The Study of Literary Reading as the Ways to Enhance Moral Education: the Dialogue between Theory and Practice

• Main Authors: Hsin-Tsen Hsieh, 謝欣岑
• Other Authors: Ching-Sze Wang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/09654632634723038764

碩士 === 國立嘉義大學 === 教育學系研究所 === 101 === This study aimed to research the theories and practices of cultivating humanities and implementing moral education by reading literary works, especially novels. Based on the relavant theories of the American scholars, Nel Noddiings and Martha Nussbaum, this study made comparative analysis and found mutual correspondences between theories and practical experiences of the United States teachers, Erin Gruwell and Rafe Esquith. Moreover, this study explored literary reading as a way to enhance the implementation of moral education and its contributions. The study used a text analysis, and the main research text were six books from Ms. Gruwell and Mr. Rafe. Through the dialogue between theoretical and practical experiences, the researcher hopes to provide educators another method of carring out moral education, and then they can get some enlightment. This study found that using novels to develop moral education had its unique and special advantages which were different from the existing common ways. The advantages were as followings. 1. Provide real-life situation and become the important material of “dialogue”. 2. Help nurture "narrative imagination" in order to understand the stories of others. 3. Present the complexities of life and leave a safe space to help readers reflect. For practice teachers, the practical methods to implement moral education through literary reading are illustrated as follows: first, remain balanced arguments, that is, to train students to think critically by using both positive and negative arguments. Second, combine literary works with students’ real-life experiences. In this case, teachers may establish a link between expanded activities or choice of materials with students' life experiences.