| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺東大學 === 社會科教育學系碩士班 === 98 === Character building education is an integral aspect of the education system in Taiwan and is meant to teach students the importance of enhancing the positive aspects of their personalities and to understand the nature of goodness. Because character-building education pertains to the kinds of situations students encounter on a daily basis, the lessons tend to be internalized, forming a subconsciously integrated appraisal of one’s self and their sense of morality. Formerly, the “Life and Ethics” and the later the “Morals” classes within the elementary school curricula, dealt with issues such as health and morality. They had clear moral content and educational goals, to enhance the character development of students, implement life rules and boundaries, formulate positive habits, and develop a sense of decency.
The curriculum implemented in 2001, for Grades 1-9, focused on syllabus competence indicators and the melding of character building education with various other courses and learning experiences. Character building education was thus dissembled from a single integrated whole to one of fragmentation.
In primary and junior high school education, textbooks provide specific educational content designed according to syllabi. Textbooks are not only the main source of educational material but also a key reference for teachers, and an important tool to establishing knowledge, cultivating cooperative relationships, and building skills in students.
In this study, we employed content analysis methods to study the content of character building education, as presented in three government approved life curriculum textbooks. In addition, we discussed the differences between each of these texts as they pertain to character building education. Results of this study are as follows:
1.100% of the thematic activities in each of the textbooks had
been specifically developed for character building education.
2.Each of the three textbooks in this study featured a number of
concepts pertaining to character education. The textbook
published by Nani topped the list, with 850 instances. This was
followed by the Kang Xuen textbook with 778 instances and the
Han Lin textbook scoring the lowest, at 564 instances.
3.Only minimal differences were noted between the topics or
themes among the three textbooks. The category of “morality”
appeared most frequently, followed by “process
values”, “focus”, “diligence in one’s studies”, and “creative
intelligence”. The topic of “honesty” appeared the least number
of times.
Based on the results of this research, we have made a number of propositions that that could serve as a references guide for authorities, when amending life curriculum textbooks for Taiwanese elementary schools.
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