듀이의 활동중심 탐구과정의 도덕교육적 성격

Aspects of Dewey's Activity-based Moral Education

The purpose of this research is to investigate the moral-educational aspects of activity-based studies in regard to Dewey's theories. In traditional ethics, reasonable norms that remained theories rather than put into practice were considered objectives of moral behavior or top principles. However, the idea that there are objective and absolute standards to human behavior, as in traditional ethics, has a high possibility of leading to vague and dogmatic moral education. To Dewey, morality was something acquired not from emphasizing certain standards but from practicing. Therefore, Dewey related moral contents to the connection between subject and object, and to the way the morality resulting from such connection influenced established personal beliefs, not to the reasonal norms. Moreover, Dewey took scientific and experimental approaches to study concepts such as purpose, value, and virtue. He concluded that morality is the product of practices which judge and evaluate such concepts. When substantial morality forms throughout activity-based studies and observations, it builds upon habitual practices. For an outstanding moral habit to be formed, one has to raise 'the habit of intellectual understanding' and to be actively involved in practices with other people, not to passively depend on the theoretical learning from other people. Through interactions with the environment, humans establish and develope their own personality by applying conclusions obtained from previous experiences to current events, and the personality develops from personal habits. Habits that involve intellect are useful in every aspect of life, so the frequent and prolonged practice of such habits will lead to the thorough mental growth of an individual.