Pre-service Teachers' Perceptions of Character Education

Overview & Synopsis

The purpose of this study was to assess pre-service teachers' support for character education and analyze their perceptions of character as an effective deterrent to negative school behaviors. In addition, the author of this study sought to ascertain pre-service teachers' opinions regarding the importance of character education in undergraduate teacher education courses. The instrument utilized in this study was PPCES (Pre-service Teacher Perceptions of Character Education Survey). The study's sample consisted of pre-service teachers enrolled in an undergraduate course at a mid-western university in February 2002. Character education received high levels of support and pre-service teachers felt character education was an effective deterrent to anti-social behavior. Pearson correlation coefficients revealed a statistically significant relationship between pre-service teacher' support for character education and their perception of character education as a deterrent to school discipline problems and school violence. In addition, pre-service teachers supported the notion of including character education issues in undergraduate teacher education courses. (Contains 1 footnote and 2 tables.)