A Content Analysis of Four Explanatory Models of the Moral Development

Abstract

Abstract Numerous studies have focused on identifying the stages of ethical decision process and the factors that can influence it, aiming to provide tools for educators’ struggle of improving the moral profile of the students. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the four explanatory theoretical models of moral development, in order to notice the relationship between the rational and the emotional components of personality during the moral decision-making process and to highlight their impact on educational process. It is resumed a qualitative research that was developed using the Atlas.ti software. The results sustain the empirical observation that educators change the focus of the moral explanation, moral story and moral conversation towards the more interactive methods, like moral case study and moral exercise.