Developing a Moral Education Parenting Package for Mothers of Elementary School Children

Abstract

Moral development is one of the most important dimensions of children’s psychological and social growth and plays a fundamental role in shaping responsible, empathetic, and socially adaptive behaviors. Considering the central role of parents, especially mothers, in transmitting moral values and forming children’s moral identity, the present study aimed to develop a moral education parenting package for mothers of elementary school children. This research was conducted in two consecutive studies. In the first study, a qualitative approach using the conventional content analysis method of Hsieh and Shannon (2005) was employed to extract the components of moral education. The research population consisted of texts related to children’s moral development published between 2016 and 2026, from which 15 texts were purposefully selected based on saturation principles. Data were collected through line-by-line analysis and coding of the selected texts. In the second study, based on the method proposed by Yousefi and Golparvar (2023), an eight-session parenting training package was developed. The objectives, contents, assignments, and intervention strategies of each session were designed according to APA guidelines. Content validity was assessed by eight specialists in educational psychology and parenting counseling. The findings of the content analysis revealed four major concepts, including causes of moral development, the nature of morality, methods of moral education, and mechanisms for achieving morality. These concepts were categorized into 12 subcategories and 65 initial codes. Causes of moral development included having morally oriented parents and growing up in a morality-centered society. The nature of morality included inclination toward goodness and righteousness, the ability to maintain balance, and avoidance of evil and wrongdoing. Moral education methods consisted of behavioral, cognitive, dialectical, and mentalization-based approaches. Mechanisms for achieving morality included emotion regulation, moral attachment, empathy, reflective functioning, and self-regulation. Based on these findings, the educational package was designed around three primary goals: fostering empathy, enhancing personal and social responsibility, and reducing barriers to moral development. Content validity findings indicated a high inter-rater agreement coefficient of 0.98, confirming the satisfactory content validity of the package. The findings demonstrated that children’s moral education requires a multidimensional approach integrating familial, social, cognitive, and emotional factors. The developed package, emphasizing empathy, responsibility, emotion regulation, and reflective functioning, provides a practical framework for educating parents to raise morally competent children. Furthermore, the strong content validity of the package suggests its readiness for future studies examining its implementation effectiveness.