Students’ Perceptions on the Integration of Moral Education into a Content-Based English Drama Course

Abstract

This mixed-methods study investigated students’ perceptions regarding the integration of moral education into a content-based English drama course in a Chinese higher education context. Anchored in the theoretical frameworks of Social Constructivism (Vygotsky, 1978) and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL; Coyle, 2005; Meyer, 2013), the research employed a concurrent triangulation design combining quantitative survey data (N = 168) and qualitative semi-structured interviews (N = 28). Quantitative results revealed predominantly positive perceptions across three key dimensions: the effectiveness of after-class discussions in connecting moral lessons to dramatic texts (M = 4.02, SD = 0.72), the enhancement of moral understanding (M = 4.11, SD = 0.68), and the influence of the course on students’ personal worldviews (M = 4.10, SD = 0.65), with all mean scores exceeding 4.0 on a 5-point Likert scale. Qualitative analysis, conducted through grounded theory methodology (Strauss & Corbin, 1998), identified three principal themes: Moral-Cognitive Development, Social-Interactive Learning, and Linguistic-Cultural Mediation. A consistent positive response differential of 12-17% favoring higher-proficiency students was observed, though chi-square analyses revealed no statistically significant differences across proficiency levels (p > .05). The findings demonstrate that the deliberate integration of moral education through a CLIL approach, underpinned by social constructivist principles, constitutes an effective pedagogical paradigm that fosters both linguistic proficiency and ethical development, nurturing critically reflective and interculturally competent learners.