Students' decisions are influenced by the moral climate of their school. Changing social, economical, and traditional family structures have contributed to an upheaval of moral foundations. As a result, schools are becoming a critical arena for students to develop into morally responsible adults. Consequently, the moral growth of teachers is an…

Fifty school administrators completed Rest's Defining Issues Test (DIT) and Patterson's Moral Action Choice Test (MACT) as part of a study to determine how Kohlberg's theory of moral development might apply to day-to-day administrative decision-making. The respondents were presented with hypothetical moral dilemmas and asked to explain what they…

Using four case studies, the paper explores whether the philosophical reflections on the meaning of life by older adults constitute a developmental stage as defined by Piaget. Prefacing his analysis with discussions of the Erikson model of ego stages and the Fowler "Faith Interview" methods, Kohlberg hypothesizes hierarchical levels that…

Part of a series of philosophical readers, this story for elementary school children presents two characters, Kio and Gus, who are sensitive to ideas, language, and the world around them. The book consists largely of dialogue as each character narrates his/her story. In the course of a summer, Kio visits his grandfather's farm and befriends Gus,…

A pertinent problem in the area of moral development is whether most people can distinguish moral from conventional issues. Some research has shown children and adolescents consider moral (intrinsic) transgressions more serious than violations of convention. To expand this research by examining in detail the role of intrinsicality in moral…

A review of the literature of middle childhood was conducted to provide background information for instructional designers and scriptwriters from the Skills Essential to Learning Project, which develops television/film series and related print materials for different grade levels to enhance the teaching of thinking skills in the context of major…

Educational games are usually developed by copying existing recreational games and adding instructional components, or by using the intuitive preferences of the designer. However, existing games attract people through ideological value exemplifications. Moreover, whatever else they teach, games teach ideologies of either preservation, equality, or…

This article proposes to simplify scientific sociology for teaching at the precollege level in order to bring the discipline to bear on real social problems that affect the everyday life and human development of the high school student and is within the student's intellectual capability. (Author/DE)

This article discusses the appropriateness to the high school curriculum of the content, methods, perspectives, and concepts of sociology. It interprets research on cognitive and moral development to suggest that curriculum should be designed to provide occasions and stimulation to those students who are ready or reaching for growth in…

To determine the relationship between empathy and socialization in criminal and noncriminal behavior patterns, two studies were conducted. Hogan's model of moral development and implications for future research in terms of differentiating between first and repeat offenders in prison groups are discussed. (Author)

A diagnostic-prescriptive approach to moral education, based on the work of Piaget and Kohlberg, is presented. The approach is designed to help analyze a child's ability in a special area, compare achievement with some established list of sequenced skills, and plan lessons to help individual students attain the next higher level of accomplishment.…

The purpose of this study was to discover if there was a relationship in decisions made between adults and 11-year old students assumed to be at different levels of the formal operations stage in their responses to a situation calling for a moral judgment. (Author)

Explains the Kohlberg moral stages in moral development, discusses the aims of moral and civic education, then describes the continuing experimental work at the Harvard Center for Moral Education. (Author/DW)

Values clarification is defined, explained, and described in the school setting, and the areas of expansion are listed. (DW)

This booklet is intended to aid school administrators and teachers in their curriculum development efforts in response to Oregon law requiring instruction in specific aspects of ethics and morality. Suggested activities are presented that emphasize instruction specified in the law. By each suggested activity is a check mark indicating which…