Teachers’ and Parents’ Perspectives on Character Education in Poland

Abstract

Character education, rooted in neo-Aristotelian virtue ethics, is increasingly recognized as a vital component of holistic student development. This study investigates the attitudes, priorities, and mutual perceptions of parents (n = 162) and teachers (n = 138) in the Polish educational context. Utilizing a quantitative cross-sectional design as part of the European TEPACE project, this paper examines the outlook on specific virtues and the perceived tension between character formation and academic achievements. The findings reveal a clear consensus, with over 95% of both respondent groups endorsing the importance of character education in schools. Notably, when asked to prioritize between values, a majority of parents (58%) and teachers (62%) favoured cultivating good character over academic attainment. However, the study confirms the existence of a significant ‘misperception gap’: teachers predominantly believe that parents prioritize grades, whereas parents perceive teachers as primarily focused on exam results. This communication barrier suggests that the main obstacle to effective character education in Poland is not a lack of shared values, but a systemic failure in parent-teacher dialogue. Regarding implementation, teachers demonstrate a strong preference for a whole-school approach–embedding character development within the school ethos and across the curriculum–rather than as a standalone subject. The study also highlights a deficit in professional readiness, with over half of the surveyed teachers reporting no specific training in character education since their initial teacher education. These results underscore the urgent need for systemic teacher training and the creation of dedicated spaces for value-based communication. Such actions are essential for translating the theoretical assumptions of the National Curriculum’s preamble’ into actual, well-organised character formation within the Polish schooling system.