The Role of Teacher in Character Education for Middle School Students in the State of Kuwait from the teachers’ Point of View

Abstract

The study aimed to explore the role of teachers in character education for middle school students in Kuwait from the perspective of teachers. It also sought to identify differences in the average responses of the study sample regarding the teacher's role in character education based on variables (sex and years of experience), relying on the descriptive methodology, and to achieve the objectives of the study a questionnaire was applied. It consisted of the initial data of the participants, and the four axes of the study (teacher’s role in teaching character education, teacher’s role as a role model, challenges facing character education, and proposals to improve character education) within (54) statements. The original study population consisted of (7097) middle school teachers in the Ahmadi educational area in Kuwait, and an intentional sample of (171) male and female teachers was withdrawn representing (2.41%) of the original community. The results indicated that the role of teachers in character education for middle school students in Kuwait, as perceived by the teachers, came to a large degree in both the first and second axes, while it came to a very large degree in both the third and fourth axes. Additionally, the findings revealed no statistically significant differences at the 0.05 level in the average scores of the sample attributable to gender, while differences were observed among groups based on years of experience. The study suggested promoting the concept of character education in schools through various curricular and extracurricular activities for students. It also emphasized the necessity of integrating character education into the curriculum, as it aligns with the teachings of Islam and contributes to the development of balanced personalities grounded in values and ethics. Furthermore, the study called for organizing educational workshops and training programs for teachers on how to foster character education and interact effectively with students, given that teachers serve as role models.