The Virtue Approach to Moral Education: Some Conceptual Clarifications

There is a lot of talking and writing on virtues and education nowadays. In spite of this, a clear and convincing account of the defining characteristics of the virtue approach to moral education is still lacking. This paper suggests and discusses three different definitions of such an approach. With reference to each definition it is examined whether the virtue approach can be distinguished from other main perspectives on moral education, in particular from the so-called cognitive-developmental approach (including the just community approach). It is argued that only the definition that refers to an ethics of virtue will have the required differentiating capacity. Consequently, only on the basis of this definition can the virtue approach be regarded as a qualitatively new development in research on moral education.     

Evolution of an end-user training program

The University of Illinois at Chicago Library of the Health Sciences has taught end-user classes on the MEDLARS system since early 1985. Registration, class composition, and, most importantly, class organization evolved continuously during the first year of operation. Several feedback mechanisms were used. An examination of the past training and specialization of participants helped to determine teaching examples and pace; a more varied group of participants necessitated a broader range of examples and increased explanations. Participant evaluation forms and oral comments helped define scheduling, agenda, and the need for additional equipment and practice time. Further evaluation will center on the searching done by the program's alumni.     

The relationship between bilingual proficiency and self-esteem

Proposing that bilingual proficiency should produce a more favorable attitude toward bilingualism and should enhance one's self-esteem, the authors compared 57 bilingual and 67 unilingual students from grades 9, 10, and 11, measuring their opinions about bilingualism and their self-esteem. The bilingual students are substantially more favorably disposed toward bilingualism than the unilingual students are. On the Janis-Field scale of self-esteem, the bilingual students show greater self-esteem than the unilingual students. The largest differences between the groups are on questions that measure self-confidence and social ease; differences are less pronounced on questions about self-worth and about shyness. We speculate that bilingual proficiency offers some psychological advantages to students who achieve it.