Confucianism and Character Education: A Chinese View

Abstract

The principles of Confucianism are founded on humaneness, righteousness, propriety, knowledge, integrity and filial piety. These principles have found their way to the Chinese culture since the days of Confucius. The study reviews the concept of Confucianism and its influence in Chinese context. Also, the relationship between Confucianism and character education is discussed. Character education is based on the transmission of values and within Chinese society and most of these values have been founded on the teachings of Confucius. Filial piety has strongly been conditioned within the principles of Confucianism and the respect of one's elders. Character education has been promoted by teachers and elders who focus on the transmission of values from one generation to the next. Character education is supported by the theories and teachings set out by Confucius, mostly in relation to humaneness and integrity, as well as collectivism. The individualistic trends are discarded within character education, as the welfare of the society and the collective is prioritized.

The power of story: Narrative inquiry as a methodology in nursing research

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Confucianism’s influence on ethics education in South Korea

“…More specifically, this difference is that it places one's daily life and human behaviour at the centre, rather than God and life after death (Chou, Tu & Huang, 2013). Apart from these aspects, Confucius appraised information according to its level of feasibility in improving fairness and kindness.…”

“…Confucius, who lived in China between 551-479 B.C., not only influenced the country and his time, but also had an impact on all East Asian countries for subsequent centuries (Chu & Carew, 1992;Yum, 1994;Fitzgerald, 1994;Dirlik, 1995;Lu, Gilmour & Kao, 2001;Chung, 2001;Shin & Koh, 2005;Starr, 2012;Chou, Tu & Huang, 2013;Park & Müller, 2014). The influence of Confucian principles in South Korea is not only seen in culture and education (Canda, Shin & Canda, 1993;Canda & Canda, 1996;Lim & Choi, 1996;Chen & Chung, 1997;Lee, J-K., 2001), but also in ethics education (Moon, 1995;Baek, 2002;Jeong, 2005;Park & Müller, 2014).…”

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