Investigates the nature of social beliefs and commitments during the college years in relation to developmental orientations as measured by the Dakota Inventory of Student Orientations. Results support Creative-Reflective scale scores as predictive of commitment to the more humanitarian issues such as race and women's rights, whereas…

Examines sibling socialization of moral orientation (care and justice) during property disputes in 40 dual-parent families with two children, aged 2 and 4 years old. Reveals that the children preferred justice orientation, its use increasing with age, when suggesting how property disputes should be resolved. Includes references. (CMK)

Presents a model of moral identity formation. Examines the model using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (Child Sample) to assess the influence of family environment on moral identity formation. Reveals that cognitively- and socially-rich family environments and high levels of adolescent-parent joint activity facilitated…

The renowned teacher, writer, and psychiatrist discusses the influences on his life; the importance of helping students develop morally and emotionally as well as cognitively; the importance of connecting ideas to our own lives or the lives of others; and how children, through their stories related, remembered, and conveyed, teach us as we teach…

A comprehensive character education program produces students who understand moral character and incorporate this knowledge in their actions. California advocates coursework in history, the social sciences, and language arts that connects students to political, social, and ethical issues central to our society. Cites examples of projects in four…

Discusses moral education, examining how the notion of self arising within India's Vedanta tradition differs significantly from America's and how an education that proposes to foster the development of self would be at variance with American ideas. Teachings from the Bhagavad Gita are examined to explain the Vedantic concept of self. (SM)

Introduces theme issue on Piagetian constructivist perspective on children's understanding. Summarizes feature articles which argue that teaching should be based on Piaget's theory; and elucidate the development of social and moral understanding, perspective-taking, play, written language, friendship and popularity, and mathematics. Emphasizes the…

Summarizes research concerning the influence of different types of discussions about moral dilemmas between adolescents and either parents or peers on the adolescents' moral development. Discusses implications for camp staff, who may lead campers in discussions based on real-life moral dilemmas in their cabins. (SV)

Describes higher levels of morality by contrasting Kohlber's Cognitive Developmentalism and Dabrowski's Positive Disintegration. It argues that far from being a gift, high-level morality is a function of the whole person. It is something chosen and striven for, and the result of compassion and some kind of disintegration. (Author/CR)

Discusses one private school's adoption of a highly rigorous curriculum that emphasizes western civilization, shunning academic fads in favor of the classics. This course of western studies goes from 5th through 9th grade. The morally informed curriculum is guided by Christian faith and moral standards. In many cases, teachers develop their own…

Describes programs enacted in public schools in response to the "personalism" period of the 1960s, which emphasized self-fulfillment over moral responsibility. Discusses the federal government's involvement in alleviating violence in public schools, and compares schools of the 1990s with those of the previous two decades, stating that…

Notes that progressive theory of character development, based on moral values as variable and dependent on social context, dominates field of early childhood education. Suggests that this constructivist approach may require more of children than they can provide. States that both progressive and traditional theories have their place; presents…

Examined affectively-charged moral narratives and attachment-related narratives of preschoolers. Found that, after controlling for child age, gender, SES, and expressive language ability, children with more externalizing problems were more likely to describe aggressive themes, and less likely to mention adult aid or taking responsibility for…

Examined whether gender discrepancy in late adolescents' antisocial behavior may be attributed to gender differences in other moral cognitive variables. Found that mature moral judgment and higher moral self-relevance were associated with lower self-serving cognitive distortion, partially mediating the relationship between those variables and…

Discusses the goal of Montessori education to develop environments for children that support their evolution as human beings. Proposes social, moral, cognitive, and emotional developmental outcomes for preschoolers, elementary children, and adolescents. (JPB)