in school suspension
Volume 18 ✤ Number 1 ✤ Fall 2006 ✤ pp. 82–114
Relationships Between
Implementing
Character Education,
Student Behavior, and Student
Achievement
o
Gary Skaggs
Nancy Bodenhorn
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
One of the requirements of the Department of Education, through the No Child Left Behind Act, is to conduct rigorous, experimental design studies showing the impact and results of educational endeavors. Character education (CE), while widely implemented in schools nationwide, has not been widely researched using comparative studies. Studies have been conducted, indicating positive student development resulting from CE programs or programs that provide a desirable CE environment (Harrington, Giles, Hoyle, Feeney, & Yungbluth,
2001; Leming, 2000; Schultz, Barr, & Selman, 2001; Williams,
Yanchar, Jensen, & Lewis, 2003). However, many programs available for purchase or implementation remain either: (a) evaluated only by internal evaluators, (b) not scrutinized by an academic review process, (c) evaluated through a grant process that frequently becomes the property of the sponsoring agency, or (d) unevaluated. As a result, school administrators, the con82
Copyright © 2006 Prufrock Press, P.O. Box 8813, Waco, TX 76714
Over a 4-year period, researchers measured several outcomes in 5 school districts initiating or enhancing character education programs.
Based on student, teacher, and administrator surveys, there was a noticeable improvement in character-related behavior. In certain districts, suspension and drop-out rates also decreased after the implementation of the character education programs; however, the relationship between
Character education programming had little impact on student achievement, perhaps because of the lack of a direct relationship between character education goals and student achievement goals. In addition, the research examined the relationship between the implementation
Relationships Between
Implementing
Character Education,
Student Behavior, and Student
Achievement
o
Gary Skaggs
Nancy Bodenhorn
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
One of the requirements of the Department of Education, through the No Child Left Behind Act, is to conduct rigorous, experimental design studies showing the impact and results of educational endeavors. Character education (CE), while widely implemented in schools nationwide, has not been widely researched using comparative studies. Studies have been conducted, indicating positive student development resulting from CE programs or programs that provide a desirable CE environment (Harrington, Giles, Hoyle, Feeney, & Yungbluth,
2001; Leming, 2000; Schultz, Barr, & Selman, 2001; Williams,
Yanchar, Jensen, & Lewis, 2003). However, many programs available for purchase or implementation remain either: (a) evaluated only by internal evaluators, (b) not scrutinized by an academic review process, (c) evaluated through a grant process that frequently becomes the property of the sponsoring agency, or (d) unevaluated. As a result, school administrators, the con82
Copyright © 2006 Prufrock Press, P.O. Box 8813, Waco, TX 76714
Over a 4-year period, researchers measured several outcomes in 5 school districts initiating or enhancing character education programs.
Based on student, teacher, and administrator surveys, there was a noticeable improvement in character-related behavior. In certain districts, suspension and drop-out rates also decreased after the implementation of the character education programs; however, the relationship between
Character education programming had little impact on student achievement, perhaps because of the lack of a direct relationship between character education goals and student achievement goals. In addition, the research examined the relationship between the implementation
References: Center for the 4th and 5th Rs. (n.d.). Respect and responsibility. Retrieved December 11, 2006, from http://www.cortland.edu/character Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the social sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. DeRoche, E., & Williams, M. (2001). Educating hearts and minds: A comprehensive character education framework (2nd ed.) Yungbluth, S. C. (2001). Evaluation of the All Stars character education and problem behavior prevention program: Effects on Lapan, R. T., Gysbers, N. C., & Sun, Y. (1997). The impact of more fully implemented guidance programs on the school experiences Leming, J. S. (2000) Tell me a story: An evaluation of a literaturebased character education programme. Journal of Moral Education, 29, 413–427. Lickona, T. (1991). Educating for character. New York: Bantam Books. Lickona, T. (1995). School as a caring community profile. Cornell University: Author. Schultz, L. H., Barr, D. J., & Selman, R. L. (2001). The value of a developmental approach to evaluating character development programmes: An outcome study of Facing History and Ourselves. Williams, D. D., Yanchar, S. C., Jensen, L. C., & Lewis, C. (2003). Williams, M. M. (2000). Models of character education: Perspectives and developmental issues