An integrative head–heart–hands model of moral education: evidence from Chinese higher education

Introduction: Traditional moral education often treats cognition, affect, and behavior as separate targets, limiting integration of knowing, feeling, and doing. This study examines a head-heart-hands (3H) moral education model and its implementation in a mandatory Chinese university course. Methods: We conducted a 19-week 3H-informed intervention in three parallel classes (total enrolment = 175) of an "Ideology, Morality and Rule of Law" course. The design was an action-research-informed qualitative case study. Data included classroom observations, student reflective journals, and semi-structured interviews with 12 focal students. Results: Thematic analysis found that students reported deeper contextualized moral reasoning and critical reflection (Head), stronger value-related resonance and empathy (Heart), and more sustained engagement in action-oriented practices (Hands). Across the semester, reasoning, affect, and action appeared to form a dynamic, recursive cycle of moral growth. Discussion: These exploratory findings suggest that aligning instructional activities with head, heart, and hands can support integrated moral learning. We discuss implications and boundary conditions for applying the 3H model in compulsory university moral education.