Identification of the Dimensions and Components of Moral Education through a Social Approach and Developing a Conceptual Model for Elementary Education

This study aimed to identify the dimensions and components of moral education through a social approach, and to develop a conceptual model for elementary education. This mixed methods research has combined elements of quantitative and qualitative approaches. In the qualitative part, the population of the study consisted of websites and databases related to moral education which were purposefully selected and thoroughly examined. The data analysis method included categorization which was continuously and simultaneously carried out with data collection. In the quantitative part, the population of the study comprised elementary school teachers in Kerman (District 2, grades 4-6) who were selected by total population sampling. After an overview of the relevant previous research, a number of moral education components were extracted and presented to a group of experts and specialists.This stage led to the deletion of a number of the extracted components and on the basis of the remaining ones a 71-item questionnaire was designed and administered to the statistical population including 408 elementary school teachers. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by the specialists and its reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha test. The research was followed by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and the results showed that the core concept of the study includes 11 components in 2 dimensions of "belief" and "behavior". The components of "belief" are: "respect for social values and social norms", "forbearance", "developing an altruistic spirit", and "dialogue". The components of "behavior" are: "dependence on collective identity and its maintenance", "nurturing the spirit of freedom", "peaceful coexistence", "fulfillment of promises", "adherence to moral codes", "respect for the environment", and "fulfillment of social responsibility". The final model was designed based on the aforementioned dimensions and components. Among manifest variables related to the latent variable of "belief", the highest explained variance was obtained for "respecting values" and "social norms", while the lowest explained variable was gained for "dialogue". Among manifest variables related to the latent variable of "behavior", the highest explained variance was obtained for "dependence on collective identity and its maintenance", whereas the lowest explained variable was gained for "fulfillment of social responsibility".