Hello Lavanya

These were questions asked on ResearchGate:

https://www.researchgate.net/post/inculcating_moral_values_in_curriculum

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_can_a_teacher_inculcate_moral_values_among_its_students

I was not sure of the age of the learners you have in mind; you may have seen some of these, but I hope there is something helpful here:

Mahan SA and Sabashini AE (2016) Role of Teachers in Inculcating Values among Students. National Conference on “Value Education Through Teacher Education 1(2): 23-8.

http://ijariie.com/AdminUploadPdf/Role_of_Teachers_in_Inculcating_Values_among_Students_c1256.pdf

Bhardwaj, D., Tyagi, H. K., & Ameta, D. (2015). A Study on the Role of School Curriculum and Teachers in Inculcation of Values among Elementary School Students. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(31), 33-37.

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1083387.pdf

Tan, C. (2008). Two views of education: Promoting civic and moral values in Cambodia schools. International Journal of Educational Development, 28(5), 560-570.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/223322785

I have not seen the full text of this:

Pantić, N., & Wubbels, T. (2012). The role of teachers in inculcating moral values: operationalisation of concepts. Journal of Beliefs & Values, 33(1), 55-69.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241725804

Very best wishes with your PhD,

Mary

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Thank you Mary C R Wilson for the valuable suggestions. I am going through them.When I interact with students and also some of my colleagues it amazes me how everyone is looking for an easy way out. So I thought this is a relevant question in the current situation.

Dear Lavanya.

You ask for the role of teachers in inculcating ethics and values among learners. As I see it, your question has to do with moral education at schools.

Let me say that your question has been, is, and will continue to be a highly debated issue among educators, psychologists, philosophers, politicians, and so forth.

Given that  Mary's answer provides you with several links related to your question, what follows is a synopsis of the three main theoretical perspectives on moral education at schools: Clarifications of values, character education, and justice education. In the clarification of values approach, the role of the teacher when teaching moral/ethical values is to explain to students what widespread moral values, such as honesty, loyalty, obedience, patience, and so forth, do really mean. This approach does not accept that teachers inculcate moral values among students. It is up to students to choose what moral values they want follow in their daily life. The role  of the teacher when moral education is the case, is only to clarify before the students the meaning of common moral behaviors. It is up to students to determine what clarified values they want or do not want to follow in their daily. Thus, the clarification of values approach rejects all that reminds us of enculturation, indoctrination, and inculcation. Clarification of values-oriented teachers also remind us of permissive teachers. Their goal is not to inculcate or teach moral values to their students.  It is students who have to decide what moral values they want to follow in their everyday life. This, say, laissez faire, laissez passer, laissez aller approach is not without problems. When people are told that it is up to them to choose their moral values, it may be the case that they choose, for example, to follows immoral values. Could we choose, for example, to hurt or even kill innocent people? I do not think so because this would be immoral and unjust.

In contrast to the clarification approach, the role of teachers in the character education approach is to inculcate, say, "good behaviors", such as responsibility, tolerance, courage, cooperation, and the like in students and even citizens. The character education approach to moral education espouses in fact an enculturation, and indoctrination perspective. Character education approach to moral and ethical education is the prevalent model of moral education in the United States, just to mention an example. The character education approach to moral and ethical education is not without problems either. For example, is cooperation a "good behavior" when people collaborate to steal money from an NGO? Certainly not. Also, "good behaviors" are generally those espoused by the dominant political power in a given country. History is full of examples of the so called good behaviors that are highly immoral and unjust. What happened during the Holocaust is just a dramatic example. More to the point, as apparently good behaviors may be immoral or unethical from an ideal viewpoint, the character education approach easily falls prey to an untenable ethical relativism.

The moral psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg called these good behaviors as the "bag of virtues" and interpreted it in negative terms. Actually, we can make a multitude of "bags of virtues". And which is the more right bag? In other words, we only know that a "good behavior" is moral/immoral when we know of the moral reasons behind it.To hurt someone is generally immoral. This is not the case when we hurt someone without intending it. So, according  to Kohlberg, instead of inculcating ethics, that is, good behaviors among learners, teachers should promote their students' moral reasoning. When this is the case, students are, say, in a good position to see which  good behavior is moral or immoral. In other words, instead of arguing for a character education approach, Kohlberg argued for a justice education approach to moral education. In this approach what matters is not to indoctrinate or inculcate good behaviors among learners, but promote their level of moral reasoning.

To sum up, clarification of values, character education, and justice education are the three main theoretical approaches to frame students' moral  education. These approaches differ in terms of goals to achieve, methods to follow, and underlying philosophy.To elaborate on these issues is beyond the scope of this answer.

I hope that this helps,

Best regards

Dear Orlando M Lourenço 

Thank you for the valuable reply.

I totally agree with what you expressed.

Maybe I should have been more specific. It was not about values or character or moral education,  as you mentioned.

I am associated with students at the University level. Being a language teacher / instructor/ facilitator my concern is about encouraging learners to be accountable for their decisions and actions. You are absolutely the choice of what is right and what is wrong is that of an individual. But as I was referring to communication skills it is very important to be considerate about the other/s with whom we, or in this case the learners interact.

I liked what you said about Kohlberg's Justice education.

"...what matters is not to indoctrinate or inculcate good behaviors among learners, but promote their level of moral reasoning."

Thank you very much.

Dear Lavanya Sivapurapu

I was happy to know that you agree with me on what I expressed in my answer to your question. As it was formulated  -- to inculcate ethics and values among learners -- your question reminded me of character education, a  kind of moral education that aims at transmitting or inculcating the so called "good behaviors"  in learners. As I said, character education is the dominant approach to moral/ethical education in the USA.  Kohlberg cogently argued against this, say ,"bag of virtues" approach. Instead of inculcating "good behaviors" or "a bag of virtues" in learners, Kohlberg' just community or justice education approach aims at fostering learners' level of moral reasoning. The so called "good behaviors" may be right on certain occasions (e.g., to steal to save a human life) and wrong on other occasions (e.g., to steal from someone). This means that we should not tell our students that, for example, to steal is always wrong or always right because what makes a behavior right or wrong are the moral reasons behind it. So, instead of indoctrinating people with "good or bad behaviors", we should promote learners' level of moral reasoning and development. When this is the case, leaners are entitled with, say, a moral competence that leads them, for example, to see when stealing, obeying, and so forth are wrong or right.

This is the reason why I espouse a justice education approach to moral education, and not a character education approach. I assume that you agree with me on this idea, 

Best regards,

Orlando

Hello Dear Lavanya Sivapurapu:

            I agree with Mr. Orlando M Lourenço in that the question has, is, and will be a question of much debate since each individual has his/her own opinion as to what the "right or wrong" approach is for a teacher to "inculcating ethics and values among learners." I like to leave you with my thoughts.

             Culture is similar to concealed waterways that run through individual relationships and lives, providing messages that shape individual attributions, ideas of self, judgments, and perceptions. Culture is more than dress, food, and language.  Culturally, groups may share ethnicity, nationality, and race. Obviously, these groups may also ascend from critical divisions in beliefs, interests, and opinions.  These differences may lead to the opposition between different groups, either because of ability, disability, generation gap, gender, and language, political and religious affiliation.  Therefore, individual cultural identity may affect or have an effect on an individual’s teaching and/or learning style and ability.

            Here is where teachers or mentors aid students in developing ethical and moral values among learners. This does not only happen in the United States of America but the world over. In my case, culture has played a major role in shaping my cultural views.  My cultural background includes three different cultures (Navajo, Latin, and the US), contending with three different cultures has been a challenge that has taught me to be tolerant, kind, meek, and appreciative of other cultures.  As a child out father taught us to be self-reliant and to welcome any opportunity to learn and teach what we had learned.  I remember trying to board a bus and been told that I could not because of my North American native.  I also suffer the same because of my Latin heritage, life was not easy growing up.  These opportunities to learn and grow has marked my desire to learn as much as I can and to teach what I know.  Teaching is an opportunity to make a change in someone’s life, changes that will last a lifetime.

            So, becoming a teacher has given me the opportunity to help my students (multicultural) in developing and inculcate ethical and moral values by helping them understand their cultures and the respect and empathy of other cultures and moral values. As a teacher, I have also learned that every individual has a set of characteristic and behaviors that make him or her distinct from everyone else and that will have an effect on his or her academic success.   "Behavior is shaped by group norms ... the group equips individuals with the behavior patterns they need in order to adapt." (Banks and Banks 2005. Pg. 13), hence; teaching is a rewarding career if taken seriously because it has an effect in someone adapting to his or her surroundings.

References:

Banks, J. A., and C. A. McGee Banks, eds. 2005. Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives, 5th ed. New York: Wiley.

Teachers should always be constant in encouraging students to engage in the learning process and to proactively participate in any tasks at hand. Positive discipline  must also be observed. 

I teach criminal justice. The teaching of ethics is considered so important to the discipline that we not only incorporate it into all of our classes undergraduates are required to take a dedicated ethics class as a part of the core classes for the major.

Thank you very much Guillermo Rivera.

I can understand your views about culture, tradition, family and the values imbibed. though it is not moral science it is as Orlando M Lourenço suggested they do build an awareness among individuals right from childhood a sense of justice or reasoning and an ability to reason things.

Like you I hail from a nation that is rich in culture and traditions, India. It is a multicultural nation where tolerance, consideration and reason are the essence of its culture. I was fortunate to have a family who helped in understanding which I think is similar to what Orlando M Lourenço mentioned Justice education.

Every child starts with nursery rhymes (which are in the regional language) that full of reasoning or sense of justice. Interestingly they ensure that one does not become judgemental. These are in abundance running into more than a few scores. I was also fortunate to have been trained. But the present generation is unaware of the existence. Our education system, right from the primary level has been neglecting our own native treasure.

I personally think this has left a gap in their minds. My students who are in their late teens are confused with no one to guide them. They assume as long as one can get away and attain accolades everything is justified. "End justifies the Means"

But when someone does the same they are intolerant.

I totally agree with you about the potential of a teacher. It is with same thought that I also chose this as my profession. To reach out to as many as possible and do my little bit. 

Thank you.

Dear Orlando M Lourenço

After going through your reply I did realise that maybe teacher need to be trained in understanding the psychology of the learners. Maybe then they can cater to these more important aspects of teaching learning than merely concentrating on imparting the latest technology.

That again brings to my mind the reason why I started this question.

Technology without wisdom, or should I say sense of justice, is harmful to all.

Hence it is very important that teachers, irrelevant of the courses taught by them should discuss these matters and maybe respond to such situations and analysis what could be right or wrong.

Thank you. I think I'll try it with some case studies or situation analysis.