Moral education program to facilitate peaceful conflict negotiations among early adolescents a process curriculum approach

Abstract

Conflicts are integral part of our lives. Most conflicts are so morally newlineenmeshed that it requires moral sensitivity to resolve them fairly. In an age newlineof increased violence it is imperative to orient young minds to appreciate newlinepeace as a value for life. Students must thus be offered opportunities for newlinecritical and reflective thinking , analyse and discuss day-to-day problems to newlinefind workable solutions and practice skills. newlineThe present study addressed two issues. First it elicited information on the newlinecurrent approach to moral education in selected representative schools of newlineBangalore city. The data obtained from the survey revealed that schools do newlinenot go beyond story telling and sermonizing to teach values and skills. Also newlineno deliberate effort was found to teach students to resolve conflicts. newlineSecond and fundamental aim of the present study was to assess the newlineeffectiveness of a moral education program in facilitating peaceful conflict newlinenegotiations among early adolescents when offered through a process newlinecurriculum approach. A field experiment with quasi-experimental pretestposttest newlinecontrol group design was carried out. The experimental group newlineparticipants were exposed to the activity based interactive modules newlinedeveloped on the principles of experiential learning, situated learning and newlineconstructivism, for a period of one academic year. Analysis of the pre-post newlinetest data obtained indicated a very large effect on the participants. newline