Journal of - Southern University New Orleans

THE EFFECTS OF A RESPONSIBILITY-BASEDCHARACTER EDUCATION PROGRAM ONMIDDLE SCHOOL ACADEMICACHIEVEMENT AT AN INTERNATIONALSCHOOL IN EAST AFRICAB. Grant Hayes, Ph.D. 1University of Central FloridaTyson H. Kuch, M.A.University of Central FloridaTerry A. Howard, Ph.D.International School of KenyaE. Lea Witta, Ph.D.University of Central FloridaAbstract: The purpose of this study was to determinethe effect of a responsibility-based program onacademic performance and effort. Twelve responsibility-basedcharacter education lessons were presentedover a period of six weeks to 141 middleschool students attending an international school inEast Africa. Grades in six different subjects and studenteffort scores in the same six subjects werecompared from one quarter to the next. Studentswho received the character education lessons werecompared with those who did not receive the lessonsto determine which group improved more intheir grades and effort scores. The results indicatedno statistically significant difference between thestudents’ grades and effort scores between thetreatment group and the control group.According to Williams (2000), thereare several major tenets of educationin the United States, including themastery of basic academic skills, the acquisitionof wealth and the development of caringand responsible citizens. At the inception of apublic education system in the United States,the teaching of morals and values went handin-handwith the instruction of reading, writingand arithmetic. Religious instruction wasB. Grant Hayes is Associate Dean for Graduate Studies in theCollege of Education and Associate Professor of CounselorEducation at the University Central. Tyson Kuch is a doctoralcandidate in Counselor Education at the University of CentralFlorida. Terry Howard is the middle school principal at theInternational School of Kenya in Nairobi. E. Lea Witta is AssociateProfessor of Educational Research at the University ofCentral Florida. Correspondence concerning this article shouldbe addressed to B. Grant Hayes, College of Education, Universityof Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816-1250 (e-mail:ghayes@mail.ucf.edu).part of the everyday instruction and all childrenattending school, regardless of their age,were expected to learn the importance of beinga good citizen. For much of history, educationhas been first about character and onlysecond about academic competence (Williams,2000).Character education has gained much emphasisin public schools in the last severalyears. In a broad sense, character educationincludes any program or activity that schoolsengage in to help children become goodpeople. While a narrow focus defines charactereducation as indoctrinating students withspecific values, typically conservative ones(Robinson, Jones & Hayes, 2000), the definitionof character has changed over time, toreflect the more broadly accepted views thatexist in society today. Character is very simplythe sum of our intellectual and moral habits.It is the composite of our virtues and ourvices, the combination of which makes us thekind of person we are (Ryan & Bohlin, 1999).Williams (2000) also illustrates that the definitionof character education and the means forimplementing it are quite broad, encompassingseveral domains (e.g. affective, behavioral,and cognitive) and sometimes confusingeducators as to what this term actually implies.Yet, our democratic society is foundedupon a set of mutually agreed upon valuesincluding, but not limited to- justice, fairness,and responsibility. As such, the authors forthis manuscript chose responsibility as thedomain from which to base the charactereducation lessons presented to the students.Increased access to media coverage of worldevents in ‘real time’, increased television programmingwith the introduction of satellitetelevision stations, and increased access tothe internet and other computer-based resourceshave had a major impact on the formationof value and morals in today’s population.By virtue of its ubiquity, interactivenature, and arousing content, the media areinfluencing our society’s values and expecta-