Promotion of Character Education through the CAS of the International Baccalaureate

Abstract

This article analyzes the CAS component (Creativity, Activity and Service) of the International Baccalaureate, and its relationship with Character Education. The CAS promotes character strengths raised in different Character Education programs. However, these relationships between CAS and character have not been explicitly identified in the existing literature. In order to find the types of Character Education that are worked on in the CAS, this work presents a systematic review of the literature (SLR) following the PRISMA method. 99 works were found, of which 17 were finally included in the analysis, after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Different typologies of Character Education are reflected in all of them. Character Education is immersed in the CAS program in various ways, such as Life Skills Education, Service-Learning or Moral Education, among others. Therefore, there is a difficulty in the literature to define character and Character Education, since it is an elastic and controversial concept or, as some authors point out, an umbrella concept.