Describes in operational terms the benefits of Montessori's developmental perspective for children from birth to 3 years, and from 3 to 6 years. Identifies optimal outcomes for social, moral, cognitive, and emotional development to be used in educational and psychological research and for child assessment. (KB)

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…

Describes the implementation of a character education program in one New Jersey school system. The program, developed by school and community members, includes all value-related issues and occurs throughout the system (including school buses, playgrounds, and extracurricular activities). Adults model good values, and children are taught values…

Longitudinally assessed Icelandic children at ages 7, 9, 12, and 15, and cross-sectionally assessed Chinese children at corresponding ages, concerning reasoning about choices, motives, and moral justifications of a protagonist in a sociomoral dilemma. Icelanders referred more often to self-interest and contractual concerns; Chinese focused on…

Promotes the teaching of values in social studies by using heroes/heroines. States that teachers must correct the blurred distinction between hero and celebrity, offering a working definition of hero/heroine. Contends that teachers should go beyond the textbook and endorses the use of trade books. Provides references and a selected bibliography.…

Presents the findings from two studies that demonstrate that parents' interactions, ego functioning, and moral reasoning are predictive of children's moral development. Illustrates the role of affective factors in moral socialization and the relevance of using real-life moral dilemmas in contrast to hypothetical ones. (CMK)

Summarizes three short young adult novels by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, a member of the Rosebud Sioux tribe. Notes the author's positive experience teaching Sneve to middle schoolers. Focuses on themes in Sneve's writing of achieving personal identity, accepting familial and social responsibility, and adopting adult roles. Argues that both…

Investigates the relationship between family socialization processes, focusing on adaptability, cohesion, and parent-child communication, and adolescent moral thought. Used a sample of 271 Australian adolescents and their parents. Presents the findings. The results suggest that there is a relationship between family-socialization processes and…

Discusses why the early childhood education curriculum should provide opportunities for children to deal with moral issues and think about right and wrong in developmentally appropriate ways. Suggests ways in which teachers can assist children in this development and activities that promote growing experiences. (ET)

Examined Korean first, third, and fifth graders' judgments about authority commands regarding moral events. Found that children judged that a principal, teacher, class president, and child without an authority position have legitimacy and should be obeyed when giving morally right directives. Children gave greater legitimacy to persons giving…

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)

Demands for change are pervasive in educational practice, and while they must be acknowledged, teachers also need to maintain a sense of stability. This can be accomplished by developing a professional conscience composed of five facets (as proposed by Thomas Green): craft, membership, sacrifice, memory, and imagination. Implications for teacher…

States that, based on several studies, sports programs at any level of education have no more potential to develop character than any other school activity. Asserts that Catholic schools are committed to character development in every aspect of the curriculum, and that they must emphasize the potential for sports participation to foster moral…

Compared judgments of maltreated and nonmaltreated preschoolers regarding moral transgressions. Found that all children evaluated moral transgressions as very serious, punishable, and wrong in the absence of rules. Moral judgments and justifications differed as a function of context and type of transgression but not maltreatment status. Affective…

Presents results on the status of moral development of apprentices in the business context within different types of situations. States that the results seem to support the hypothesis of "moral segmentation," contrary to Kohlberg's theory of homogeneity, and indicate that individual patterns of moral judgment are to a large extent…