Philippine E-Journals

Emphasizing Morals, Values, Ethics, and Character Education in Today’s Digital Age

AYOTUNDE ADEBAYO

 

Abstract:

The digital age came with massive changes in every sector across the globe. This paper explores the concepts of morals, values, ethics, and character education in today’s digital age and examined three models: Piaget’s theory of moral development, Kohlberg’s stages of moral development, and Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development. These different explorative models and frameworks identified and discussed in this paper help provide a better understanding of the need to morally develop students, reflect and establish awareness of individual values, and provide insights into critical ethical standards and values. The paper underscores the importance of childhood education as the most significant stage to commence a positive development in morals, values, ethics, and character education while noting that adulthood is critical for the continuous development and application of moral development in individuals. It advocates that teachers and professional educators must not be undervalued. They are vital towards developing students’ intellectual capacities to reflect on the theories of ethics and their application in daily life. As it concludes, the paper notes that education, in the aspects of morals, values, and ethics, supports the importance of knowledge creation and transfer, which prepares individuals to function appropriately in all facets of life. Technology is a tool. As such, for it to be more favorable for students, cultural utilization and character education are needed so that technology is not used to the detriment of the right moral creed.