Abstract

There have been the two dominant approaches to the aim of moral education; moral socialization and moral development. The purpose of this dissertation is to propose the proper aim of moral education in a democratic society based on a critical analysis of the two approaches. ;Chapter 1 provides general introductions to the two approaches and gives working definitions on moral socialization, moral development, and moral education. It also provides five criteria for an analysis of the two approaches: Who is the morally educated person? What are the goals of moral education? What kinds of curricula are needed for moral education? What are the methodologies for moral education? and, What are the teacher's roles for moral education? ;Chapter 2 reviews the historical roots and major characteristics of the moral socialization approach. To examine the historical roots, the ideas of Durkheim and recent character educators such as Bennett and Wynne are analyzed. ;Chapter 3 analyzes the historical roots of moral development approach. To examine the historical roots, the works of Piaget and Kohlberg are analyzed. ;Chapter 4 offers a critical analysis of the two approaches on the basis of identifying strengths and weaknesses of each approach. ;Chapter 5 proposes the proper aim of moral education in a democratic society. Based on both a critical analysis on the two approaches and a possible synthesis of the two approaches, it is argued that the proper aim of moral education in a democratic society is to form a moral character within a moral community. It is also argued that a moral character has two wings or sides; conventional moral character and critical moral character. Then, the justification of the proposed aim is offered in terms of the moral characteristics of democracy. Desirable curriculum guidelines are also outlined