Dr Emily presented at the Educating for Hope Research Symposium on 4 May, 2026. She presented a review of Virtue-based pedagogy and the findings of the Puberty Program Pilot Study that Virtue Community undertook in partnership with the Sheridan Institute of Higher Education in 2025.
Abstract: A Case Study of Virtues-Based Education in a Christian School
High-quality education plays a critical role in the formation of young people as it shapes attitudes, beliefs, and capabilities in ways that influence their long-term wellbeing and engagement in the world. Within Christian schooling, this formative mandate is understood through the Christian worldview in which education functions as a practice of spiritual and moral formation, orienting students toward wisdom and faithful living. In this context, virtues-based education provides an intentional framework for cultivating spiritual growth alongside academic learning.
This presentation shares the experiences of a Christian teacher delivering a virtues-based program in a Christian school in Western Australia. Using an exploratory case study design, the research draws from multiple sources of qualitative evidence including a reflective journal and semi-structured interviews, documenting a teacher’s evolving practice as she integrated Christian virtues into her instructional approach. The findings uncover the ways in which a virtues-based pedagogy supported the teacher to engage thoughtfully with her students to teach sensitive curriculum topics with confidence and integrity.
These findings are significant as they have broad implications for Christian Education, the teaching of virtues, character education and formation. Notably, findings suggest that the teacher reported increased confidence and feeling more comfortable teaching content that she previously described as daunting. This teacher’s experience resonates with existing literature where Christian teachers have expressed uncertainty as to what to say in class and have called for further guidance to teach important life lessons from a Christian worldview. This study raises an important challenge: how might research and professional learning continue to support Christian teachers to cultivate wisdom, discernment and faith in our young people.
