Publication Date

2000

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Degree Name

M.S. Ed. (Master of Education)

Legacy Department

Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations

LCSH

Lickona; Thomas; Vashchenko; H. (Hryhoriĭ); 1878-1967; Moral education--Ukraine

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to conduct a comparative description and analysis of character education from the perspectives of two conservative educators, the American educator Thomas Lickona and the Ukrainian educator Hryhorii Vashchenko. The applicability of these ideas in the process of building a civil society in Ukraine was also considered. The thesis argues in behalf of a non-relativistic moral thought in American and Ukrainian societies and examined its appropriateness to ground character education as a function of public schools in Ukraine. The framework of the study provided an overview of Lickona and Vashchenko’s ideas on what moral values schools should teach, how to teach respect and responsibility, the role of the family, religion and the teacher in character education, the pros and cons of sex education, and other questions of character education. The USA and Ukraine have different historical and cultural backgrounds, but at present both societies face a similar problem: the perception of a decline in civic culture and a concern about how to educate young people for a moral life. Some critics in the USA claim that many American social problems appear related to values neutrality at the core of many American public schools. Ukrainian critics argue that many current problems in Ukraine are rooted in the failure of the values of Communist morality in Soviet Ukraine, and that Soviet methods do not cultivate responsible individuals with a sense of national and personal dignity, who can think independently, make their own decisions, respect others and maintain moral norms of behavior. A primary assumption of the study was that Thomas Lickona and Hryhorii Vashchenko are representative of modern thinkers who argue for non-relativistic moral character education with its clear distinction between right and wrong. They both claim that there are fundamental universal values, essential for the survival of any civilization, and that these must be taught in public schools in order for societies to become and remain civil. Both educators claim that virtuecentered character education can be an answer to many social problems. The study suggested that many ideas of Lickona and Vashchenko can serve as a foundation for the elaboration of character education model in Ukraine and can be successfully adapted in Ukrainian schools.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references (pages [152]-158)

Extent

vi, 158 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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