A long-awaited article on the Human Dignity Curriculum has been published in the Journal of Character Education. Written by Mark B. Pacheco, Jared C. McKee, and Yi Lai of the University of Florida, the paper examines how elementary and middle school students perceived human dignity after participating in the HDC.
The study is an analysis of 55 interviews with upper elementary and middle grade students (grades 5-8, ages 11-14) in two schools in the US and Canada. One school was a rural, public school, where 70% of its students are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The other school was a private, Catholic K-8 institution in an urban district.
Researchers chose students in grades 5-8 for this study because very little research has been done on how children in this age group view human dignity. And yet, the elementary and middle school years are crucial formative years for forming a worldview and a set of values. This highlights the importance of incorporating human dignity education in schools.
Students at both schools participated in the Human Dignity Curriculum for approximately 1-2 hours per week over 12 weeks. They learned about topics such as the intrinsic value of each person; identifying what it means to treat a person as a subject rather than an object; understanding human abilities to think and choose, and the role of friendship in relation to human excellence.
Then, participants were interviewed by researchers. In these interviews, students were asked to (1) describe aspects of their learning from the HDC, (2) reflect on applications from this learning to their everyday experiences, and (3) describe understandings of human dignity through human dignity education in schools.
The researchers were interested in two big questions:
- From the perspective of students, what is human dignity?
- How do their perspectives on human dignity shape their experiences, if at all?
As the authors put it, “We emphasize that our study is not meant to measure what they learned, but how they articulated their perspectives on and experiences with human dignity.”
What Is Human Dignity?
The interviews found that by the end of the course, HDC students had a shared vocabulary that they could use to articulate what human dignity is. The most common terms participants used to describe talking about human dignity were: universal; inherent, and irrevocable; differentiating and valuable.
“Universal” was the quality mentioned most by students, at 64%. The authors note: “Students illustrated this universal quality through describing (1) dignity as something shared equally by all people, and that (2) dignity is universally shared regardless of a person’s actions or moral status.
For instance, a seventh-grade student named Thomas declared that human dignity is “equal with every other person,” and that “no matter how people look, they still have dignity.”
Another student said, “everyone has feelings and everyone has dignity,” so she is careful not to “hurt other people’s feelings.”
29% of participants also described human dignity as something an individual is born with that cannot be given or revoked—in other words, irrevocable.
One 8th grade student described how she used this concept to talk to her sister, who was being bullied in school: “She used to have a rough time at school with people bullying, so, it’s nice to let her know no one can take away who she is, no matter what people say, you’re still going to be you.”
Finally, 16% of students mentioned human dignity as a valuable asset unique to human beings
Nico, an 8th grader, elaborated on this point, saying, “Animals don’t have the same dignity that we have. They can’t have thinking and stuff like that, but we can.” A student named Lily described how her human dignity is connected to her power to think and choose, and that this power makes humans different from animals.
How Does the Concept of Human Dignity Shape Students’ Lives?
Learning about human dignity was much more than a theoretical exercise. The course changed students’ attitudes about themselves and others, as well as their actions at school and at home as a result of human dignity education in schools.
Learning about human dignity helped boost kids’ self-confidence and encouraged them to self-regulate their behaviors and emotions.
David, a fifth-grade student, told interviewers: “My sister or anyone would call me a mean name, I’d probably just call them back. Yeah, instead I just stay calm and usually just keep my mouth shut and don’t get mad at them.”
Benjamin said: “If they say something they like doing, I always listen and do it. I always am interested in what they’re talking about. If I don’t like it, I just don’t say anything. I just keep my mouth shut. And then I just feel I’m respectful to them and I respect what they enjoy.”
The HDC inspired participants to look outside of themselves and recognize that each person is unique and unrepeatable, with a value that does not depend on achievements or abilities.
Sandra, a seventh grader, explained what she would tell a sibling about human dignity: “Probably just how everyone has human dignity and it’s important to treat everyone the same, even if you don‘t like someone as much.” When asked why, she responded:
“So that they know that the other person has feelings too, and they know that if you hurt their feelings, they’re going to feel bad about it, and they might do the same to someone else.”
In his interview, Jack (6th grade) said: “Because I used to struggle with taking accountability for my core actions that I made, and now actions that I make that are bad, I can still take accountability now, and I’ve changed. So it just helps me see a different part of me that I didn’t think I would see. I see other people from a different point of view because I used to judge them by how they act, and now I don’t judge because you don’t know what they’re going through.”
Takeaways
In conclusion, the researchers noted that thanks to the HDC, “[Students] were able to articulate nuanced ideas about human dignity and were able to describe ways in which this concept informed their everyday lives.”
Not only did students understand what human dignity meant, but they were empowered to make positive changes in their own lives. They gained new levels of confidence and became more aware of the needs of others. They were equipped to choose the good, act with intentionality, and live in solidarity.
Personal identity means understanding who we are, reflecting on the purpose of our lives, and the qualities that shape our character. Yet in many places, this formation is neglected, leaving young people unsure of their worth and purpose.
That’s why the implications of this study are so important—and the results so hopeful.
As the authors put it:
“With the challenges that students face in the 21st century—from navigating peer culture to navigating social media—understanding human dignity can be a powerful resource for mediating students’ sense of identity, as well as their understandings of the communities in which they interact.” Thus, human dignity education in schools plays a vital role.
