Defends domain theory approach to children's moral development based on limitations of Piaget's original theory. Argues that Fowler's characterization of domain theory research omits important features and studies. Maintains that distinctions between morality and convention cannot be reduced to differences in perceptible harm and punishment; it is…

This paper describes guiding principles of educational reform founded upon character education. The signatories of the declaration recognize the following precepts for character education: (1) Education in its fullest sense is inescapably a moral enterprise; (2) We strongly affirm parents as the primary moral educators of their children and…

Presents early findings of an ongoing project to learn preschool and kindergarten children's understanding and expression of spirituality. Categorizes children's responses and discusses them in the context of theories that spirituality may be an innate feature of human consciousness. (JPB)

This practical book deals with the emotional and moral dimensions of school leadership. The author sets out the intra-personal and interpersonal attributes, attitudes and behaviours necessary to develop emotional and moral leadership within the school community. The book provides a range of person-centred strategies for building communities of…

The life of British feminist and pacifist Vera Brittain demonstrates that an attempt to understand the relationship between personal experience and political activities should take account of the following: (1) the centrality of political values in an individual's identity; (2) the individual's life stage and life history; and (3) the individual's…

Domain theorists' findings in Piaget's work in children's moral development do not contradict Piaget because they are predicted by objective responsibility; research has not established that children distinguish between moral and conventional events. Claims that Piaget underestimated early morality are based on research that neglects children's…

The introductory chapter clarifies key terms and lays the background for different theories of moral development. Chapter 2 surveys competing models from various schools of thought on the initial origins of morality in childhood. The works discussed include those of Freud, Jung and Piaget. Chapter 3 includes: Erik H. Erikson's sociocultural…

The relation of moral reasoning to moral behavior has been the subject of a substantial number of empirical studies; it may be more productive to employ a configuration of characteristics to predict moral behavior. To investigate the relation of moral reasoning and personality variables to moral behavior, 74 undergraduates, 30 males and 44…

Offers a trenchant critique of Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg, both of whom claimed to identify stages in moral development that are "universal, culturally invariant, and nonregressive." Explains some inadequacies in these theories, which have become so influential in education, and offers suggestions for further investigation. (MJP)

Investigated how children's decisions about allocating money to story characters were affected by the relationship (friends versus strangers) among the characters. Children's rationales for their decisions showed that equality was the most salient principle for decisions at all ages and that older children provided rationales based on benevolence…

This paper discusses an expanded definition of the concept of emotional giftedness in children as defined by Annemarie Roeper. In contrast to examples of academic and artistic prodigies, cases are reviewed that illustrate less tangibly measured examples of children's giftedness, such as expressions of compassion, moral sensitivity, positive…

As violence within American communities has become an increasingly common problem, the developmental and psychological consequences of exposure to community violence have become issues of import. Conditions of pervasive violence have deleterious effects on the development of moral reasoning, as they offer limited environmental opportunities for…

Reports on the results of 2 studies that use a non-Kohlbergian approach to categorizing justifications for moral judgments by Australian subjects from 7 to 15 and from 7 to 21 years. These studies support the view that moral reasoning up to late adolescence is largely a product of socialization. (KO)

The research described in this paper is from the fifth year of a 6-year longitudinal study investigating psychosocial and demographic factors associated with a wide range of behaviors among adolescents. The present analyses investigate the relationship between students' participation in extracurricular activities (athletic teams, musical groups,…

This study investigates characteristics of juvenile delinquency and youth violence by examining attachment and social problem skills. Attachment theory integrates features of psychoanalytic theory, ethology, and cognitive psychology. Research on adolescent attachment suggests that parents continue to function as a secure base for their teenage…