Dewey grounds morality in everyday problems, making administrative practice chiefly an ethical undertaking resolved by reflective appraisal of competing values¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · theoretical r3 · q1
Currency · newest study 1992 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person
Evidence quality · No study behind this claim is a peer-reviewed article with a DOI: it rests on an ERIC document (a report, conference paper or thesis). It is kept because 2 design pages cite it; treat it as a lead to check, not an established finding.

Subclaims¶

q1 i? Dewey holds that separating morals from the common problems of living creates social ills, and that administrative practice is chiefly a matter of reflective appraisal of the values served by decision options. → Willower 1992

Evidence¶

Willower 1992¶

Willower, Donald J. (1992). Dewey's Theory of Inquiry and Reflective Administration. Paper presented at the annual convention of the University Council for Educational Administration, Minneapolis. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED355669

q1 · i? · theoretical · r3

Theoretical exposition of Dewey's naturalistic, empirical ethics as presented in the paper. The paper states that the location of morality in everyday life means that what students of educational administration call practice is chiefly an ethical undertaking, a matter of reflective appraisal of values served by decision options. The article offers a philosophical argument, not empirical data.

"Indeed, the separation of morals from the common problems of living in favor of an abstract creed or ritual creates social ills."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• The limited empirical literature on administrative decisionmaking supports the utility of reflective procedures — related
• Reflective methods must be internalized as habit to operate in everyday moral choice, and internalization depends on supportive social arrangements — related
• For Dewey, moral knowledge is a product of moral inquiry, so character education should add moral problem solving rather than teach fixed principles through example, reward, or punishment — related
• Dewey rejects Kohlberg's fixed stage hierarchy: moral inquiry happens only in problematic situations where no single action seems morally justified, and must be repeated as concrete situations arise — related
• Character education is criticized for didacticism and de-emphasizing reflection and moral judgment, and Dewey's deliberation is proposed as a bridge between it and Kohlberg's approach — related
• A meta-analysis of 55 studies found Kohlberg's dilemma discussion approach had a moderate to significant effect on moral education, and Just Community Schools provided a moral culture — related
• Dewey holds that virtues cannot be given fixed meanings because they express interests in changing objects and institutions, so virtues should be taught in relation to specific situations — related