W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 1985 Liberal education and moral development: an integrated model of moral education Roderic Lewis Owen College of William & Mary - School of Education Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education Commons Recommended Citation Owen, Roderic Lewis, "Liberal education and moral development: an integrated model of moral education" (1985). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539618618. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.25774/w4-sz82-s211 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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University Microfilms International 300 N Zwt> Road Ann Arbor. Ml 43106 6513546 Ow«n, Rodtrlc L«wli LIBERAL EDUCATION AND MORAL DEVELOPMENT: AN INTEGRATED MODEL OF MORAL EDUCATION The College of Witlivm end Mery in Virginia Ed D 1965 University Microfilms International 300 N- Zeeb Road. Am Arbor, Ml 4di06 LIBERAL EDUCATION AND MORAL DEVELOPMENT: AN INTEGRATED MODEL OF MORAL EDUCATION A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty o f the School o f Education The College o f M11l1am and Mary in Virginia In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education by Roderlc Lewis Owen May 1985 LIBERAL EDUCATION AND MORAL DEVELOPMENT: AN INTEGRATED MODEL OF MORAL EDUCATION by Roderlc Lewis Owen Approved May 1985 by .P t u u j L ^ - Charles 0. Matthews* I I , Ph.D. — Wnn R, Thelln, Ph.D. Chairman o f Doctoral Committee DEDICATION This thesis Is dedicated to the memory of my father. The Rev. John Richard Owen, originally of Plas Hen, Chwllog, North Wales.. John Owen was an active and caring Presbyterian clergyman, an ardent contributor to Welsh culture and language, and a wise and loving father. He died December lfl, I9B4, at the age of sixty. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Without the sustained guidance, patience and Insights of Dr, William Losfto, this thesis would not have been written. To the extent this disser­ tation is jargon free, clearly argued, and logically structured, much of the credit Is due to him. Although not directly Involved 1n this project, two other faculty deserve special thanks: Dr, James Haden, Professor of Philosophy at the College of Wooster, for in itia lly stimulating my Interest In morality, ethics and education, and Dr, Clifton Conrad, former Professor of Higher Education at the College of William and Mary, fo r encouraging and then guiding me in my decision to study the history and philosophy of higher education. Last, but most certainly not least, I owe greatest gradltude to my wife, Linda. Her love, support and practical help in typing and editing were Invaluable. TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS EPIGRAPH Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................. R Purpose and Rationale o f the Study . ♦ . 8 P u rp o s e .............................................................. 8 Contemporary Overview ................................... 10 Rationale ....................................................... , L5 Method and Scope * , 22 The Question Restated ............................... , 22 Structure ............................ 23 Methodology ................................................... 25 Working Assumptions and Other Limitations 25 Terminology..............................................., - , ■ , 34 From Conceptual Confusion to Clarity , . , 34 Morals, Values, and Ethics ........................... 37 Instruction and Curriculum ....................... 40 Alms, Goals, and Objectives ,,,,,,, 43 Development and Growth ................................... 46 2. LIBERAL EDUCATION ............................................... 4B Liberal Education: Its Purposes and Aims 48 Introduction 48 Classical Roots ....................................... 49 Modern Conceptions . , ....................... 54 A Contemporary Overview ....................... 65 Liberal Education: Its Meaning 4 U tility 72 "Liberal" vs. "General" Education . 72 The Value of Liberal Education . 75 The Defining Criteria ........................... 77 3, CONTEMPORARY MODELS OF MORAL EDUCATION 84 Introduction 84 Values Clarification ........................ 86 W holistlc ................................................ 92 Humanities ............................................ 100 Normative Ethics ................................ 110 Cognitive Development ........................ 118 Summary ................................................... 127 Chapter 4. CRITIQUE OF MODELS .............................................................................. 132 Hon-Indoctrinating ............................................................... 133 Non-Behavloral ....................................................................... 141 Liberal Education: The Defining C rite ria ............. 145 Contemporary Goals ............................................................ 145 Clear Thinking and W riting.....................................148 Depth In a Field of Knowledge............................. 151 Critical Appreciation of Knowledge and Understanding . 156 Cannot be Provincial ...................................................... 159 Understanding o f Moral and Ethical Problems . 164 Liberal Education: The Defining Tradition...... 164 5, AN INTEGRATED MODEL OF MORAL EDUCATION.................... 170 Normative Ethics and Cognitive-Developmental .... 170 Connections w ith Liberal Education; Possibilities for Integration .................................... 182 Pedagogical and C u rricu la r Im plications ........................ 189 Teaching Methods .................................... 189 Learning Resources ........ ............................ 195 Evaluation ........ ............................ .... 200 C urricular Placement ........................................................ 204 Conclusion ..............................................................................208 REFERENCES........................................................................................217 VITA ......................................................................................................235 ABSTRACT......................................................................................... 236 . every form of possible human perfection proves upon reflection to be defective and unachievable in reality. Therefore * Ideals serve well as guides. They are like beacons on a journey, but they do not permit us to ta rry , as though our goals and rest were already contained in them. Karl Jaspers in Philosophy of Existence LIBERAL EDUCATION AND MORAL DEVELOPMENT: AN INTEGRATED MODEL OF MORAL EDUCATION Chapter 1: Introduction Purpose and Rationale o f the Study Purpose In many college and university mission statements one w ill discover a statement or paragraph dwelling upon the moral mission of the Institution and emphasizing its aim to imbue students with a moral conscience, a strong sense of values, or perhaps, with sound ethical character. On occasion, the promotion of a more specfflc moral code or set of values 1s explicitly identified; 1n such cases, the In­ stitution's religious or Ideological foundations usually set the tone for the mission statement. In this thesis, the general question 1s raised: At a college