Graduation Year
2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Ed.D.
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
Degree Granting Department
Language, Literacy, ED.D., Exceptional Education, and Physical Education
Major Professor
Bárbara C. Cruz, Ed.D.
Co-Major Professor
Sarah Kiefer, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Cheryl R. Ellerbrock, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Veselina Lambrev, Ph.D.
Keywords
Adolescents, Education, Moral Compass, Moral Decision-Making, Moral Self-Regulation, Universal Values
Abstract
The literature review reveals a gap in secondary English Language Arts (ELA) teachers’ perception of students’ moral intelligence (MI). While many character education studies examine the student perspective, this study contributes to the limited research on secondary ELA teachers’ perceptions of students’ moral intelligence and how it can be cultivated. This dissertation addresses that gap by collecting and analyzing ELA teachers’ lived experiences and perceptions of students’ MI, as well as exploring how ELA teachers and schools can support students’ moral development by integrating moral and ethical topics into instructional practices. This qualitative study used narrative inquiry to gather interview data from three secondary ELA teachers. I identified five themes using reflexive thematic analysis. First, participants believed students’ expression of MI was influenced by student use of technology and social media. Second, participants perceived school and state-level policies and regulations regarding standardized testing, learning materials, and teaching professional standards as impacting how they integrated MI into the academic curriculum in their school. Third, participants viewed students’ accountability for their misbehavior as central to their experiences regarding integrating MI into their practice. Fourth, participants perceived the cultivation of student MI was supported when their values aligned with the mission of the school and/or caregiver values and was hindered when their values did not align with those held by the school, caregivers, and/or students’ upbringing. Lastly, participants identified instructional practices to support students’ moral intelligence, including modeling moral values and behaviors, selecting a variety of literature that explores moral and ethical issues, and facilitating classroom discussions and reflections. Implications are provided for English Language Arts teachers, educational researchers, and practitioners.
Scholar Commons Citation
Zaman, Sadia Fauzia, "Moral of the Story: Secondary Language Arts Teachers’ Perceptions of Students’ Moral Intelligence" (2024). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/10696
