CURA—An Ethics Support Instrument for Nurses in Palliative Care. Feasibility and First Perceived Outcomes

Evaluating the feasibility and first perceived outcomes of a newly developed clinical ethics support instrument called CURA. This instrument is tailored to the needs of nurses that provide palliative care and is intended to foster both moral competences and moral resilience. This study is a descriptive cross-sectional evaluation study. Respondents consisted of nurses and nurse assistants (n = 97) following a continuing education program (course participants) and colleagues of these course participants (n = 124). Two questionnaires with five-point Likert scales were used. The feasibility questionnaire was given to all respondents, the perceived outcomes questionnaire only to the course participants. Data collection took place over a period of six months. Respondents were predominantly positive on most items of the feasibility questionnaire. The steps of CURA are clearly described (84% of course participants agreed or strongly agreed, 94% of colleagues) and easy to apply (78–87%). The perceived outcomes showed that CURA helped respondents to reflect on moral challenges (71% (strongly) agreed), in perspective taking (67%), with being aware of moral challenges (63%) and in dealing with moral distress (54%). Respondents did experience organizational barriers: only half of the respondents (strongly) agreed that they could easily find time for using CURA. CURA is a feasible instrument for nurses and nurse assistants providing palliative care. However, reported difficulties in organizing and making time for reflections with CURA indicate organizational preconditions ought to be met in order to implement CURA in daily practice. Furthermore, these results indicate that CURA helps to build moral competences and fosters moral resilience.

Kompetencje moralne nauczycieli – prolegomena

The presented analysis focuses on the moral dimension of the teaching profession, which encompasses the moral competence of its representatives. This dimension determines, at least to some extent, the quality of services rendered by teachers to other people as part of their professional activity. Thus, the research and analyses undertaken with regard to this area of scientific exploration are of importance for the discipline of educational research. The aim of the paper is an attempt at making an introduction to the manners of understanding the term: teacher’s moral competences. Such competences can be placed among a number of competencies a teacher should display. The article was prepared based on an analysis of the literature dealing with the subject of the research. The analysis was used to explicate the category, which, similarly to the category of competencies as such, has turned out to be defined in an ambiguous way. The researchers of the issue of teachers’ moral competences have ascribed various meanings and scope to this term, and have differed in indicating its significance and importance for the professional activity undertaken. This is conducive neither to an attempt at developing a clear definition of this term nor to defining its constituent elements more precisely. The analysis of this category implies the need for paying closer attention to teachers’ moral competences, both in the theoretical and practical contexts, and to conduct intensified research on these competences, enriching thereby the scientific achievements made so far in the field referring to the moral dimension of the work performed by the representatives of this social and professional category, i.e., teachers.

Assessment of the Development Level of the Moral Competences of Police Decision-Makers from the Perspective of the Assumptions of Police Partnership in the Sphere of Human Security

The study considers the assumptions for the cultural transformation of the Polish Police for the benefit of further socialization of its activities. The point of reference in this study was the assumptions of a partnership police culture preferred in Western culture and based mainly on moral rules. The description of the police partnership culture was also made in relation to the classic police culture. On the basis of the presented empirical research, the gap in moral competences of the assessed decision-makers was described in a variant version, which occurs between the identified level of development of moral competences and the one postulated by the assumptions of the police partnership culture, in the structure of the entire research sample and taking into account its division into decision-makers from local and higher-level units command. The results of the research showed, socially unacceptable in the sphere of human safety, discrepancies between the identified and postulated state in the context of the requirements of a police partnership culture, as well as a higher level of development of moral competences of decision-makers from local Police units in relation to decision-makers from provincial Police headquarters and the Police Headquarters.

Teilhabe lehren und lernen. Zur Bedeutung moralischer Kompetenz in der Lehrkräftebildung

Das Lernen von Teilhabe an der Gesellschaft als ein erklärtes Ziel einer jeden Pädagogik bleibt in der Diskussion um inklusiven Unterricht seltsam unberücksichtigt. So führt eine rein formal-organisatorische Teilnahme am Unterricht nicht selbstverständlich zu einer größeren Chancengleichheit, Chancengerechtigkeit und in Konsequenz auch Bildungsgerechtigkeit. Um Teilhabe zu lehren und zu lernen bedarf es eines vielperspektivischen, pädagogischen Zugangs zu Teilhabe. Entsprechend wird dieselbe als sozial-ethisches Handeln definiert und als Bildungsziel konkretisiert. Durch diese praxeologisch-pädagogische Betrachtungsweise von Teilhabe bedarf es für das Lernen und Lehren von Teilhabe moralische Kompetenzen, deren Förderung auch in der Lehrkräftebildung bedeutsam erscheint. Die Überlegungen werden zusammenfassend am Beispiel des Einsatzes der Konstanzer Methode der Dilemma-Diskussion konkretisiert, die vielversprechend für die Stärkung moralischer Kompetenzen von Teilhabeorientierung in der Lehrkräftebildung sein könnte. Abstract The learning of participation in society as a declared objective of any pedagogy remains strangely unconsidered in the discussion about inclusive education. Thus, a purely formal-organisational participation in teaching does not naturally lead to greater equality of opportunity, equity of opportunity and, as a consequence, educational equity. In order to teach and learn participation, a multi-perspective, pedagogical approach to participation is needed. Accordingly, we define it as a social-ethical act and concretise it as a central objective in education. Through the praxeological-pedagogical approach to participation moral competences are required for learning and teaching participation. Therefore, the advancement of moral competences seems to be significant in teacher training programs. The considerations are summarised using the example of the Konstanz method of dilemma discussion, which could be promising for strengthening the moral competences of participation orientation in teacher training programs.

Ethical and Moral Competences of Upper Secondary Students: A Comparative Study

Purpose: This article presents the theoretical framework, research design, methodology, and main findings of the comparative measurement of ethical–moral competences of 15-year-old upper secondary students in Shanghai, under the ETiK-International-Shanghai project. Design/Approach/Methods: By dividing the ethical–moral competences into the categories of basic ethical–moral knowledge, ethical–moral judgment competence, and competence in developing ethical–moral action plans, a survey of 2,036 students was conducted, using a reliable and valid testing instrument. Findings: In general, 15-year-olds from homes with more educational resources perform higher in all three scales across all countries taken under consideration in our study. Furthermore, school practices, teaching, as well as quantity and quality of instruction play a very important role in the moral education process and especially in developing students’ proficiency levels of ethical–moral knowledge, reasoning competence, as well as students’ high abilities in developing moral action plans. When relevant educational background factors are held constant, Chinese students show lower average scores on basic ethical–moral knowledge and moral judgment competence. With exception of the tested Vienna students, all other European samples scored better than the Chinese students—also on the test for developing ethical–moral action plans. However, Chinese students are especially able to display outstanding empathy when dealing with suffering, misfortune, and sorrow, as well as in their willingness to help others. Originality/Value: The findings of this article can foster thinking about which topics should be further discussed to improve the ethical–moral knowledge and competences of Chinese students and highlight requirements for the further development of moral education in China at the levels of teaching, curriculum, teacher education, and research.

The Role of Sports Practice in Young Adolescent Development of Moral Competence

The study examined the moral competence levels in adolescents participating in individual/team sports compared with those not undertaking sports at all. In total, 827 students aged 15–17 years old (45.4% boys, 54.6% girls) from randomly selected secondary schools in the Wielkopolska region in Poland participated in the study. The moral competences were assessed using the Lind’s Moral Competence Test. The students also answered questions concerning their statues of involvement in sport (not involved; amateur; professional), years of involvement, and the type of sport they partook in (individual/team). The results highlight that the moral competence level in most of the examined adolescents (71.6% girls, 76.8% boys) was low. Those who presented a high moral competence level were 10.4% in girls, 8% in boys. There was no interaction between modes of involvement in sport and moral competence when comparing adolescents. The moral competence levels were not correlated with years of training in either mode of involvement or with type of sports. Therefore, we assume that, at this age, the type of sport and the level of engagement do not differentiate moral competence level and that there must be more factors contributing to this. This opens new directions for further research on the role of external factors stimulating the socio-moral growth of youth.

How Years of Sport Training Influence the Level of Moral Competences of Physical Education and Sport Students

Background. The study purpose was to investigate the level of moral competences and prosocial behaviours in a physical activity (PA) context and differences between first year freshman students enrolled in both the physical education and sport coaching majors. Methods. We draw on data from students of the Faculties of Physical Education (109) and Sport (94) at Poznan University of Physical Education. For measurement, Lind’s Moral Competence Test was used. Comparative analysis of differences between the groups was undertaken with the use of Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric analysis of variance was used for further analysis. Results. The results show that there were no significant differences between the examined students in majority of the characteristics. Students comply with the recommended levels of physical activity, but 70% present low level of moral competences. Parents were the most influential factors in moral development across levels of competences and genders. More years of sports training showed a positive relationship with moral development (only in the group of male students with high level of moral competency). Conclusions. Based on the findings, it is recommended to consider the changes in physical education and sport students education training programmes which should include more critical reflection and life-long learning competences.

The level of moral competences of pre-service PE teachers – a reason to worry?

Summary Study aim: The main purpose of this study was to examine the level of moral competences of 437 pre-service physical educa­tion (PE) university students. It was also designed to evaluate the level of moral competency and the correlations with factors (i.e. Parents, Religion, School education, PE teacher, Sport coach, Studies, Media and Peers) potentially influencing moral development in pre-service PE teachers. Material and methods: The study included data collected in 2017 from 216 male and 221 female students aged 21.5 ± 1.85 from the faculty of Physical Education in Poznań, Poland. The students were categorised into three levels of moral competences, after which possible correlations between the factors influencing moral development were examined. The Moral Competence Test (MCT) survey was used to measure the ability to rate arguments by their moral quality. Participants were requested to confront two moral dilemmas and agree or disagree with the statements which were presented to them. Results: The results suggest that a vast majority of students (78.7%) present a very low level of moral competences, and with regard to the factors influencing moral development, the lowest value was attributed to PE teachers. Moderate positive correla­tions were found between School education and PE teacher, and between Sport coach and PE teacher. Conclusions: The findings indicate the need for more attention to be paid to moral education in teacher training in PE.