Children encounter moral norms in several different social contexts. Often it is in hierarchically structured interactions with parents or other adults, but sometimes it is in more symmetrically structured interactions with peers. Our question was whether children's discussions of moral norms differ in these two contexts. Consequently, we had 4-…

Researchers have recently argued that utilitarianism is the appropriate framework by which to evaluate moral judgment, and that individuals who endorse non-utilitarian solutions to moral dilemmas (involving active vs. passive harm) are committing an error. We report a study in which participants responded to a battery of personality assessments…

Do moral judgments hinge on the time available to render them? According to a recent dual-process model of moral judgment, moral dilemmas that engage emotional processes are likely to result in fast deontological gut reactions. In contrast, consequentialist responses that tot up lives saved and lost in response to such dilemmas would require…

The assumptions of Kohlberg, Turiel and Shweder regarding the features of moral reasoning were compared empirically. The moral reasoning of Finnish Evangelical Lutheran, Conservative Laestadian and non-religious adolescents was studied using Kohlberg's Moral Judgment Interview and Turiel Rule Transgression Interview methods. Religiosity and choice…

This research investigated levels of moral judgment among public elementary school principals as measured by the Defining Issues Test Version 2 for occupationally relevant and other moral dilemmas. The participants scored lower (38.7) than the predicted average P score (postconventional thinking) for individuals who have attained graduate level…

Children's increasing use of intentions and motives and decreasing use of outcomes to morally evaluate action are perhaps the most researched phenomena in moral cognition. However, relatively little is known about the acquisition of the ability to make moral evaluations and the processes involved. Based on the assumption that children's…

Character education is a historical and fundamental objective of a sound physical education program. Excerpts from speeches by eminent American physical educators from 1885 to the present focus on the moral and ethical development of young people and instilling in them a sense of their potential for spiritual growth. (JD)

Moral judgments are an important aspect of social reasoning, not arbitrary products of social formations. Maintains that Gabennesch relegates moral concepts to reification, failing to account for the distinctions between conventionality and moral concepts. (BC)

This research paper attempts to show that the country's dualistic views between perceived morals and practiced morals have confused youth to the point they have difficulty telling right from wrong. The paper advocates that schools should take a more active role in moral education before that role is thrust upon them by a decaying family structure.…

Examined the moral and ecological reasoning of second, fifth, and eighth graders regarding the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Found that children understood negative effects of the spill, cared that harm occurred to shoreline and marine life, and thought it violated a moral obligation. Fifth and eighth graders used a greater proportion of anthropocentric…

This book examines the nature of moral issues in education while attempting to provide both a clarification of the issues and suggestions as to what might be done in the social context. The job of the school is not to teach morals but provide students with appropriate ways to respond to moral issues and dilemmas. Suggestions are given for teaching…

Arguing that there is still no single, noncontroversial foundation on which the world's present multi-structure of ethics can be built, this paper examines a scientific ethics approach. It is postulated that in North American culture, the approach to instruction in ethics for youth is haphazard at best. Society does not provide an adequate means…

This document contains a series of short case studies, called "tales" throughout the text, that describe moral dilemmas that arise in the lives of school-aged children. The tales are intended to help children develop their moral judgment and are meant to be read by teachers to their class. Suggestions for classroom use are provided. A…

Evaluated the validity of Kohlberg's model and measure in a cross-cultural context and assessed the cultural uniqueness of social-moral reasoning among 92 Israeli kibbutz adolescents. Developmental findings strongly supported validity of Kohlberg's structural-developmental understanding of moral judgment. Stage change was found to be upward,…

Discusses Gilligan's explanation of the distinction between justice and care. Describes how she contrasts the two notions and explores the possibility of encompassing care within Piagetian developmental theory. Reviews Gilligan's position on justice and care as different forms of moral judgment. Examines different interpretations of universality…