Browsing by Author "Leinweber, Kurtis"

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    A critical review of contemporary moral education policies in Canada
    (2011) Leinweber, Kurtis; Donlevy, James Kent
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    Moral Education for Pluralism in Alberta K-12 Policies
    (2024-12-19) Leinweber, Kurtis; Winchester, Ian; Gereluk, Dianne; Spencer, Brenda; Bharwani, Aleem; Bosetti, Lynn
    This study investigated kindergarten through grade 12 moral education policy in Alberta for the period 2013-2024 with a twofold purpose. The first was to understand what comprised moral education in Alberta through the identification of explicit and implicit moral elements contained within recent and current policies. The second was to examine how moral education in Alberta, as reflected in its policy texts, reflected the pluralistic nature of Alberta society using a perspective grounded in the value pluralism of Isaiah Berlin. Through an interpretive process of conventional qualitative document content analysis, Alberta policy documents, including statutes, regulations, policies, curriculum guides, curriculum, and legislative Hansard, were examined for elements related to moral education. Three primary themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) the individual is viewed as a moral agent who focuses on their own success, others’ well-being and success, and making ethical decisions; (b) the good society is viewed as democratic and civil, embracing pluralism and diversity with some shared values; and (c) the school is a nexus of common and uncommon values in which systems, processes, and structures support common values and guide responses to the convergence of uncommon values present in society. Further, analyzing the identified themes and subthemes using a lens of Isaiah Berlin’s value pluralism showed that Alberta policies failed to substantively address the incommensurability and incompatibility of values. This study identified the need for a robust pluralist moral education that includes: pluralism as a core principal, toleration as an educational aim, engagement with agonistic conflicts, fostering of moral independence, critical dialogue and negotiation, and a focus on striving for a minimal threshold of negative liberty to enable the pursuit of universal values essential for human experience to better prepare them to coexist amongst deep and intractable differences about beliefs, commitments, and ways of life.