EMPHASIZING OF MORAL VALUES AND ETHICS

                              EMPHASIZING OF  MORAL VALUES AND ETHICS IN EDUCATION

        Morals and Ethics Morality and ethics are part of a way of life and cannot be separated from all other aspects of life experiences (Kang & Glassman, 2010). Moral education aims at promoting students’ moral development and character formation. The theoretical framework of moral education is supported by moral philosophy, moral psychology and moral educational practices. 

    Beyond the scope of promoting rational pro‐social skills or virtues, the moral education of real human value should cultivate the meaningful and personally formative knowledge that significantly transcends or avoid natural and/or social scientific understanding and explanation (Carr, 2014). Moral education is about an inner change, which is a spiritual matter and comes through the internalization of universal Islamic values (Halstead, 2007). 

    Ethics is the branch of philosophy which tries to probe the reasoning behind our moral life. The critical examination and analysis of the concepts and principles of ethics help to justify our moral choices and actions (Reiss, 1999). In a real‐life situation, ‘ethics’ is frequently used as a more consensual word than ‘morals’ which is less favoured. Many students and professionals cannot find a sharp distinction between these two terms (McGavin, 2013). 

    Recently moral thinking and moral action were explored using a Deweyan framework, and it was concluded that moral thinking reasoning exists in social capital, and it is not a guide to moral action (Kang& Glassman, 2010). The key philosophical question for the study and promotion of moral education relies on the epistemic status of moral reflection or understanding and moral agency (Carr, 2014). 3 The Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Science 2016 (Volume4 - Issue 2 ) 

     The philosophical and theoretical basis of modern Western moral education relies on significant contributions from several Western scholars, theoreticians and philosophers, notably Durkheim, Dewey, Kohlberg, Lakatos and Kant. And all of them were greatly influenced by the Greek philosophers. The foundational Western theories of moral meaning are dialectically derived between individuals and society. The Western conception of the individual has deep philosophical roots in the question of whether morality is primarily a group experience or an individual phenomenon. Like Durkheim, many academics believe that moral truth is socially constructed which is qualified and formed through immersion in the social body; these academics reject the distinction between individual and social morality.   Kohlberg’s moral reasoning, for instance, involves the rational interaction between individuals and society (Hussain, 2007). 

    In the Western liberal democracy, societies are becoming increasingly secular where religion and spirituality are losing their impact (Arthur & Carr, 2013) or are less valued. The technological ramifications are contributing to the complexities and stark change in the societal structure where religion and spirituality are increasingly becoming marginalized. Evidently, this situation will have an overarching effect on morals, values, ethics and virtues, and society may not get the full benefit. It is also echoed by the following statement (Gates, 2006):   I argue that the bracketing out of religion, for whatever reason, from within the public process of educating citizens is seriously debilitating. To have any vibrancy, citizenship and education related to it must give more attention to the fundamental matter of beliefs and believing.

     That entails scrutinising religion as a common ingredient in the human condition, with a potential to transform, for both good and ill. I claim that the extent to which the moral roots of citizenship and citizenship education succeed in drawing on the energies of religion and refining its aberrations may even determine the operational worth and lasting outcomes of public education in any country (p. 440). From a historical perspective, the Western values of moral education are found constantly evolved and changed. In contrast, the universal Islamic values of moral education remained constant. From the Islamic moral educational point of view, although there are similar grounds and overlaps with Western understanding, there are some clear distinctions in the understanding of the individual, societal and social morality.

     The critical distinction between the Islamic and the Western thought on moral education is how we define the good, and who we actually are. Islamic scholars believe that a good person possesses an integrated and ordered internal unity, wherein the soul governs the body. The moral truths derived from society cannot supersede the moral ideal of nurturing and awakening a spiritual self into a unity of being. Thus according to the Islamic view, moral education is one in which the physical, spiritual and psychological elements are stimulated and guided towards the good and right action. The real elements of moral education are with the person and the soul within the person. The Islamic view of ideal social morality aims to build an Islamic character and is manifested in a harmonious community of inwardly guided individuals to interact in just and noble ways (Hussain, 2007). 

    In Islam, there is no separate discipline of ethics; and it is open to debate in determining the moral values, and the comparative importance of reason and revelation. Islam rejects the view of personal and moral autonomy and encourages the society which has a duty to publicly uphold moral behaviour and religious practices (Halstead, 2007). Islamic scholars believe that the theories of the Western moral education lack some sense of the individual where the inter‐related inwardly fostered personal discovery and timeless sacred principles are absent. 

    The Western curriculum and practices do not treat the child as a whole person, whose various characteristics and attributes must be integrated into a unified sense of self. Thus for the universal applicability of the Western models of moral education that are based on personal autonomy and notions of personal development (Hussain, 2007), the modern Islamic educational approach can offer significant intellectual inputs to bridge many gaps, enrich and develop the modern moral educational framework. But it requires the involvement of both modern Islamic scholars and Western scholars in dialogues and discussions, and collaboration in achieving common aims. Character Education Character education has a long history (Berkowitz, 1999). In the past, it has been viewed differently, and quite often focused more broadly. And thus it is difficult to gain the correct definition as it includes a range of outcome goals, pedagogical strategies and philosophical orientations (Althof & Berkowitz, 2006; Jones, Ryan & Bohlin, 1999).

     Character education is essential for building a moral society, and it is a conscious effort to cultivate virtue. The psychological components of character education encompass the cognitive, affective, and behavioural aspects of morality such as moral knowing, moral feeling, and moral action (Lickona, 1999). Because of the deficiency, character education lacks in producing systematic research outcomes. In the literature, plenty of opinions and suggestions are found surrounding character education; these indicate a strong cultural and professional emphasis on character education. However, it lacks adequate scientific data to attend to the character education practices. In the professional training in character education, little information is provided for future teachers (Berkowitz, 1999). 

    Modern educators are also defining character education differently. Anderson (2000) stated that character is defined as moral excellence and firmness whereas integrity refers to a firm adherence to a code of moral values (Anderson, 2000). Good character consists of the virtues where virtues are objectively good human qualities such as wisdom, honesty, kindness, and self‐discipline. Virtues provide a standard for defining good character. Thus the more virtues we possess, the stronger our character (Lickona, 1999). Goldsmith‐Conley (1999) emphasized the development of school culture responsive to character development than individual character education (Goldsmith‐Conley, 1999).