Development Of Moral Autonomy Research Articles

Dispositions, Emotions, Episodes and the Autonomous Learner

The paper explores the relationship between dispositions, emotions, episodes and the development of moral autonomy. The view taken here is that autonomy requires a settled disposition towards the good, and that interpretations of the moral life that emphasize its episodic nature are destructive of autonomy.

O papel da História na formação moral do educando segundo Kant

Considerando a Filosofia e a Pedagogia de Kant, buscaremos expor alguns argumentos e considerações acerca do papel da história na possível formação moral e atuação ética do educando. A formação moral do aluno, via educação, implica, de acordo com o pensamento kantiano, no desenvolvimento da autonomia moral e na realização de ações éticas propriamente ditas. Então colocamos: em Kant, como pode ocorrer, via educação, a formação do ser humano autônomo e ético? Tendo em vista a questão, abordaremos algumas obras do pensamento kantiano, para, nesse momento, buscar esclarecer a função da história no processo de desenvolvimento e formação moral do educando e em sua futura ação ética no mundo. Segundo Kant, qual pode ser o papel da história no trato dos preceitos e ensinamentos morais, na formação e desenvolvimento, na divulgação, no reforço e na realização dos princípios morais na vida e vivências da natureza humana? Eis a ocasião de análise e de avaliação da educação a partir da compreensão dos seus fundamentos. Palavras-chave: Kant. Educação. História. Moralidade. Ética.

Conflicting Goals for Moral Education: A study of the behavioral intentions of teachers in Catholic secondary schools in the Netherlands

This article examines the criticism from liberal educators that the goals of moral education in religiously affiliated schools are incompatible. This paper addresses whether it is true that teaching a religious community’s values is incompatible with the development of moral autonomy; that teaching civic values is incompatible with teaching Christian values; and that teaching Christian values is incompatible with introducing children to the plurality of value systems in our society. This research demonstrates that from the perspective of teacher’s behavioral intentions, these goals are not in conflict within Catholic schools of secondary education in the Netherlands. The article concludes with a reflection on the research results from an ethical perspective and from the perspective of philosophy of education

Justice as solidarity: A study of the political socialization of adolescents from East and West Germany within the theoretical framework of Durkheim's sociology of morality

The contemporary transformations in western societies confront us with a problem already stated by Durkheim a century ago: What enables members of society to practice social solidarity while becoming increasingly more individualistic? This question is analyzed in view of the political socialization of adolescents and its developmental implications. In line with the Durkheimian tradition in developmental psychology established by Piaget and elaborated by Kohlberg, it is claimed that the development of moral autonomy gives rise to a justice-related sense of responsibility that may foster bonds of solidarity within society. This developmental model was tested against the impact of socialization variables in a sample of East and West Germany adolescents, aged 15 and 18 (N=348). Analyses of the data revealed a substantial relationship between the development of moral autonomy and the readiness to take responsibility for others in response to justice concerns. The impact of the development of moral autonomy on the formation of a justice-related sense of responsibility depended only minimally on background indicators of political socialization in adolescence (e.g., East or West German origin, the socioeconomic status of parents). In the context of current social conditions a developmental approach to political socialization appears crucial to explain the emergence of justice concerns giving rise to solidarity.

Toward a More Democratic Ethic of Technological Governance

Recent scholarship in technology and society studies has given attention to the notion of technological citizenship. This article seeks to further integrate perspectives on this topic with theoretical contributions about the development of moral autonomy. The author challenges the presumption that the strategy of expanding opportunities for participation in technological decision making will in itself develop people's autonomy and citizenship. He argues that concurrent efforts must be made to democratize the political-economic structures of key technologies and to help people prepare morally for citizenship roles in governing these technologies. On this basis, a series of initiatives are suggested.

The Assessment of Moral Autonomy within a Multidimensional Approach to the Development of Moral Reasoning

Abstract Four studies are reported using both a questionnaire and an interview focussed on the questionnaire items to assess the development of moral autonomy in a total of 720 respondents from 12 to 21 years of age. The studies were intended to extend the analysis of the development of moral autonomy offered by an existing multidimensional model of the development of moral reasoning. Results showed the need to add a dimension of individual differences to the single dimension currently used to describe autonomy‐related developmental changes in the content of judgements. A further dimension, indexing individual differences in use of justification types was also identified. It was found that justifications for moral judgements were more theoretical than in a Kohlberg‐style interview. A content‐related categorisation of justifications revealed a substantial connection between justification and judgement content.