Black and White college students (N=232) were given either the Defining Issues Test (DIT) or a revised DIT in which the protagonists were Black. Racial manipulation did not appear to affect the emotional distance of White subjects from the dilemmas; emotional responses of Black participants were more intense and stressful when the dilemma…

The Harvard "Program in Ethics and the Professions" focuses less on abstract moral reasoning than on practical problems, the concrete decisions and dilemmas of the real world. Another key question that has been discussed is whether or not it is possible to teach moral reasoning without teaching moral values. (MLW)

Three experiments investigated five- and 10-year-old children's understanding of the conditions under which a person becomes committed to carrying out an intended action. Findings indicated that, although children from a very early age have the concept of commmitment, the understanding of the interpersonal conditions for becoming committed…

Reviews the various conflicts that have occurred between the traditional and reformist elements in Japanese moral education since the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the time when Japan began to shift toward a modern society and political system. Attempts to clarify the special characteristics of moral education in Japan. (GEA)

Undergraduates (N=324) completed questionnaires measuring Machiavellianism (interpersonal deception and manipulation) and sociopolitical ideology along dimensions of traditional moralism, new left philosophy, and revolutionary tactics. Analyses showed considerable similarity between low- and high-Machiavellian subjects on sociopolitical and…

Provides historical perspective on moral education, discusses links between morality and religion, and recommends several actions to help develop morally mature individuals to ensure the existence of a just and caring society. Insets detail characteristics of morally mature persons and list members of the ASCD Panel of Moral Education. Includes 14…

In today's moral environment, teaching the young high moral standards requires cooperation between schools and families. This article describes four successful approaches: developing a school-community consensus about values, forming parent support groups, creating multifaceted parent participation opportunities, and writing parallel curricula for…

Recognizing that efforts to intentionally design campus environments involve value choices and confront the practitioner with ethical dilemmas, this article raises critical issues about environmental management of college campuses, including issues of freedom and control, privacy, informed consent, competence, political poisoning, values, and…

Identifies epistemological perspectives in girls' thinking that links ideas of self, knowing, and morality. Presents a model of "learner's interests and goals" and "approaches to knowing" as they relate to these conceptions of self and morality. Discusses implications for teaching. (Author/DH)

Changes in sex-related symbolism during the late 1700s are traced and gender is analyzed as a cultural, historical construct. The word "virtue" became gender bound so that public virtues, such as heroism, were inherently masculine. Feminine virtues were things such as a mother passively donating her sons to the revolution. (VM)

Discusses the necessity of journalism leaders and educators fighting the group-think morality movement. Suggests that courses in both applied ethics and ethical theory should be offered to graduate and undergraduate journalism students. (JK)

Describes the growing concern about the importance of teaching ethics in American schools. Advocates the return of literature to the classroom to help teach critical thinking and ethics. (ARH)

Discusses the didactic value of literature study. Considers contemporary irrationalist philosophy's emphasis on human experience's subjective nature and its rejection of the possibility of shared, objective moral concepts being conveyed by reading literature. Acknowledges literature's subjective elements, while stressing the objective, cognitive…

The author states that home economists concerned with the quality of family life must address certain political-moral questions: What kind of society ought we seek? What kind of family life ought we promote and support? What human qualities and skills ought we to foster through the curriculum? (CT)

The cases of three individuals charged with corrupting the young are considered in a discussion of the teacher's role in the moral education of youth. Focus is on Socrates, a Los Angeles teacher fired because of membership in a sexually-oriented club, and a Nazi war criminal. (MSE)