Character Education in European Schools: A comparative study – teachers and parents

Abstract

This report summarizes the findings of the TEPACE project (Teachers’ and Parents’ Perspectives on Character Education in Europe), which analyses teachers’ and parents’ attitudes towards Character Education in schools across selected European countries. The study covers seven countries (Austria, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, and Spain) and draws on extensive datasets (N_teachers = 2,652; N_parents = 7,918). The research was conducted in collaboration with the European Character and Virtue Association (ECVA, https://ecva-character.org). The main research questions address the significance of Character Education, cross-country differences in the preference for various character virtues, and the relationship between academic achievement and the development of good character. The study also examines factors influencing teachers’ attitudes toward this issue, including their teaching experience, school type, and personal confidence in their ability to integrate Character Education into their teaching practices.