Context-shaped character and virtues education: educational purpose, the humanities, and phronesis

Abstract

This paper argues that character and virtues education is shaped by students’ understandings of educational purpose, and that philosophy offers a distinctive role in making those purposes explicit, discussable, and educative. Drawing on an early-stage mixed-methods case study in a culturally diverse Australian school, we report findings from a study involving 494 student respondents. Students largely framed the purpose of schooling in credentialling terms, with future study and employment functioning as a dominant interpretive horizon for curriculum and value. In addition, when asked what part of school helps them become a ‘better person’, students rarely nominated the humanities, including philosophy. We suggest that this gap matters because virtues language is received through students’ existing aims narratives, whether or not schools intend it. Building on existing character education frameworks, including the Jubilee Centre’s taught, caught and sought, we propose a context-attentive approach in which the humanities in general, and philosophy in particular, can help students and school communities examine the purposes of education, reflect ethically on purposes, and connect character education with practical wisdom.