RAVES Model
We propose the RAVES Model, a research-based approach, which offers educators guidelines to foster moral character while teaching academics. The aim is to help children grow into intelligent and morally agile adults with high moral quotients (MQ) as well as high IQs.
The RAVES model begins with high expectations for ethical behavior alongside achievement. It also is designed to provide high community support for reaching these ends. RAVES stands for Relationships, Apprenticeship, Virtuous models, Ethical skill development and Self-authorship.
More materials here.
MINNESOTA COMMUNITY VOICES AND CHARACTER EDUCATION Project (1998-2002)
Collaborating with the MN Dept of Education, we had $1 million Character Education Partnership grant funds from the US Department of Education to collaborate with school teams and develop a flexible approach to moral character education (“Community Voices and Character Education“). We aimed to help educators incorporate ethical skill development into regular academic instruction. An earlier version of the guidebooks we developed are downloadable for free from a link here: http://cee.nd.edu/curriculum/ and the later versions are purchasable as noted.
In that project we on the university team compiled the set of skills that comprise the skills toolkit for moral character plus the pedagogical approach that works best (novice-to-expert apprenticeship). We identified skills and subskills and organized them by four levels of expertise development. We also made suggestions for supportive climate elements for each skill as well as student self-monitoring. The teams of educators took this information and adapted it for their own circumstances (selecting which skills to work on and which teachers would implement them). This made it hard to evaluate since every school did things differently and we had troubles with pre-post testing during the evaluation year (I had moved to ND) but we got a publication (Narvaez et al., 2004). Reanalyses were done in Narvaez (2012).Go here to download teacher guidebooks and supportive materials from this project.
The Integrative Ethical Education model (IEE), developed after I moved to Notre Dame from the U of MN, put everything into five basic steps
(1) Establish a caring relationship with the learner.
(2) Establish a social climate supportive of ethical character.
(3) Teach the ethical skills (sensitivity, judgment, focus, action) using a novice-to-expert pedagogy.
(4) Foster student self-authorship and self-regulation.
(5) “Restore the village” of community support by forming asset-building communities and coordinated developmental systems.
You can read more about it in publications below.
Published Manuscripts
2024
*Narvaez, D. (2024). Returning to evolved nestedness, wellbeing, and mature human nature, an ecological imperative. Review of General Psychology, 28(2), 83-105. https://doi.org/10.1177/1089268023122403
Narvaez, D. (2024).What happened to species-typical human nature? In L. Sundararajan & A. Dueck (Eds.), Values and Indigenous psychology in the age of the machine and market: When the gods have fled. Palgrave-Macmillan.
2023
Tarsha, M., & Narvaez, D. (2023). The Evolved Nest, oxytocin functioning and prosocial development. Frontiers in Psychology, 14:1113944. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1113944
Devonshire, J.M., & Narvaez, D. (2023). Childhood and adulthood predictors of critical consciousness. Social Justice Review, 36, 160–191.
*Tarsha, M.S., & Narvaez, D. (2023). The developmental neurobiology of moral mindsets: Basic needs and childhood experience.In M. Berg & E. Chang (Eds.), Motivation & morality: A biopsychosocial approach (pp. 187–204). APA Books.
*Narvaez, D. (2023). Wellness-Informed Classrooms with Sustaining Climates Foster Compassionate Morality. In T. Lovat (Ed.), International handbook of values education and student wellbeing, 2nd ed. (pp. 129-146). Routledge.
*Narvaez, D. (2022). Human morality: Love or fear, partnership or domination. Journal of Partnership Studies, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.24926/ijps.v9i2.5014
Narvaez, D. (2022). First friendships: Foundations for peace. Peace Review Special Issue on Friendship, Peace and Social Justice, 34(3), 377-389. https://doi.org/10.1080/10402659.2022.2092398
*Narvaez, D. (2022). Holistic moral education. Journal of Public Value, 4, 1-6. http://www.kapv.kr
*Tarsha, M., & Narvaez, D. (2022). The Evolved Developmental Niche and the neurobiology of spiritual development. In A. Kuusisto (Ed.), The Routledge international handbook of the place of religion in early childhood education (136-148). Routledge.
*Narvaez, D. (2022). The moral education needed today: Decolonizing childhood and reconnecting children. In R. S. Webster, T. Airaksinen, P. Batra, & M. Kozhevnikova (Eds.), Humanizing education in the 3rd millennium (pp. 95-104). Singapore: Springer Nature.
2021
Narvaez, D., Gleason, T., Tarsha, M., Woodbury, R., Cheng, A., Wang, L. (2021). Sociomoral temperament: A mediator between wellbeing and social outcomes in young children. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 5111. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.742199
*Narvaez, D. (2021). Resetting baselines for an earth-centered moral education. In S. Pickard, W. Schweiker, M. Welker, & J. Witte (Eds.), The impact of education (pp. 201-214). Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt.
*Narvaez, D. (2021). The Evolved Nest, virtue and vice. In E. Harcourt (Ed.) Attachment and Character Attachment Theory, Ethics, and the Developmental Psychology of Vice and Virtue (pp. 87-104). London: Oxford University Press.
Narvaez, D., Bock, T., de Souza, L.K., dos Santos Martínez, S.B. (2021). Promoção do Caráter Moral e da Expertise Ética: O Modelo RAVES [Promoting moral character and ethical expertise though the RAVES model]. In Reppold, C. T., & Hutz, C. S. (Eds.), Intervenções em Psicologia Positiva na área da Educação [Positive Psychology Interventions in Education]. São Paulo: Editora Vetor.
*Narvaez, D. (2021).Species-typical phronesis for a living planet. In M. De Caro & M.S. Vaccarezza (Eds.), Practical Wisdom: Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives (pp. 160-180). London: Routledge.
*Narvaez, D. (2021). Neurobiología y formación de mentalidades éticas [Neurobiology and the formation of ethical mindsets]. In R. Alepuz Cintas, C. Ortega Esquembre, M. García-Granero, & C. Sanmartín Catalá (Eds.), Bioética y neuroeducación: Filosofía social y política a partir de Karl-Otto Apel (pp. 280-292). Madrid: Editorial Comares. https://www.marcialpons.es/media/pdf/9788413692012.pdf
*Narvaez, D. (2021). Growing, living and being rightly. In R. Tweedy (Ed.), The divided therapist: Hemispheric difference and contemporary psychotherapy (pp. 228-236). London: Karnac Books.
2020
*Narvaez, D. (2020). Moral education in a time of human ecological devastation. Journal of Moral Education,50(1), 55-67. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2020.1781067
*Narvaez, D. (2020). Ecocentrism: Resetting baselines for virtue development. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 23, 391–406. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10677-020-10091-2
Narvaez, D., & Duckett, L. (2020). Ethics in early life care and lactation practice. Journal of Human Lactation. 36, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890334419888454
- Special Issue editor: Narvaez, D., & Duckett, L. (Eds., 2020). Journal of Human Lactation, 36. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890334419888454
Tarsha, M.S., & Narvaez, D. (2020). Raising Virtuous Children: Children’s basic needs and the evolved nest. In G. Popcak (Ed.), Renewing Catholic Family Life (pp. 235-268). Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.
*Lapsley, D., Reilly, T., & Narvaez, D. (2020). Children’s moral development. In L. A. Jensen (Ed.), Oxford Handbook of Moral Development. New York: Oxford University Press.
Bock, T., Narvaez, D., Singh, R., & Tarsha, M. (2020). Guiding children for virtue. In T. Tsyrlina-Spady & P. Renn (Eds.), Nurture, care, respect, and trust transformative pedagogy inspired by Janusz Korczak (pp. 247-260). Gorham, ME: Myers Education Press.
*Mrkva, K., & Narvaez, D. (2020). Moral psychology and the cultural outgroup. In B. Zizek & H.N. Piepenbring (Eds.), Formen der aneignung des Fremden [Ways of approaching the strange] (pp. 97-112). Heidelberg Germany: Universitatsverlag.
2019
Special Issue editor: Narvaez, D., & Snow, N. (Eds.). (2019). Self, motivation and virtue. Journal of Moral Education (48)1. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2019.1556939
Narvaez, D., Woodbury, R., Gleason, T., Kurth, A., Cheng, A., Wang, L., Deng, L., Gutzwiller-Helfenfinger, E., Christen, M., & Näpflin, C. (2019). Evolved Development Niche provision: Moral socialization, social maladaptation and social thriving in three countries. Sage Open, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019840123
Narvaez, D., Wang, L., Cheng, A., Gleason, T., Woodbury, R., Kurth, A., & Lefever, J.B. (2019). The importance of early life touch for psychosocial and moral development.Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica, 32:16 (open access). doi.org/10.1186/s41155-019-0129-0
Tarsha, M., & Narvaez, D. (2019). Early life experience and aggression. Peace Studies Review, 32)1), 14-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/10402659.2019.1613591
Narvaez, D., & Snow, N. (Eds.). (2019). Self, motivation and virtue: An introduction. Journal of Moral Education, 48(1), 1-6.
Narvaez, D. (2019). Baselines for human morality should include species typicality, inheritances, culture, practice and ecological attachment (Commentary on J. May book, Regard for reason in the moral mind). Brain and Behavioral Sciences, 42, e163. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X18002625
*Reilly, T., & Narvaez, D. (2019). Virtue and the scientific researcher: Morality, wisdom and climate. In C. Deane-Drummond, T. Stapleford & D. Narvaez (Eds.), Practicing science: Virtues, values, and the good life. Pressbooks. Available at https://virtueandthepracticeofscience.pressbooks.com/
*Narvaez, D. (2019). Reclaiming awe for the right things. In C. Deane-Drummond, T. Stapleford, & D. Narvaez (Eds.), Practicing science: Virtues, values, and the good life (pp. 142-149). Notre Dame, IN: Center for Theology, Science and Human Flourishing. Available at https://virtueandthepracticeofscience.pressbooks.com/
*Narvaez, D. (2019). Humility in four forms: Intrapersonal, interpersonal, community, and ecological. In J. Wright (Ed.), Humility (pp. 117-145). In book series, Multidisciplinary perspectives on virtues (N. Snow & D. Narvaez, series eds.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
*Narvaez, D. (2019). Evolution and the parenting ecology of moral development. In D. Laible, L. Padilla-Walker & G. Carlo (Eds.), Oxford handbook of parenting and moral development (pp. 91-106). New York: Oxford University Press.
*Narvaez, D. (2019).Moral development and moral values: Evolutionary and neurobiological influences. In D. P. McAdams, R. L. Shiner, & J. L. Tackett (Eds.), Handbook of personality (pp. 345-363). New York, NY: Guilford.
*Narvaez, D. (2019). Evolution, childhood and the moral self. In R. Gipps & M. Lacewing (Eds.),The Oxford handbook of philosophy and psychoanalysis (pp. 637-659). London: Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198789703.013.39
Narvaez, D., Four Arrows, Halton, E., Collier, B., Enderle, G., & Nozick, R. (2019). People and planet in need of sustainable wisdom. In Narvaez, D., Four Arrows, Halton, E., Collier, B., Enderle, G. (Eds.), Indigenous sustainable wisdom: First Nation knowhow for global flourishing (pp. 1-24). New York: Peter Lang.
Narvaez, D. (2019). Original practices for becoming and being human. In Narvaez, D., Four Arrows, Halton, E., Collier, B., Enderle, G. (Eds.), Indigenous sustainable wisdom: First Nation knowhow for global flourishing (pp. 90-110). New York: Peter Lang.
Reilly, T., & Narvaez, D. (2018). Character, virtue and science: Linking psychological and philosophical views. Philosophy, Theology and the Sciences, 5, 51-79. https://doi.org/10.1628/ptsc-2018-0005
*Narvaez, D. (2018). The neurobiological bases of human moralities: Civilization’s misguided moral development. In C. Harding (Ed.), Dissecting the Superego: Moralities Under the Psychoanalytic Microscope (pp. 60-75). London: Routledge.
*Kurth, A., & Narvaez, D. (2018). The evolved developmental niche and children’s developing morality. In J. Delafield-Butt, A-W. Dunlop & C. Trevarthen (Eds.),The Child’s Curriculum: Working with the natural values of young children (pp. 104-125). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
*Narvaez, D. (2018). The developmental niche for peace. In P. Verbeek & B. Peters (Eds.),Peace ethology, behavioral processes and systems of peace (pp. 95-112). Oxford, England: Wiley-Blackwell.
*Narvaez, D. (2018). Ethogenesis: Evolution, early experience and moral becoming. In J. Graham & K. Gray (Eds.), The Atlas of Moral Psychology (pp. 451-464). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Kurth, A., & Narvaez, D. (2018). Basic needs satisfaction and its relation to socio-morality capacities and behavior. In D. Narvaez (Ed.), Basic needs, wellbeing and morality: Fulfilling human potential (pp. 91-133). New York: Palgrave-MacMillan.
2017
Christen, M., Narvaez, D., & Gutzwiller, E. (2017). Comparing and integrating biological and cultural moral progress. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 20: 55. doi:10.1007/s10677-016-9773-y
*Narvaez, D. (2017). The ontogenesis of human moral becoming. In A. Fuentes & A. Visala (Eds.), Verbs, bones and brains: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Human Nature (pp. 114-121). Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.
*Narvaez, D. (2017). Are we losing it? Darwin’s moral sense and the importance of early experience. In. R. Joyce (Ed.), Routledge Handbook of Evolution and Philosophy (pp. 322-332). London: Routledge.
*Narvaez, D. (2017). Educación ética integrativa: los componentes del conocimiento experto, la comunidad y las virtudes [Integrative Ethical Education: The components of expert knowledge, community and virtue]. In B. Garcia Cabrero & J. B. Barba Casillas (Eds.), Construcción de la educación ciudadana: Miradas contemporáneas y retos futuros [Constructing citizenship education: Contemporary views and future challenges] (pp. 209-222). Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Mexico.
*Junkins, T., & Narvaez, D. (2017). The development of virtuous habits. In G. Peterson & J. van Slyke (Ed.), Habits in Mind: Integrating theology, philosophy, and the cognitive science of virtue, emotion, and character formation (pp. 91-116) Leiden: Brill Publishing.
2016
Narvaez, D., Wang, L, & Cheng, A. (2016). Evolved Developmental Niche History: Relation to adult psychopathology and morality. Applied Developmental Science, 20(4), 294-309. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2015.1128835
Christen, M., Tanner, C., Narvaez, D., & Ott, T. (2016). Using thesauruses as heuristics for mapping values. Cognitive Systems Research, 40, 59–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cogsys.2016.02.003
Balakrishnan, V., & Narvaez, D. (2016). A reconceptualization of Vygotsky’s ZPD into ZCD in teaching moral education in secondary schools using real-life dilemmas. Cogent Education, 3(1), 1142925. http://cogentoa.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2331186X.2016.1142925
*Narvaez, D. (2016). Revitalizing human virtue by restoring organic morality (Kohlberg Memorial Lecture 2015). Journal of Moral Education, 45(3), 223-238. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03057240.2016.1167029
Narvaez, D. (2016). Reply: Returning to humanity’s moral heritages. Journal of Moral Education, 45(3), 256-260. http://dx.doi.org.proxy.library.nd.edu/10.1080/03057240.2016.1167030
*Narvaez, D. (2016). Goodness, survival and flourishing. Philosophical News, 12, 56-64.
*Narvaez, D. (2016). Baselines for virtue. In J. Annas, D. Narvaez, & N. Snow (Eds.), Developing the virtues: Integrating perspectives (pp. 14-33). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Gleason, T., Narvaez, D., Cheng, A., Wang, L., & Brooks, J. (2016). Wellbeing and sociomoral development in preschoolers: The role of maternal parenting attitudes consistent with the Evolved Developmental Niche. In D. Narvaez, J. Braungart-Rieker, L. Miller, L. Gettler, & P. Hastings (Eds.), Contexts for young child flourishing: Evolution, family and society (166-184). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Narvaez, D., & Hardy, S. (2016). Measuring triune ethics orientations. In D. Narvaez, Embodied morality: Protectionism, engagement and imagination (pp. 47-72). New York, NY: Palgrave-Macmillan.
Narvaez, D., Gleason, T., Lefever, J.B., Wang, L., & Cheng, A. (2016). Early experience and ethical orientation. In D. Narvaez, Embodied morality: Protectionism, engagement and imagination (pp. 73-98). New York, NY: Palgrave-Macmillan.
Narvaez, D., Thiel, A., Kurth, A., & Renfus, K. (2016). Past moral action and ethical orientation. In D. Narvaez, Embodied morality: Protectionism, engagement and imagination (pp. 99-118). New York, NY: Palgrave-Macmillan.
Narvaez, D. (2016). Broadening the scope of moral developmental theory. In D. Narvaez, Embodied morality: Protectionism, engagement and imagination (pp. 47-72). New York, NY: Palgrave-Macmillan.
Narvaez, D. (2016). Triune Ethics Meta-Theory and embodied moral development. In D. Narvaez, Embodied morality: Protectionism, engagement and imagination (pp. 47-72). New York, NY: Palgrave-Macmillan.
2015
Narvaez, D. (2015). Editorial: Torture, evil and moral development. Journal of Moral Education, 44(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2015.1012834
Narvaez, D. (2015). Understanding flourishing: Evolutionary baselines and morality. Journal of Moral Education, 44(3), 253-262. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2015.1054619
*Narvaez, D. (2015). The neurobiology of moral sensitivity: Evolution, epigenetics and early experience. In D. Mowrer & P. Vandenberg (Eds.), The art of morality: Developing moral sensitivity across the curriculum (pp. 19-42). New York, NY: Routledge.
*Narvaez, D. (2015). The co-construction of virtue: Epigenetics, neurobiology and development. In N. E. Snow (Ed.), Cultivating Virtue (pp. 251-277). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
2014
Narvaez, D., & Bock, T. (2014). Developing ethical expertise and moral personalities. In L. Nucci & D. Narvaez (Eds.), Handbook of Moral and Character Education (2nd ed.) (pp. 140-158). New York, NY: Routledge.
2012
Narvaez, D. (2012). Moral neuroeducation from early life through the lifespan. Neuroethics, 5(2), 145-157. doi:10.1007/s12152-011-9117-5
2010
Narvaez, D. (2010). Building a sustaining classroom climate for purposeful ethical citizenship. In T. Lovat and R. Toomey (Eds.), International Research Handbook of Values Education and Student Wellbeing (pp. 659-674) New York: Springer Publishing Co.
Narvaez, D. (2010). Moral complexity: The fatal attraction of truthiness and the importance of mature moral functioning. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5(2), 163-181.
2009
Narvaez, D., & Endicott, L. (2009). Nurturing character in the classroom, EthEx Series, Book 1: Ethical Sensitivity. Notre Dame, IN: ACE Press.
Narvaez, D. & Bock, T. (2009). Nurturing character in the classroom, EthEx Series, Book 2: Ethical Judgment. Notre Dame, IN: ACE Press.
Narvaez, D. & Lies, J. (2009). Nurturing character in the classroom, EthEx Series, Book 3: Ethical Motivation. Notre Dame, IN: ACE Press.
Narvaez, D. (2009). Nurturing character in the classroom, EthEx Series, Book 4: Ethical Action. Notre Dame, IN: ACE Press.
Narvaez, D., Kmehlkov, V., Vaydich, J., & Turner, J. (2009). Measuring teacher moral self efficacy. Journal of Research in Character Education, 6(2), 3-16.
2008
Narvaez, D. & Lapsley, D. K. (2008). Teaching moral character: Two alternatives for teacher educators. Teacher Educator, 43(2), 156-172.
Power, F. C., Nuzzi, R. J., Narvaez, D., Lapsley, D. K., & Hunt, T. C. (Eds.). (2008). Moral education: A handbook (Vols. 1-2). Westport, CT: Praeger
Nucci, L. P., & Narvaez, D. (Eds.) (2008). Handbook of Moral and Character Education. New York: Routledge.
Narvaez, D. (2008). Human flourishing and moral development: cognitive science and neurobiological perspectives on virtue development. In L. Nucci & D. Narvaez (Eds.), Handbook of Moral and Character Education (pp. 310-327). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
2007
Narvaez, D. (2007). How cognitive and neurobiological sciences inform values education for creatures like us. In D. Aspin & J. Chapman (Eds.), Values Education and Lifelong Learning: Philosophy, Policy, Practices (pp. 127-159). Springer Press International.
2006
Lapsley, D. K. & Narvaez, D. (2006). Character Education. In Vol. 4 (A. Renninger & I. Siegel, volume eds.), Handbook of Child Psychology (W. Damon & R. Lerner, Series Eds.) (pp. 248-296). New York: Wiley.
Narvaez, D. (2006). Integrative Ethical Education. In M. Killen & J. Smetana (Eds.), Handbook of Moral Development (pp. 703-733). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
2005
Ziemba, C., Yep, G., Westerink, D.. Power, A., & Narvaez, D. (2005). Character in Community: A homeroom curriculum. Notre Dame, IN: Notre Dame Center for Ethical Education.
2004
Narvaez, D. (2004). Educación y desarollo moral [Moral education and development]. Republicana, 2, 39-50.
Anderson, C., Narvaez, D., Bock, T., Endicott, L., & Lies, J. (2004). Minnesota Community Voices and Character Education: Final Report and Evaluation. Roseville, MN: Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning.
Narvaez, D., Bock, T., Endicott, L., & Lies, J. (2004). Minnesota’s Community Voices and Character Education Project. Journal of Research in Character Education, 2, 89-112.
2003
Narvaez, D., Herbst, R., Hagele, S. & Gomberg, A. (2003). Nurturing peaceful character. Journal of Research in Education, 13, 41-50.
Narvaez, D., Bock, T., & Endicott, L. (2003). Who should I become? Citizenship, Goodness, Human Flourishing, and Ethical Expertise. In W. Veugelers & F. K. Oser (Eds.), Teaching in Moral and Democratic Education (pp. 43-63). Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang Publishers.
2002
Narvaez, D. (July/August 2002). The expertise of moral character. Education Matters, VIII (6), 1, 6.
2001
Narvaez, D., & Endicott, L., with Bock, T., & Mitchell, C. (2001). Nurturing character in the middle school classroom: Ethical Sensitivity. St. Paul: MN Department of Children, Families & Learning. Free download
Narvaez, D. & Bock, T., with Endicott, L., & Mitchell, C. (2001). Nurturing character in the middle school classroom: Ethical Judgment. St. Paul: Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning. Free download
Narvaez, D. & Lies, J. with Endicott, L., Bock, T., & Mitchell, C. (2001). Nurturing character in the middle school classroom: Ethical Motivation. St. Paul: Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning. Free download
Narvaez, D. with Endicott, L., Bock, T., & Mitchell, C. (2001). Nurturing character in the middle school classroom: Ethical Action. St. Paul: Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning. Free download
1999 Bebeau, M., Rest, J. R. & Narvaez, D. (1999). Beyond the promise: A framework for research in moral education. Educational Researcher, 28 (4), 18-26.
Whitehouse Presentation
