ABSTRACT
A primary purpose of education is to socialize children, adolescents, and young adults into the conventions, values, attitudes, roles, competencies, and ways of perceiving the world that are shared by one’s family, community, society, and culture (Johnson, 1970, 1979; Johnson & F. Johnson, 2006). Socialization takes place through group memberships (i.e., family, church, and school) and interpersonal relationships (i.e., parents, friends, teachers, colleagues). A central aspect of socialization is the inculcation of moral character. Morals and character are inherently social. They do not occur in a social vacuum. Moral values are by de nition rules of “right” conduct, re ecting the cherished ideals that guide our behavior in the groups to which we belong and in our interpersonal relationships. Moral values are, therefore, learned, internalized, and expressed within groups and relationships within a larger community and society context.
