Cardinal Virtues in Practice: A Mixed-Method Study Grounded in Virtue Ethics and Montessori’s Theory of Normalization

Abstract

This mixed-method study explores how the cardinal virtues—prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance—are expressed, perceived, and interpreted within Montessori elementary classrooms ( ages 6–12). The Montessori method emphasizes independence, self-directed activity, and learning through carefully prepared environments. The cardinal virtues are classical moral qualities central to virtue ethics and foundational to human flourishing. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design integrated classroom observations, student surveys, and teacher interviews to address three research questions concerning student behaviors, student perceptions, and teacher interpretations of the virtues. Observations identified demonstrated behaviors, narratives, and artifacts that suggest prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. Survey findings indicated students perceived themselves as possessing moderate to high levels of the virtues, particularly justice. Interviews revealed how Montessori guides interpret and support students’ virtue development within the Prepared Environment. The findings suggest that two primary elements of the Montessori pedagogy, the roles of the Prepared Environment and that of the Montessori guide (teacher) together serve as a promising model for supporting moral development and point to the continued relevance of classical virtue theory in contemporary educational contexts.