The Hidden Virtues of "Harry Potter": Using J. K. Rowling's Novels to Facilitate Character Education with Juvenile Delinquents

Drawing upon philosophical virtue theory (Kreeft, 1986; MacIntyre, 1984; Meilander, 1984; Pieper, 1966), as well as its growing psychological support (Peterson & Seligman, 2004; Vitz, 1990), we designed a pilot intervention for a small group of adolescents in an academic day-treatment program at...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Research in Character Education 2011, Vol.9 (1), p.1
Main Authors: Seroczynski, A. D, Johnson, Scott P, Lamb, Kristen, Gustman, Brian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior modification
Childrens novels
Correctional Rehabilitation
Delinquency
Didacticism
Fiction
Grade 7
Grade 8
Grade 9
Intervention
Juvenile Justice
Juvenile offenders
Learning
Likert Scales
Literary Genres
Moral Development
Moral education
Moral Issues
Narration
Novels
Pretests Posttests
Qualitative Research
Rowling, J K
Science fiction & fantasy
Statistical Analysis
Values Education
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Summary:Drawing upon philosophical virtue theory (Kreeft, 1986; MacIntyre, 1984; Meilander, 1984; Pieper, 1966), as well as its growing psychological support (Peterson & Seligman, 2004; Vitz, 1990), we designed a pilot intervention for a small group of adolescents in an academic day-treatment program at a juvenile justice center. J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" novels were used to facilitate virtuous character development in group discussions and journaling exercises. Self-report ratings of seven virtues were obtained at pretest and posttest with the Youth Virtues Scale, a modified version of Cawley, Martin, and Johnson's (2000) Virtues Scale. Teachers also provided a global rating of virtuous behavior. Engaged students were significantly more likely to report improvements in charity and fidelity than students who did not invest in the program; fortitude and prudence approached significance. Engaged students also showed more teacher-rated changes in virtuous behavior. We discuss the development of the intervention, qualitative findings around ethical issues, study implications, and recommendations for future research.
ISSN:1543-1223