The Investigation and Assessment of Philosophical Background and Instructional Methods of Four Contemporary Ethical Training Approaches

In this inquiry, among various current philosophical–based approaches and instructional methods, four of them, including value clarification, character education, cognitive development and religious trends, considering Islam, by using qualitative research methodology and content analysis techniques have been investigated. Character Education approach has origin in ethical belief of virtue – oriented philosophers and is based on methods of habit formation as presenting ethical stories, biographies and exhibiting film: Exactly, because of this reason, this approach is accused of using syncretic methods. Value clarification approach has root in positivistic, analytical, phenomenological, existential and pragmatic views. It benefits from group discussion methods with focus on moral selection by learners and holding the teacher's impartiality. Recommending neutrality and relativism is the essential weakness of this view. Cognitive development approach led by Piaget and Kohlberg has Kantian background and, by planning ethical riddles, it begins moral training. This approach has been criticized because of ignoring ethical behaviors and emphasizing on logic and ethical judgment so much. But Islamic ethical training approach originated from Islamic world –Perspective is the most comprehensive one in the inquiry. It removes all the weaknesses of the other approaches by modeling illustrating and narrating.