Teachers’ Perceptions of Moral Education in Catholic Secondary Schools in Australia and Ireland

• In Event: Catholic Education Through an International Lens and From Within Urban Communities

Abstract

Drawing on relevant scholarship and on recent survey and interview data this paper reports on a comparative study of teachers’ perceptions of moral education in Catholic schools in Ireland and Australia. Key issues addressed include the role of the teacher in relation to moral education, the relationship between moral and religious education, the capacity of school subjects for moral and ethics education and the role of the school in moral education. The conceptual framework includes relevant aspects of the Irish and Australian contexts including dominant education cultures and ideologies; public expectations of schools; dominant pedagogical and assessment procedures; the culture of Catholic schools. These provide a context for the discussion of the main findings and of their policy implications.

Authors

• Jim Gleeson, The Australian Catholic University

• Joanne O'Flaherty, University of Limerick