Marking Moral Education: Some Reflections and Issues

Overview & Synopsis

As Editor of the "Journal of Moral Education" for over 30 years, it could be said that I have witnessed a generation of international scholarship in the emerging and developing field of moral education. In this article, I offer a personal reflection on this journey, drawing on this editorial experience and as an educational researcher. I address the questions: Whence moral education? Whither moral education? To do so will involve comparing and contrasting: sociological contexts for work in moral education, then and now; changing and enduring concerns, issues, and emphases; the development of educational disciplines; specialism and professionalism; curriculum policy and practice; teaching and learning approaches and methods. "Marking moral education" thus has at least three meanings: this is a time at which to chart the course of moral education and to consider it in its current context; thus it is appropriate to evaluate its progress and ongoing problems; and, in so doing, to remark on likely future concerns and issues for the field. In valuing and engaging with moral education, from Eastern and Western perspectives, scholars need to return to fundamental questions about why be moral in this global age.