ABSTRACT
The meaning of Wakefield’s statement is crystal clear: if we want teachers to be responsible for moral education, then teacher education institutes must prepare them for this task. When seen in this light, it is remarkable how little has been written on this topic. At the international level, teacher educators and researchers appear to focus more on instructional methods in schools and in teacher education institutes than on the moral aspects of education, although this latter focus is more common in Europe. There is little empirical evidence on whether or not teacher education institutes are capable of preparing student teachers for the moral aspects of the teaching profession (Cochran-Smith and Zeichner, 2005; Fullan et al., 1998). Moreover, there is considerable confusion about what constitutes moral education. Does it resemble issues such as facilitating identity formation and personal growth (emphasised by Loughran, 2006, p. 2) and, if so, how? The same question can be asked of the fostering of democratic values and skills (Cochran-Smith, 2004), or any of the related issues mentioned in the literature.
