Moral Development

Finding a moral homeground: appropriately critical religious education and transmission of spiritual values

by Phra Nicholas Thanissaro

International Journal of Children's Spirituality (2010) Volume 15, Issue 2, pp.175-187

Values‐inspired issues remain an important part of the British school curriculum. Avoiding moral relativism while... more Values‐inspired issues remain an important part of the British school curriculum. Avoiding moral relativism while fostering enthusiasm for spiritual values and applying them to non‐curricular learning such as school ethos or children’s home lives are challenges where spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development might benefit from leadership by critical religious education (RE). Whether the school’s model of spirituality is that of an individual spiritual tradition (schools of a particular religious character) or universal pluralistic religiosity (schools of plural religious character), the pedagogy of RE thought capable of leading SMSC development would be the dialogical approach with examples of successful implementation described by Gates, Ipgrave and Skeie. Marton’s phenomenography, is thought to provide a valuable framework to allow the teacher to be appropriately critical in the transmission of spiritual values in schools of a particular religious character as evidenced by Hella’s work in Lutheran schools.

Toward a postmodern psychology of moral action and moral development

by Martin Packer

Ethical Sensitivity: A foundation for moral judgment

by Suzy jagger

Published in Journal of Business Ethics Education, 8, 2011

A key goal for a professional ethics teacher is to help students improve their moral reasoning within the context of... more A key goal for a professional ethics teacher is to help students improve their moral reasoning within the context of their profession, with the ultimate aim of developing a commitment to the values of their future profession. Using Rest's Four Component Model as a framework, this study examines the relationship between the first two components of moral sensitivity and moral judgment. The study utilises two scores from the same cohort of computing undergraduates: a score for ethical sensitivity using a devised dilemma analysis; and a score for change in moral judgment resulting from an educational intervention, using the Defining Issues Test (DIT). Although average DIT scores showed no significant improvement in moral judgment, this study found that levels of ethical sensitivity had a significant impact on the development of moral judgment. The paper provides evidence that ethical sensitivity appears to play a key role in the development of moral judgment. Therefore an initial key objective critical to any ethics course should be to raise student levels of ethical sensitivity as a necessary foundation for development of moral judgment. The paper also highlights the wide range of levels of ethical sensitivity measured within one cohort and suggests targeted learning support should be provided to students who score in the lower part of the scale to raise their levels of moral sensitivity early in the course.

The Strange Case of Dr. B and Mr. Hide: Ethical Sensitivity as a Means to Reflect Upon One’s Actions in Managing Conflict of Interest

by Marie-Josée Potvin

Comment on “Toward a Sociology of Conflict of Interest in Medical Research” by Sarah Winch and Michael Sinnott

How infants and toddlers react to antisocial others

by Karen Wynn

Social Evaluation by Preverbal Infants. 2007

by Karen Wynn

A Reliability and Validity Study of the Defining Issues Test: The Relationship of Age, Education, Gender and Parental Education with Moral Development

by Halil Eksi

Sevim CESUR, Mustafa Sami TOPÇU
Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice
10 (3) • Summer 2010 • 1681-1696

The aim of the study is twofold: First and main aim was to develop a valid and reliable Turkish version of the DIT... more The aim of the study is twofold: First and main aim was to develop a valid and reliable Turkish version of the DIT which is one of the most important instruments in the psychology and education research; second is to explore the relationships between moral development and age, gender, education, and parental education. The study group consists of 584 volunteer participants from three universities. As an instrument of the present study, developed and validated Turkish version of the DIT which is “Değerleri Belirleme Testi (DBT)” was used. Three schemas, personal interests, maintaining norms, and post conventional, were obtained from the instrument. For three schemas obtained from the DIT, the values of Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest correlation coefficients change in the range of .53 to .60. Face and content validity of the DIT were also provided. The relationships between moral development and other selected variables (age, education, gender, and parental education) were presented in the findings section.

Analysis of the Relationship between Moral Judgment Competences and Empathic Skills of University Students

by Halil Eksi

Nermin ÇİFTÇİ ARIDAĞ
Asuman YÜKSEL
Educational Sciences: Th eory & Practice
10 (2) • Spring 2010 • 707-724

Th e aim of this study is to analyse whether there is a significant relationship between moral
judgment... more Th e aim of this study is to analyse whether there is a significant relationship between moral
judgment competence and empathic skills of the students studying at Uludağ University.
In this article, the results of two researches carried out on two diff erent samples are
presented. In the first research, data were collected using David’s Interpersonal Reactivity
Index (IRI) and Lind’s Moral Judgment Test (MJT) and the participants were 68 female
and 61 male students between the ages of 20 and 29 (average: 22.85) who are studying in
diff erent departments in the Faculty of Education at Uludağ University. Th e second research
was conducted on 294 female and 141 male students between the ages of 18 and 30
(average: 22.30) who are studying in diff erent faculties of Uludağ University. Data were
gathered by using Dökmen’s Empathic Skill Scale (ESS) and Lind’s Moral Judgment Test
(MJT). In the two separate studies there was no significant relationship between students’
moral test points and their general empathy points. Th e analysis of the relationship between
the moral judgment test points of students whose Interpersonal Reactivity Index
(IRI) points are between the top and bottom 27 percent segments revealed a significant
negative relationship (r=.45.6; p> 0.01) between the points students got from the ‘personal
distress’ subscale and the ones they got from the ‘workers’ dilemma’ subscale of the moral
judgment test. Data were discussed in accordance with the relevant literature that focuses
on the relationship between moral judgment and empathy.

Pre-reflective ethical know-how

by Nigel DeSouza

In recent years there has been growing attention paid to a kind of human action or activity which does not issue from... more In recent years there has been growing attention paid to a kind of human action or activity which does not issue from a process of reflection and deliberation and which is described as, e.g., ‘engaged coping’, ‘unreflective action’, and ‘flow’. Hubert Dreyfus, one of its key proponents, has developed a phenomenology of expertise which he has applied to ethics in order to account for ‘everyday ongoing ethical coping’ or ‘ethical expertise’. This article addresses the shortcomings of this approach by examining the pre-reflective ethical know-how individuals first develop and on which all later forms of ethical expertise are dependent. In the first section an account is given of the ‘ethical second nature’ which every individual develops from childhood onwards and which forms the basis of pre-reflective ethical know-how. The acquisition of an ethical second nature early on opens up the very domain of ‘the ethical’ for us in the first place and is constitutive of our sensitivity to it. The second section turns to pre-reflective ethical know-how and whether it is conceptual in nature. Just as sensorimotor understanding forms the basis of our reflective perceptual concepts, pre-reflective ethical know-how is similarly proto-conceptual and is the source of our reflective ethical and moral concepts. Finally, the third section examines the process whereby ethical second nature and pre-reflective ethical know-how are actually acquired, namely, through immersion in an ‘ethical world’. This world consists of both the web of ethical meanings and significances which has evolved in a particular society or community as well as its members whose actions and interactions continually reproduce that web.

Assessing Components of Morality

by Robert Shaw

Robert Keith Shaw (1997) Assessing Components of Morality. Thesis (Master of Philosophy). Auckland: The University of Auckland.

An investigation into the assessment of the moral components which were developed by John Wilson, is reported. Tests... more An investigation into the assessment of the moral components which were developed by John Wilson, is reported. Tests fox the classroom measurement of two components were developed. The components were; PHIL(CC), the claiming of concern for other persons as an overriding, universal, and prescriptive principle in moral decision making; and; GIG, knowledge of factual information which is relevant in making moral decisions which subjects face. The test development exercise was undertaken at a time when public interest in moral education was growing. The recent demand for moral education in Auckland is reviewed.

Enhancing moral growth: Is communication the key?.

by Nicholas Santilli

Understanding Confucian Ethics: Reflections on Moral Development

by Karyn Lai

(2007) Australian Journal of Professional and Applied Ethics 9.2: 21-27.

The standard criticisms of Confucian ethics (from a western philosophical perspective) appear contradictory. On the... more The standard criticisms of Confucian ethics (from a western philosophical perspective) appear contradictory. On the one hand, Confucian ethics is deemed overly rule-bound: it is obsolete because it advocates adherence to ancient Chinese norms of proper conduct. On the other hand, Confucian ethics is perceived as situational ethics—done on the run—and not properly grounded in fundamental principles or norms. I give reasons for these disparate views of Confucian ethics. I also sketch an account of Confucian morality that focuses on moral development.

Teaching (With) Virtues Through Incorporating Supplemental Instruction

by Gregory Sadler

Draft of a talk given at CUNY-Lehman for the CUNY Supplemental Instruction conference

My presentation focused on identifying, understanding, and cultivating batches of associated skills and dispositions... more My presentation focused on identifying, understanding, and cultivating batches of associated skills and dispositions desirable and needed if SI leaders are to perform their functions well, and if instructors are to effectively integrate SI leaders into their courses. These sets of skills and dispositions are termed intellectual and moral virtues in classical (particularly Aristotelian) Moral Philosophy, upon whose resources I draw to illuminate topics in my presentation.

Bullies have enhanced moral competence to judge relative to victims, but lack moral compassion

by Gianluca Gini

Are students obedient or responsible in the classroom? Part 2

by Prerna Goel

Are students obedient or responsible in the classroom? Part 1

by Prerna Goel

The main purpose of writing this thesis is to understand whether students are obedient or responsible in the classroom... more The main purpose of writing this thesis is to understand whether students are obedient or responsible in the classroom and if their behavior is influenced by external factors. Further, this study examines how students intend to behave in a classroom in the absence of certain external factors. Based on these questions, the main aim of the research is to investigate students’ probable behavioral reactions if, theoretically, there were no rules, rights and responsibilities, punishments, rewards, social approval and reports to parents. Finally, an attempt also has been made to examine if a school environment has an influence on students’ behavior in the classroom.

Theories of social influence (Turner, 1991), bases of power (French and Raven, 1959), theory of moral development (Kohlberg, 1981) and results from the experiments on obedience to authority (Milgram, 1974) provide a theoretical foundation to understand the above-stated questions. To investigate these questions, six primary schools in the Northern Metropolitan Region, Victoria were visited. Case study as a methodology was employed to conduct the research and 47 students and seven teachers were interviewed for the study.

The research findings are initially presented as an individual case study, wherein each school report is followed by a discussion on social influence and to what extent external factors can influence students’ behavior in the classroom. The results indicate that a high percentage of students are obedient in the classroom and that their actions are greatly controlled by external factors including punishments, rewards and social approval. Individual school reports also reveal some common issues that were similar across six schools. These issues are analyzed in relation with three processes of attitude change, namely, compliance, identification and internalization, as defined by Kelman (1958). In the end, some limitations and future implications of the current study have been discussed.

Using a Rhetorical Framework to Predict Corruption

by sandy green

Alpaslan, M., Green, S., & Mitroff, I. 2008. Using a Rhetorical Framework to Predict Corruption. Electronic Journal of Business Ethics and Organization Studies. Vol. 13, No. 2, 5-11.

The field of rhetoric provides unique frameworks and tools for understanding the role of language in moral reasoning... more The field of rhetoric provides unique frameworks and tools for understanding the role of language in moral reasoning and corruption. Drawing on a discursive understanding of the self, we focus on how the rhetoric of conversations constructs and shapes our moral reasoning and moral behavior. Using rhetorical
appeals and a moral development framework, we construct three
propositions that use variation in the rhetoric of conversations to
identify and predict corruption. We discuss some of the implications of our model.

From Discipline to Autonomy: Kant’s Theory of Moral Development

by Paul Formosa

in Kant and Education: Interpretations and Commentary, eds. Klas Roth & Chris Surprenant. New York: Routledge, September 2011.

In this paper I argue that Kant develops, in a number of texts, a detailed three stage theory of moral development... more In this paper I argue that Kant develops, in a number of texts, a detailed three stage theory of moral development which resembles the contemporary accounts of moral development defended by Lawrence Kohlberg and John Rawls. The first stage in this process is that of physical education and disciplining, followed by cultivating and civilising, with a third and final stage of moralising. The outcome of this process of moral development is a fully autonomous person. However, Kant’s account of moral development appears to be in tension with other elements of his moral philosophy. I identify two such tensions, which I call the knowledge and revolution tensions, and show why these tensions are illusory. As such, a proper understanding of Kant’s theory of moral development, far from exposing genuine tensions, helps rather to deepen our understanding of Kant’s moral philosophy. 

The development of conceptions of the right to literacy in traditional rural Africa

by Kathryn Day

L’Impacte de L. Kohlberg en la Psicologia Contemporània (1989-1997). (L. Kohlberg’s impact on Modern Psychology (1989-1997))

by Manuel Martí Vilar

Martí Vilar, M., Samper, P., & Díez, I. (1998). Anuari de Psicologia de la Societat Valenciana de Psicologia, 4(1), 24-39.

RESUMEN
La figura de L. Kohlberg ha sido la más destacada en las décadas anteriores en el ámbito de la... more RESUMEN
La figura de L. Kohlberg ha sido la más destacada en las décadas anteriores en el ámbito de la Psicología moral.
Este trabajo se orienta a determinar objetivamente el impacto producido por su obra mediante el análisis de sus trabajos y las citaciones que este autor recibea través del Social Science Citation Index. Este análisis permite mostrar la implantación progresiva de L. Kohlberg en la comunidad científica internacional a los largo de los años estudiados (1989-septiembre 1997); la enorme visibilidad de algunas de sus obras, el creciente impacto en la literatura actual y los principales autros que lo citan en la actualidad.

ABSTRACT
L. Kohlberg has been the most significant single figure in recent decades in the field of Moral Psychology.
This essay aims to determine objectively the impact his work had, through an analysis of all his works and the extent to which this author is quoted, through the Social Science Citation Index. The analysis shows the progressive implantation of L. Kohlberg in the international scientific community during the period of years studied (1989-September 1997), the immense visibility of some of his works, the growing impact on modern literature and the number of important authors who quote him nowadays.