Resilience, self-discipline and good deeds – examining enactments of character education in English secondary schools

Spohrer, Konstanze (2021) Resilience, self-discipline and good deeds – examining enactments of character education in English secondary schools. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 32 (1). pp. 1-20. ISSN 1468-1366

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Abstract

Character education has enjoyed renewed interest both in the United Kingdom and in other parts of the world. However, to date, few studies have examined how character education is enacted ‘in situ’. Drawing on data from a study in three English secondary schools, this paper traces how political and scientific discourses on character are mobilised in educational practice. Employing a discourse analytic reading of teachers’ and school managers’ interview accounts, the paper examines how different semantics of character were drawn upon, negotiated, and assembled with a focus on the construction of the subject. It was found that, depending on the school context, the participants foregrounded an ethical-culturalist or psycho-economic semantics or blended both. While the construction of a strong and self-steering subject was prominent, normative ideas of what it means to be a good person were also highlighted and suggest that local enactments of character education go beyond mere instrumentalist aims of shaping a productive workforce. The paper concludes with some reflections on the opportunities and dangers of an intensified focus on the reflexive capacities of the individual.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information and Comments:	"This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Pedagogy, Culture & Society on 27 November 2021, available online at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14681366.2021.2007986" "
Keywords:	Character education, policy enactment, schools, social and emotional skills, resilience, moral education
Faculty / Department:	Faculty of Education and Social Sciences > School of Education
Depositing User:	Philippa Williams
Date Deposited:	23 Mar 2022 15:51
Last Modified:	12 Nov 2024 11:43
URI:	https://hira.hope.ac.uk/id/eprint/3503

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