Virtue Education and Early Childhood Learners
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of specific instruction of virtue on
early childhood learners. An adapted virtue curriculum focusing on the cardinal virtues was used
in conjunction with teachings on kindness to build an awareness in vocabulary and example of
the cardinal virtues. Parent surveys were sent out via email twice per week and instruction was
given three times per week. Older students were given the opportunity to record what they
learned in packets of papers stapled together and termed virtue journals. Prior to the initial week
of virtue education, participants were introduced to the Kindness Jar which recorded instances of
kindness witnessed in the classroom and shared by the participants in a group setting. The most
significant findings indicated saint stories as being most influential on the participants who were
early childhood learners in a Catholic Montessori school in the Midwest region of the United
States. The most relevant data was collected from the virtue journal drawings of the five- and
six-year-olds and written responses from parent surveys. These both indicated a strong recall of
saint stories which were at times associated with the virtue studied that particular week. Further
research on the effect of exclusively using saint stories to teach virtue would be another area of
interest, which could add to the current body of research.
Subject
virtue education
cardinal virtues
early childhood education
Permanent Link
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/85538Type
Working Paper
Description
M.S.E. Montessori