation of core values education also involves various basic principles,such as democracy,independence,participation and all-round development.Chapter 4 further discusses the approach to disseminating core values.Three groups of people are involved in the approach,including students,teachers and school leaders.The four elements which are important include an individual's determination,teachers' executive skills,leadership qualities and the effectiveness of rules and regulations.These elements are the pre-requisites for successful core values education.Core values education should be implemented through numerous schemes,some of which are community service,international exchange,school beautification,collaboration between the school and parents.Through class and club activities,students will be able to learn more about the core values from hands-on experience.This chapter also discusses effective strategies that schools can adopt to implement core values education.Chapter 5 is mainly about the analysis of the effectiveness of core values education,reflecting on the implementation and the prospects of core values education When using the schemes to impart core values,core values education proved to be effective at the initial stage.To be more specific,the effectiveness of core values education can be proven through observing the culture of the school and the management of the school.Students took the initiative to plan their school lives.The effectiveness has won recognition from the community,teachers and parents.With hindsight,there are still some challenges faced by the school.It is hoped that core values education can be regarded as an important supplement to moral education further enhancing teachers' professionalism and shaping students' behaviour.