Teacher Character Development Through Virtue and Eudaimonia: Insights from Nominal Group Technique (NGT)

The importance of character development in educators has garnered increasing attention within the field of education as it is closely linked to the ethical and effective delivery of teaching. Character traits such as honesty, courage and respect not only shape the personal and professional traits of teachers but also significantly influence the learning environments they create for their students. This study aimed to explore expert consensus on teacher character development by integrating the philosophical concepts of virtue and eudaimonia, which are essential for fostering ethical and effective teaching practices. This study aimed to explore expert consensus on teacher character development by integrating the philosophical concepts of virtue and eudaimonia which are essential for fostering ethical and effective teaching practices. The study employed the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) to elicit and synthesise the perspectives of educational experts regarding the key elements that constitute teacher character development. The participants comprised nine panels of educational experts with diverse backgrounds in teaching, teacher education and educational psychology, thereby ensuring a comprehensive range of perspectives. The findings revealed a strong consensus among experts on the importance of cultivating specific virtuous character traits in teachers including honesty, courage, wisdom, generosity, justice, respect and humility. Furthermore, the study highlighted the critical role of eudaimonia in teacher character development encompassing aspects such as finding deeper meaning in one’s work, continuous personal and professional growth and maintaining a healthy work–life balance. Overall, this study contributes to the growing body of research on character based approaches to teaching and offers valuable insights for the development of more holistic and sustainable strategies to support teacher well-being and teaching effectiveness.

Character Development; Teacher Character

1. Annas, J. (2011). Intelligent virtue. Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Arthur, J. (2016). Virtuous character for the practice of education. Routledge. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Arthur, J., Kristjánsson, K., Walker, D., Sanderse, W., & Jones, C. (2017). Teaching character and virtue in schools. Routledge. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Bakker, A. B., & Oerlemans, W. (2011). Subjective well-being in organizations. In K. S. Cameron & G. Spreitzer (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of positive organizational scholarship (pp. 178–189). Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Berkowitz, M. W., & Bier, M. C. (2004). Research-based character education. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 591(1), 72–85. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Berkowitz, M. W., & Bier, M. C. (2005). What works in character education: A research-driven guide for educators. Character Education Partnership. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Biesta, G. (2015). Good education in an age of measurement: Ethics, politics, democracy. Routledge. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Booker, J. M., & McNamara, L. A. (2004). Solving black box computation problems using expert knowledge theory and methods. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 85(1–3), 331–340. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Campbell, E. (2003). The ethical teacher. Open University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Campbell, E. (2008). The ethics of teaching as a moral profession. Curriculum Inquiry, 38(4), 357– 385. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Cantrill, J. A., Sibbald, B., & Buetow, S. (1996). The Delphi and nominal group techniques in health services research. International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 4(2), 67–74. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Carr, D. (2006). Professional and personal values and virtues in education and teaching. Oxford Review of Education, 32(2), 171–183. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Carr, D. (2007). Character in teaching. British Journal of Educational Studies, 55(4), 369–389. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Carr, D. (2011). Virtue, happiness and well-being: An introduction. Palgrave Macmillan. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Day, C., & Gu, Q. (2014). Resilient teachers, resilient schools: Building and sustaining quality in testing times. Routledge. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Day, C., Kingdon, R., & Martinez, C. (2011). Researching teachers’ professional lives. Routledge. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Delbecq, A. L., Van de Ven, A. H., & Gustafson, D. (1975). Group techniques for program planning: A guide to nominal group and Delphi processes. Scott Foresman. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Gürol, A., & Kerimgil, S. (2010). Teachers’ perceptions towards personal and professional development. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2, 3321–3325. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Hansen, D. T. (2001). Exploring the moral heart of teaching: Toward a teacher’s creed. Teachers College Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Hargreaves, A. (1998). The emotional practice of teaching. Teachers College Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Hargreaves, A. (2000). Mixed emotions: Teachers’ perceptions of their interactions with students. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Teaching and Teacher Education, 16(8), 811–826. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Hursthouse, R. (1999). On virtue ethics. Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Jackson, P. W., Boostrom, R. E., & Hansen, D. T. (1993). The moral life of schools. Jossey-Bass. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Jennings, P. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2009). The prosocial classroom. Review of Educational Research, 79(1), 491–525. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Kristjánsson, K. (2013). Virtues and vices in positive psychology. Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Kristjánsson, K. (2015). Flourishing as the aim of education. Educational Theory, 65(4), 425–442. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Kristjánsson, K. (2020). Virtuous emotions. Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Lapsley, D., & Narvaez, D. (2006). Moral development, self and identity. Erlbaum. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Lickona, T. (1993). The return of character education. Educational Leadership, 51(3), 6–11. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. Lumpkin, A. (2008). Teachers as role models. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 79(2), 45–50. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. Noddings, N. (2012). The caring relation in teaching. Teachers College Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. Norton, D. L. (1976). Personal destinies: A philosophy of ethical individualism. Princeton University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

34. Nucci, L. (2017). Character development and the moral self. Routledge. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

35. Nussbaum, M. C. (2001). Upheavals of thought: The intelligence of emotions. Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

36. OECD. (2021). Teachers and leaders in schools 2021: OECD teaching and learning international survey. OECD Publishing. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

37. Osguthorpe, R. (2008). On the possible virtues of teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(1), 193–199. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

38. Parker, P., Martin, A., Colmar, S., & Liem, G. (2012). Teachers’ workplace wellbeing. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(4), 591–614. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

39. Perry, C., & Linsley, S. (2006). The use of nominal group technique in evaluation research. Evaluation Review, 30(3), 341–357. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

40. Ria, L., Sève, C., Theureau, J., Saury, J., & Durand, M. (2004). Beginning teachers’ experience. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20(8), 843–857. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

41. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2001). On happiness and human potentials. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 141–166. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

42. Sanger, M. N., & Osguthorpe, R. D. (2013). The moral work of teaching and teacher education. Teachers College Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

43. Schussler, D. L., Jennings, P. A., Sharp, J., & Frank, J. (2018). Improving teacher wellbeing. Mindfulness, 7, 1–9. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

44. Schwartz, B., & Sharpe, K. (2006). Practical wisdom. American Psychologist, 61(7), 611–620. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

45. Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish. Free Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

46. Sherman, N. (1997). Making a necessity of virtue. Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

47. Slemp, G. R., Field, J. G., & Cho, A. S. (2020). Autonomy-supportive school leadership. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

48. Educational Psychology Review, 33, 863–890. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

49. Sockett, H. (2012). Knowledge and virtue in teaching and learning. Routledge. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

50. Srivastava, S., Satsangi, A., & Satsangee, N. (2019). Nominal Group Technique: A tool for consensus building. Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, 10(8), 1128–1132. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

51. Walker, R. (2005). Making sense of education. Routledge. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

52. Waterman, A. S. (2013). The best within us: Positive psychology perspectives on eudaimonia. American Psychological Association. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

53. Wong, A., Kristjánsson, K., & Darnell, C. (2021). Virtue interventions in teacher education. Journal of Moral Education, 50(3), 321–337. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

54. Wong, S., Lau, P., & Lim, S. (2023). Teachers’ flourishing and wellbeing in schools. Teaching and Teacher Education, 120, 103908. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• An Exploration of Stakeholders Perceived Mitigation Measures for Addressing Sanitation Challenges in George Compound in Lusaka Zambia
• Public Participation in Sustainable Development Programs: Examining Public Participation Methods and Levels at Pustaka Negeri Sarawak
• Responding to Climate Change through Livelihood Diversification: Implications of Household Economic Well-Being in Coastal Greater Accra
• Transformation of Muslim Friendly Hospitality: An Overview of Shariah Compliant Tourism Development in Malaysia