A Strategy for the Involvement of Staff members in the Character Development of Students at Bugema Adventist Secondary School, Uganda

Abstract

Staff members at Bugema Adventist Secondary School need to be fully involved in the character development of the students in order to enhance the quality of the social learning experience of the students. In this study the researcher has looked at the importance of character development in the educational experience of students at this stage of their life and how it can be done from the context of the Bible, the writings of Ellen G. White and Developmental Psychologists. On the local ground, the study looked into the reasons for limited staff members’ involvement and how they can get more involved in this aspect of the students’ life. The information from questionnaires that I administered showed that the staff members were aware of the need for their involvement, but they were reluctant to do so because they were not motivated, lacked the time and yet still lacked the skills to do so. Using information from the books read and the responses from the survey and interviews with the staff members, a strategy was designed for the staff involvement in character development of the students. The strategy targeted all of the staff members irrespective of job or position held in the school. The proposed strategy was directed at demystifying and emphasizing the importance of staff involvement in the character development of the students. The study findings show that the most effective way of getting involved in the character development of students is through an integrated approach. There are many opportunities in the school setting that can be used by the staff members to influence the character of students. From this study the most significant influence that staff members can have on their students is the example they show them in all aspects of their formal and informal interaction. Every staff member therefore should be cautious of their behavior so that they do not transmit the wrong message to the students. They also need to be helped to appreciate the strength of every moment they spend with the students out of class as a good opportunity for character development.