New Zealand Foundation for Character Education Symposium 4 November 2005 Dunedin

1. New Zealand Foundation for Character Education Symposium 4 November 2005Dunedin Dr Gael McDonald Professor of Business Ethics Vice-President, Research Unitec New Zealand

2. The Value of Values Education

3. “It’s hard to teach children who are hanging off the lights and have no respect for teachers or concern for anyone else. Before we begin to educate kids, we have first to instil some basic values and bottom-line behaviour.” • (Heenan, 2002)

4. Additional Information • According to the New Zealand Curriculum Framework (MOE, 1993, p.21) “No schooling is values free” with encouragement for all schools to reflect what society and the school community value. • While there will be an ongoing values debate over content and how prescriptive any Government can be in a pluralistic society, there is certainly a renewed interest in one of the greatest challenges facing our schools today. It is a challenge that many are accepting. • This presentation reports on the investigations and findings of those schools that have accepted this challenge.

5. Character Education is defined as the process that fosters character in individuals and helps young people become good people and good citizens.

6. Cornerstone Values are principles that are consistent, universal and trans-cultural; they inform and direct our actions and attributes. The eight Cornerstone Values are: • Honesty and truthfulness • Kindness • Consideration and concern for others • Compassion • Obedience • Responsibility • Respect • Duty

7. Research Questions • Is there any relationship between the size of schools and the adoption of character education? • What dimensions and activities constitute character education? • Who are the primary motivators for instigation and continuation of character education, i.e., parents, boards of trustees, staff members, principals? • What are the perceived outcomes of a Character Education programme in respect to such factors as, for example: relationships, student behaviour, discipline, vandalism, attendance, enrolments, staffing, ERO Reports?

8. Research Questions • Focusing on student behaviour, are there any perceived changes in playground behaviour and overall behaviour? • Focusing on staff, are there any perceived changes in staffing stability, turnover, morale and retention of good teachers? • What has been the impact of Character Education on the school, i.e., management of the school, and effectiveness of teaching and learning?

9. Additional Information • The sample of 31 schools was selected in the following manner: • 17 schools were known to have already implemented Character Education into their curriculum. Those schools belong to Group A – Character Education Schools. • Schools that were known to have purchased the Character Education Starter Kit were contacted and asked whether they would participate in a survey of the effectiveness of Character Education. 14 schools agreed to participate, and they comprise Group B – Emerging Character Education Schools.

10. Methodology • The data was derived from a survey posted in October 2004 that was open to 31 schools categorised as either “Character Education Schools” - Group A; or “Emerging Character Education Schools” - Group B. • The survey was not anonymous, i.e., schools that did not respond were able to be identified. • The questionnaire was comprised of fifteen sections, and each school was required to answer the entire questionnaire.

11. Analysis • The data was comprised of both quantitative and qualitative components. • There was a total of 31 schools (from 36 potential respondents), yielding a total response rate of approximately 84%.

12. School Demographics

13. Figure 1: Respondents categorised by their school type

14. Additional Info – Figure One • The first section of the questionnaire requested basic information on school demographics. • The bar graph indicates that the majority of schools in Groups A and B were primary schools. • The ‘Other’ category represented 1 school from each of Group A (where the school was classified as both primary & secondary), and Group B (where the school was a composite-area school).

15. Figure 2: The total number of students in each school

16. Additional Info – Figure Two • Figure 2 represents the total number of students (roll) in each school, and it is evident from the last column (average number of students in each group) that Group A has the higher average number of students of the two groups.

17. Figure 3: The Full-Time Teaching Equivalent relates to the roll of the school

18. Additional Info – Figure Three • In regard to teaching staff (formally known as the Full-Time Teaching Equivalent [FTTE]), the Ministry of Education allocates a set number of teachers, which reflects the size of the school (the larger the school, the higher the FTTE). It can be seen from Figures 2 and 3 that: • School 2 (Group A) has 91 students and a FTTE of 5.90; A ratio of 5.90. • School 6 (Group B) has 271 students and a FTTE of 11.00. A ratio of 24.6. • The Ministry of Education calculates the FTTE by adding together class contact hours, dividing by 25, and rounding to two decimal places. • This figure is an indication of the total number of full-time, part-time, and casual teaching staff. One full-time staff member has an FTTE = 1.00.

19. Figure 4: Total number of schools classified by deciles

20. Additional Info - Figure Four: Deciles • In Figure 4 following, Decile 1 indicates high deprivation (lower socio-economic communities); whereas Decile 10 indicates lower deprivation (higher socio-economic communities). • The survey represented all deciles, with Group A having a slightly higher decile classification.

21. Table 1: Summary of Section A – demographics of the school

22. Additional Info – Table 1 Table 1 provides a summary of Section A where it can be seen that the Character Education schools (Group A) have: • A higher average number of students • A higher number of teaching staff • Higher student:staff ratio • Slightly higher decile rating

23. Duration of Implementation of Character Education

24. Between 85% and 100% of the schools (in Groups A and B) identified the following characteristics as being included in their school’s curriculum in its approach to Character Education:

25. Figure 5: How long have the schools had Character Education in their curriculum

26. Duration of Implementation of Character Education • Group A schools have had Character Education in their curriculum for between 1 and 5+ years, with the highest percentile being identified in the 1–2 year range. • As Group B schools are only introducing Character Education, most of them fell into the range of having implemented Character Education for less than 1 year.

27. What Dimensions and Activities Constitute Character Education?

28. Figure 6: How each school approaches Character Education in terms of teaching details

29. School Approaches to Character Education • Definitions of Core Values being provided and taught • Having a focus of one Core Value per term • Core Values are featured in the school assembly • Staff being supported by appropriate resources and training • The Core Values being taught are also communicated to parents • The lowest emphasis (in Groups A and B) is placed on “A Board of Trustees’ Policy supporting Character Education”.

30. There are school and class displays on Core Values (Group A only) • Character Education has the support of parents (Group A only) • Hard data on incidents of unacceptable behaviour are recorded (Group A only) • The disciplinary process supports Core Values (Group A only)

31. Instigators of Character Education

32. Instigation of Character Education 90% Group A 80% Group B 70% 60% 50% Percentage 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Principal Parents Board of Staff Member Other Trustees Figure 7: Motivation for the initiation of Character Education

33. Motivators for Character Education • From Figures 7 and 8, we can see that the school’s principal provided both the main initiation and continuation of Character Education. • In Group B (Emerging Character Education Schools) a large number of staff members also played a vital role in the process. • The ‘Other’ category between the two groups corresponds to senior management, team leaders, and deputy principals who were also identified as being motivators for implementing Character Education into the schools.

34. Motivation for Character Education (continuation) 100% Group A 90% Group B 80% 70% 60% Percentage 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Principal Parents Board of Staff Member Other Trustees Figure 8: Motivation for the continuation of Character Education

35. Impact of Character Education

36. In terms of Character Education having a positive impact on the schools, it was evident that both groups of schools (with established and with emerging Character Education programmes) noticed a marked improvement in most of the Core Values being taught.

37. With respect to relationships, the improvements noticed by the principal, staff, students, and parents are: • Mutual respect • Commitment to success • More awareness of doing the right thing • Students more supportive and caring • Parents more involved in school events

38. In regard to student behaviour, schools noticed significant improvements specifically reflected by: • Fewer detentions • Fewer recorded incidents • Continuing decline in aggressive behaviour

39. Discipline within the schools has also seen an improvement, where students: • Are now more aware of Core Values • Are beginning to be responsible for their decisions • Know that discipline is no longer a programme – but rather a way of life

40. There has been a notable improvement in the school as a caring community, and the following comments have been received: • Respect and care for the school and each other • Children being more co-operative in the playground • Positive support for one another across age ranges • Senior students more willing to take the juniors under their wing

41. Group A conveyed that student attendance is improving, and the following comments were communicated: • “Parents chose this school because we taught values” • “Character Education plays an important role in the increasing number of students”

42. Impact on Staff There has been a significant improvement (especially in Group A) in staffing stability, where notable enhancement has been the result of: • Awareness of key positive characteristics in one another and strengths • Positive way of dealing with behaviour ‘management’ • Staff now have a common ‘moral literacy’ • Teachers readily admit to the advantages and satisfaction of teaching in a school with overt, pro-active, specific Character Education

43. Schools from Group A stated that their most recent ERO Report had positive feedback on the school’s approach to Character Education. Comments included: • “Positive atmosphere, friendly and courteous children” • “… school was a safe place for all students and they knew what to do if they needed help” • “Warm, caring environment”

44. Overall Impact of Character Education “How would you rate the impact of Character Education on the school?” • It is evident that Groups A and B differ markedly. Group A (Character Education Schools) stated that the overall impact of Character Education has been ‘highly significant’; whereas Group B (Emerging Character Education Schools) identified it as being ‘significant’.

45. Management of the School “Do you consider that the management of the school has become easier since the implementation of character education?” • The majority of schools in Group A were identified within the band of ‘quite significant’ in terms of the management of the school becoming easier after the implementation of character education • Group B portrayed ‘little significance’ on this matter.

46. Improvement in Effectiveness of Teaching “Do you consider there has been an improvement in the effectiveness of teaching and learning since the implementation of character education?” • Group A states that there has been a significant improvement in the effectiveness of teaching and learning since the implementation of Character Education • Group B still has Character Education as a ‘prototype’ – these schools are yet to see whether the implementation of Character Education has, in fact, made an improvement on teaching effectiveness.

47. Summary of Findings

48. Character Education is more popular with primary than secondary schools • There is no real relationship between size of school and adoption of Character Education • Decile classification appears to be no impediment to the adoption of Character Education • Character Education is relatively new, with the oldest programme now running for six years and most only for 2-3 years

49. There is a variety of dimensions that constitute Character Education, primarily: defining core values; focusing on one value per term; supporting staff with resources; involving parents; class displays; recording behavioural incidents; the disciplinary process supporting core values. • The primary instigator of Character Education is, predictably, the principal. Although, in the Emerging Character Education Schools a number of individual staff members appear to have acted as catalysts.

50. In regard to relationships, the most notable improvements following the introduction of Character Education are mutual respect, commitment to success, awareness of doing the right thing, supportiveness, caring behaviours, and parental involvement. • Schools noticed significant improvements in - fewer detentions and recorded incidents, and a decline in aggressive behaviour