Character Development

Although there is now a consensus among moral and character educators that group environment or culture plays a critical role in the formation of character, little sustained attention has been given to the processes through which groups influence individuals' moral dispositions and behavior. Despite indications that participation in extracurricular activities and religious groups significantly influences the moral outlook of children and adolescents, research on moral culture has focused almost exclusively on schools.

Grant Amount:

$199,916

Start Date:

February 2012

End Date:

February 2014

Grant ID:

29607

Most educational programs focus separately on either character, moral, or civic education. The Williamson School (WS) is one prominent exception. The WS, a three-year junior college in Media, PA, fosters among deserving but socioeconomically disadvantaged young men the values of faith, integrity, diligence, excellence, and service, character attributes that correspond with many of those included by Sir John in the Foundation's charter (e.g., diligence, future mindedness, generosity, honesty).

Grant Amount:

$2,215,508

Start Date:

May 2012

End Date:

April 2015

Grant ID:

23179

We propose a three-year research program to examine strategies that facilitate self-control when working, waiting, or regulating emotion. Specifically, we aim to deepen scientific understanding of psychological distancing strategies, their utility in diverse situations requiring self-control, their relation to executive function and general intelligence, their normative development from early childhood through young adulthood, and their amenability to direct instruction.

Grant Amount:

$1,115,967

Start Date:

August 2011

End Date:

August 2014

Grant ID:

21564

The purpose of the proposed grant is to increase the organizational capacity of the Georgia Rotary Districts Character Education Program (GRDCEP), a new nonprofit whose mission is to operate the Georgia Laws of Life Essay Contest. By building capacity for GRDCEP - which was created through an earlier grant from the Templeton Foundation - the Templeton Foundation would dramatically increase the spread of the Laws of Life Essay Contest.

Grant Amount:

$47,900

Start Date:

January 2011

End Date:

December 2012

Grant ID:

20426

We need more citizens of character in our nation. Schools play a vital role in shaping character. Today, however, 65% of HS students admit to cheating; 30% admit to stealing; 50% of HS students say drugs are used at school; 160K students stay home every day out of fear of getting bullied; and 1M kids drop out each year. There is a breakdown of character in schools. Intentional, comprehensive character development can mitigate these issues and help develop citizens of character. To assist teachers, we offer a strategy for meaningful change.

Grant Amount:

$400,000

Start Date:

January 2011

End Date:

December 2012

Grant ID:

20733

Although there is widespread agreement regarding the nature of moral character, there is not sufficient knowledge about how individuals acquire character over the course of their development. Moral character implies both a dedication to noble goals and a commitment to act in a manner consistent with one's beliefs. But in human life, moral beliefs do not always lead to dependable moral behavior; and often people who convince themselves and others that they are pursuing noble goals do not succeed in staying on the right track. Moral formation remains an elusive developmental target.

Grant Amount:

$399,828

Start Date:

March 2011

End Date:

February 2013

Grant ID:

20872

This planning grant will enable the research team to carefully develop an inviolable methodology to execute a rigorous study of the Cristo Rey Network, an organization comprised of 24 high schools that provide a quality, faith-based, college preparatory education to urban young people living in disadvantaged communities.

Grant Amount:

$96,448

Start Date:

January 2011

End Date:

September 2011

Grant ID:

21292

An Arabic expression of thanks translates as "I show my appreciation by focusing my eyes on you" —suggesting that truths of the heart can be expressed by focusing one's eyes and conversely that eyes are the gateway to the heart. This nexus between sight and sincerity inspires the American Islamic Congress' proposal of a contest to encourage young Middle Easterners to investigate key aspects of moral character via the creation of short films. Compelling character development, after all, lies at the heart of great cinema.

Grant Amount:

$278,929

Start Date:

February 2011

End Date:

January 2013

Grant ID:

21894

This project helps answer Big Questions about moral formation by developing and deploying innovative methods for measuring moral worldviews and their consequences. Research in the cognitive sciences—though vital—has overemphasized the biological dimension of morality at the expense of attention to moral cultures and worldviews, limiting our ability to account for the social sources of moral difference. The project addresses these limitations in three phases. Phase I assembles morality scholars for a mini-conference on measurement.

Grant Amount:

$400,000

Start Date:

May 2011

End Date:

April 2013

Grant ID:

21869

Inspire > Aspire builds on the success of the Learning for Life Values Poster Award, supported by the John Templeton Foundation, which has reached over 60,000 secondary school students between the ages of 12 and 15 in the last five years. The new project, focusing on Olympic and Paralympic Values in the run-up to London2012, is a powerful character and values initiative that uses the same successfully tested methods of school engagement, a structured poster template and an awards scheme to recognize excellent work at national prize ceremonies.

Grant Amount:

$485,333

Start Date:

October 2010

End Date:

August 2013

Grant ID:

21072