EZEQUIEL DELGADO MARTÍN PhD: Inaugural Doctoral Lecture: ‘Rediscovering the Aim of Education: Leading Flourishing through Character Education’.

Activity: Organising a conference or workshopResearch

Description

Global education is experiencing a loss of meaning regarding its true purpose: it has become technical and productivity-driven, viewing students as means rather than ends in themselves, neglecting their most human dimension. At the same time, adolescents are showing increasing emotional fragility, lack of purpose, and social disconnection. These trends reflect a cultural shift from formative ideals to utilitarian models. Character Education offers an alternative and renewing framework: it distinguishes between temperament and character, clarifies the role of virtues, values, and attitudes, and promotes a holistic vision of human development. Educational institutions and research programs advocate for replacing the performance-based paradigm with one of flourishing—embracing all dimensions of the person and all educational experiences, even the adverse ones. Challenging moments, such as the pandemic, have shown that growth is possible in the midst of adversity. A character-focused education can help students face such difficulties with meaning, cultivating a growth mindset that transforms challenges into opportunities for personal development.

Ezequiel Delgado Martín PhD, MA(Ed) completed his PhD in Education (University of Northampton). He worked in research collaboration at Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the UNIR Character Project. Dr Delgado Martín holds master’s degrees in emotional and character education and has twelve years of teaching experience in middle school.

Dr Martín completed his PhD under the supervision of AP Dr Cristina Devecchi and Dr Emel Thomas.
Period4 Jun 2025
Event typeOther
LocationNorthampton, United KingdomShow on map
Degree of RecognitionInternational

Keywords

  • Educational Research
  • Character Education
  • Curriculum
  • Pedagogy