This study investigated the moral reasoning of 17 Finnish adolescents (ages 14,15) gifted in science. Students completed tests of their scientific and moral reasoning and wrote essays on moral dilemmas in science and everyday life. On the test of moral reasoning, the students' average score was that of the average 18-year-old. On the test of…

The teacher's role is not one of a supplier of values. Rather it is that of facilitator and clarifier of the valuing process. Philosophical reasoning, disclosure of differences, and moral significance of those differences can be used to further understanding of a moral dilemma. (JN)

A relationship is established in this paper between three increasingly broad curriculum matters: Kohlberg's moral development concept; Sample's and Ornstein's theory of cerebral hemispheresity; and legislator-mandated competency testing. The interplay which must develop between the findings in the fields of cognitive psychology and neuropsychology…

This paper presents a cross-sectional investigation of adolescents' and young adults' reflective epistemological development. Three groups of 8 subjects (4 male and female) ages 10, 14, and 18 were given Piagetian tasks, the Kohlberg moral judgment questionnaire, and an epistemology interview covering such concepts as knowledge, thought, feeling,…

This instructional manual is designed to accompany "Lisa," a philosophy reader for 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students (ED 137 215). The aim of the course is to encourage children to consider and reflect upon their moral values. Concerned with ethics, "Lisa" is an attempt to understand moral conduct. Emphasis is on having the students learn to think…

A review of Piaget's theory and research on children's cognitive development is presented, including a discussion of the psychological structures of intelligence, developmental constructivism, and the evolution of knowledge as a subject-object relation. Piaget's assessment techniques are summarized, including moral development, number…