Ethical Principles and Character Traits in Children's Literatur

This study was initiated to explore the decline in the demonstration of moral and ethical behavior among young people in many public school settings. Media reports of verbal and physical aggression, bullying, and defiance of adults in authority have been reported in some of the larger urban school districts. Several research studies have provided evidence of the effectiveness of utilizing children's literature to facilitate instruction in character/values education. Well-written stories for children tend to engage the readers as they explore the personality traits of characters and the relevant issues that are skillfully woven into the story line. Ten books of high literary quality were selected for the study sample. Five widely read children's classics and five Newbery award-winning books were chosen. The selected sampling units were targeted for students in grades three through eight, as studies indicated students were most often identified as at risk for school failure in these grades. Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development and Lawrence Kohlberg's six-stage theory of moral development provided the theoretical framework of the study. A mixed-methods research design was used to collect the data. The transcultural, core values, identified as most suitable for students in the targeted grades, were: honesty, trustworthiness, caring, justice, respect, citizenship and responsibility. These values were identified in the study sample through a content analysis of each book. The relevance of these values to key instructional and support staff was assessed through ratings, interviews and a ten-question survey. Survey response and ratings data were shared in narrative form. Results of the page-by-page content analysis of the ten books were shared, using descriptive statistics. The tests measured the frequency of occurrence and identified the specific values that were most prevalent in each book. Results of the tests and responses from staff indicated the older children's classics contained more positive character examples and demonstrations of ethical thought and behavior than the more recently written Newbery award books. Test results decisions relative to the planning and implementation of a character education program, within extant public school curricula.