A Comparison of Different Approaches to Moral Education. The Development of Moral Capacities in Regular and Democratic Schools in the Netherlands.

Abstract

Although the development of moral competence of children is often seen as a family matter, schools have a major impact on the moral development of their students and should therefore see it as their task to nurture this. In this thesis different methods and approaches to moral education of both regular and democratic schools are compared. To this end, first a common sense and theory neutral conception of moral agency is offered and three essential core capacities for moral agency are stated, being the ability to engage in critical discussion, to sympathise, and to act for the right reasons cross-situationally. Subsequently, a summary of both school systems is provided (chapter two), followed by an analysis of how certain methods for moral education, implemented in the unique framework of each school system, could suitably enhance these three core capacities of moral agency (chapter three). While both school systems use modelling, verbal instruction, and rules and reinforcements as ways to influence the moral development of their students, democratic school’s vision on education (the role of teachers; the physical, formal and informal environment it offers; etc.) offers extra valuable support for the realisation of capacities of moral agency. Although the traditional mainstream school system has the possibility to provide all students with the same moral education, it does fall short on many aspects. But while democratic schools prioritise the moral education of their students to a greater extent, they are not able to secure the development of all three core capacities in all their students either. I will conclude by recommending small changes that each school system could implement to enhance the moral development of their students, leaving their own vision on which framework is desirable for education in general intact.