The study of moral development has established itself firmly in American social science and produced some broad areas of scholarly consensus. However, many of education's most vocal critics charge that such scholarship, flawed by liberal biases, is what has led the nation's schools and children astray. (MSE)

Narrative is essential to the study and teaching of morality. Acknowledgment of authorship of moral choices, actions, and feelings is central to the development of moral sensibility. Children's storytelling about their own experiences is an important approach to moral education. (SK)

Studies the strategies that 41 perpetrators of child abuse used to insure that the victim remained silent. Results indicate that the perpetrators altered their strategies to coincide with the developmental level of the child. (RJC)

Makes three arguments about prison education and its potential role in shaping the lives of students: (1) many criminals and most prisoners are different in some fundamental ways from their citizen peers; (2) education does not necessarily lead to change in behavior; and (3) prison education can have an impact on knowing, writing, and doing. (JOW)

Extends parallel of cognitive and moral development to levels of spiritual development and denominational choice. Suggests with an awareness of the client's level of spiritual development, the therapist can be of greater assistance to clients asking for assistance in clarification of spiritual dilemmas. (Author/ABL)

Examined whether amount of experience in day care affects children's ability to distinguish moral rules from conventional school-based and home-based rules. Preschoolers were questioned about legitimacy of authority of abolishing a rule and their rating of behaviors permitted and prohibited by an authority. Results revealed that previous day-care…

Recently, theorists have conceptualized justice and care as dichotomous orientations, each representing different gender and cultural perspectives. This article asserts that justice and care coexist in individual reasoning and development, are not gender- or culture-specific, and are fundamental and universal. Discusses implications for education…

Advocates of multicultural education believe they have a moral mandate to establish justice and expose institutions that prevent it. The strength of multicultural education comes from a moral center that strives for individual and group empowerment and challenges the oppressive tendencies in society. (SK)

Students with learning disabilities (n=88) and without (n=84) were interviewed about 10 scenarios in which a teenager was caught after participating in misconduct. Students with learning disabilities were more likely to suggest escaping and less likely to suggest accepting the consequences. (Author/DB)

Focuses on one prominent approach to critical thinking, involving the development of philosophical and moral reasoning in young children and rejects arguments that may be advanced against the introduction of such work in schools. Examines a discussion by young children. (DR)

Linda Page ("A Conservative Christian View on Values," this issue) has given education leaders a partial philosophical foundation for character education in our schools. Although the list of six character traits is useful, her prescription falls short of what is needed. There is no ideal program. Character education should be built into…

This article reviews the past research and principles for facilitating moral growth through group discussion and the theories of judgment-action discrepancies. An intervention model is suggested which utilizes actual moral misbehaviors as the basis for both moral discussion and behavioral intervention. (Author/DB)

Argues that schools should teach right and wrong behavior, a basic foundational code of moral and ethical conduct. (SK)

The emphasis in the integrated model of character education on the development of the whole person and interaction with the whole environment requires that character education be seen as a dimension of the total curriculum. It means integrating character education into the academic curriculum, recreational activities, administration, and social…

Presents a concise review of the relevant literature on small laboratory groups and their supposed contribution to moral growth; consideration of the cognitive-developmental approach to relationships between moral thought and moral action; and a description of the questions, instruments, and procedures that provided the framework for the reported…