Kohlberg's Moral Development Research Articles

Theories to Guide Children Development and Their Impact on Early Childhood Education

The mind of a child is complex. A number of developmental theories help educators understand this complexity in order to better deal with it and guide the child’s development. Many theorists have been influential to the child development and education fields. The various theorists in child development have come up with ideas and innovative ways to work with and understand the development process of children. The developmental theories of the past and also the emerging theories encompass cognitive, social, physical, and other aspects of human development which are represented as stages or focus on a specific area (Woolfolk & Perry, 2012). This article describes the theories of development and its greatest impact on early childhood development education. This article also discusses such as theories, and theoretical concepts. it focuses on six theories which are behavioral child development theories, Psycho-social theory, Piaget's cognitive developmental theory, Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological systems theory, and Kohlberg's moral development theory. The article concludes with some recommendations for parents and educators.

TIMELESS GEM: HOW MAHABHARATA CAN BE THE GAME CHANGER IN INSPIRING RESPECT FOR ELDERS

Mahabharata is the longest epic poem and a product of ancient Hindu civilisation, written post Ramayana between 3rd century BCE and the 3rd century CE. Scholars unanimously agree the Mahabharata is a Hindu moral treatise. However, the fundamental moral values relating to the family as depicted in the epic is very much understudied, notably the element of respect given to the elders. The mainstream interpretations of the Mahabharata text focus primarily on its spiritual element, limiting its application and relevance to wider moral living. In reality, the epic promotes family values, notably the enduring respect for older family members by the younger ones even when they treat the latter unjustly. This paper contributes to literature on morality, namely the value of respect as discussed and portrayed in Mahabharata. Respect is a universal value; however, this moral value as discussed in Mahabharata is unique and worthy to be promoted as a moral ideal because it has significant scientific and cultural implications. Therefore, the current study further seeks to identify moral values associated with family life, namely respect for the elderly. Relevant data is extracted and later analysed using Hermeneutic Approach, while Murray Bowen's Family Systems Theory is utilised to understand intra-familial relationship. Kohlberg's Moral Development Theory meanwhile is used to delineate the moral phases of important characters. Certain methods and expressions are used in the epic that reflect familial respect, namely: i) Salutatory Respect; ii) Acquiescent Respect; iii) Consultation Respect; iv) Linguistic Respect; v) Gift Respect and Reverence. Mahabharata is potentially a valuable moral resource for the younger generation and including its moral values in the educational syllabus will pave way to create generations that respect and honour its elderly and older members of society.

Teori Perkembangan Sosial Emosi Erikson dan Tahap Perkembangan Moral Kohlberg: Penerapan di Sekolah

Erikson's theory of social emotional development and Kohlberg's moral development can be applied in school life to determine the development of students' moral reasoning and also determine students' social interaction relationships. With Erikson's theory of social development, we can understand the stages of human development starting from our sensitivity and ability to adapt to the surrounding environment. The purpose of this article is to determine the implementation of Guidance Counseling on improving children's morals at school and to determine whether or not there is an influence of Guidance Counseling on improving children's morals. The aim of this research is also to provide a way for adolescents to find their identity and synthesize the stages of adolescent psychosocial development.

Gen-Z's Current Behaviors, Consumption Patterns And Opinions Towards Single-use Plastics

This research delves into the behaviours, consumption patterns, and opinions of Generation Z (Gen-Z) in India concerning single-use plastics (SUPs). As the global community grapples with the repercussions of a disposable culture, understanding the stance of Gen-Z, a demographic poised to significantly influence future consumption patterns, becomes paramount. Employing a mixed-methods approach, comprising surveys, interviews, and the Defining Issues Test (DIT) based on Kohlberg's moral development theory, this study offers insights into Gen-Z's moral reasoning behind their interactions with SUPs. Preliminary findings suggest a heightened awareness (88%) of the environmental impact of SUPs among Gen-Z respondents. The majority exhibit post-conventional moral reasoning, underlining a deep-rooted ethical understanding of the issues surrounding SUPs. 55% of Gen-Z participants in this study demonstrated post-conventional moral reasoning, revealing an internalized understanding of single-use plastic's ethical implications, in contrast to 15% for pre-conventional and 30% for conventional. However, challenges such as cost, and availability of sustainable alternatives persist. This research emphasizes the critical role of Gen-Z in steering societal behaviours towards sustainable practices and provides recommendations for businesses, policymakers, and educators to harness this potential effectively.

Analisis Peranan Pamali Masyarakat Adat Sunda Terhadap Perkembangan Moral Anak Usia Dini

The Sundanese indigenous people are famous for their cultural wisdom, namely pamali. Pamali as a typical Sundanese cultural product has a conditional meaning for children's development that needs to be continuously explored. This study aims to analyze the existence and moral development contained in the pamali of the Sundanese indigenous people in early childhood. This type of research is a systematic review of 20 journals with related criteria using qualitative methods. through the syntax, in literature, there are five traditional villages and two Sundanese villages that still apply pamali as part of the order of life and rules that have been passed down from generation to generation. Each of these pamali contains moral values ​​such as discipline, humility, care for the environment, and politeness which are reflected in the sentence of pamali. In line with Kohlberg's moral development, early childhood is included in the level 1 category, namely pre-conventional morality. The implications for children can be seen from how they can know when the taboos are through an understanding of taboos so it is hoped that this will foster an attitude of obedience to the rules that surround them to strengthen their knowledge of the cultural values ​​of the area.

The Kite Runner: A Psychological Analysis of Amir

The novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini shows how the main character Amir reflects a sense of self through the views of the other characters. At some point in the story, Amir’s self-conceptualization changes radically. Thus, the paper wants to make a psychological interpretation of how emotional traumas affect the self-perception, moral-development, and planned behavior of the main character by scrutinizing the plot, conflicts, and point of view of Amir. Additionally, this study applies the discourse analysis method of the qualitative approach. The gathered data is analyzed through Ajzen and Fishbein's Theory of Planned Behavior, Bem's Self-Perception Theory, and Kohlberg's Moral Development Theory as the main theories. Higgin's Theory of Discrepancy and Tajfel and Turner’s Social Identity Theory also serve as sub-theories to Bem's Self-Perception Theory. The moral developments of Amir reveal that he has reached the final stage, called stage 6: Universal Principles of the third level, the Postconventional level. Also, Amir’s self-perception throughout the story depicts a negative outlook toward oneself. Furthermore, the planned behaviors of the main character are driven by his morality and self-perception throughout the story.

Public perception of guilt and deserved punishment in medical cannabis diversion.

Illegal drug diversion is a well-documented social problem that has received little research attention, despite the growing use of medical cannabis (MC) worldwide. This study examines public attitudes towards the punishment of MC diversion in Israel. We used a quantitative method. Participants were 399 Israelis who were given five scenarios of MC diversion to persons with and without a licence, with and without payment, and for personal profit. Respondents' attitudes differed with respect to the guilt and deserved punishment of the traffickers as a function of whether the recipient did or did not have a licence and did or did not pay for the MC. Transfers to individuals without a licence and for payment were judged more harshly than those to individuals without payment, whether or not they had a licence. The discussion addresses the findings with reference to Kohlberg's moral development theory. The findings of the study attest to the importance of public attitudes in shaping legal policy in Israel.

The Integration of Kohlberg Moral Development Theory with Education Character

This research aims to know the integration of Kohlberg's moral development theory with education character. It was done at Universitas Kristen Indonesia from January to June 2020. The method used in this research is a library study, in the form of research whose objects are literature works, namely scientific journals, books, articles in the mass media, and statistical data. The literature obtained was used as an alternative to answering research problems written by researchers regarding the religious and moral development of elementary-age children. The result of the study is that the implementation of character education following the conditions of the individual moral development stage is a wise effort that educators can make in the dynamics of character education. So, implementing aspects of moral knowing, moral feeling, and moral behaviour as the essence of character education will be easier if educators understand the position and stage of moral development the student is taking place.

Moral Dilemma in Evidence Based History Teaching: Action Research

Geçmişte yaşanmış birtakım olayları ve olguları ele alan tarih dersi muhteviyatında insanlığa ait farklı değer ve yargıları da barındırmaktadır. Bu tecrübelerin bir bütünü olan tarih dersinin öğrencilerdeki değer ve yargı çeşitliliğini arttırması beklenmektedir. Tarih derslerindeki muhtelif değer ve yargıların varlığı Kohlberg’in ahlaki ikilemi ile bazı benzerlikler göstermektedir. Dolayısıyla Kohlberg’in ahlak gelişimi ile benzer özellikler taşıyan tarih derslerinin öğrencilerin ahlaki muhakeme becerilerini nasıl etkilediği, incelemenin esas konusu olmuştur. Çalışma nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden eylem araştırmasından faydalanılarak yapılmıştır. Bu bağlamda lise son sınıf ve üniversite hazırlık öğrencilerinden 10 kişiyle kanıt temelli tarih dersi işlenmiştir. Kardeş katli, Varlık vergisi ve Haçlı seferleri konuları esas alınarak toplamda 3 tane tarih dersi yapılmıştır. Bu derslerde öğrencilerin bahsedilen konularla ilişkili tarihsel olaylara dair yorumlarını şeffaf bir ortamda ifade edebilmelerine olanak tanınmıştır. Böylelikle etkileşimli ve demokratik bir ortam oluşturulmaya çalışılmıştır. Yapılan kanıt temelli tarih derslerinde öğrencilerin yorumları, hal ve tavırları kayıt altına alınmıştır. Elde edilen veriler gözlem ve doküman analizi kullanılarak yorumlanmıştır. Verilerin değerlendirilmesi sonucunda tarih derslerinin öğrencilerdeki ahlaki muhakeme becerilerini geliştirebileceğine yönelik olumlu sonuçlar elde edilmiştir.

Moral development as the influencer of fraud detection

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to analyze the influence of the external auditors moral development, continuing professional education (CPE) on fraud, and education on fraud detection. Research Methodology: The research sample was taken randomly, and the total respondents were 171 external auditors working in public accounting firms in Indonesia. The analytical data method uses multiple linear regression. The instrument measures moral development using three scenarios, which are the auditor opinion, allowance for receivables, and cost reimbursement, with modifications made to conform with Law 5/2011 concerning public accountant. Results: Results found that moral development and education had a significant effect on fraud detection, while CPE on fraud has no effect on fraud detection. Limitations: One newly developed of the three scenarios measuring moral development may not be suitable for region other than Indonesia. Contribution: The accounting red flag dimension is the dimension that has the most attention, while the dimension according to SA 240, the perpetrator dimension, is the dimension that has the least attention. Keywords: Kohlberg moral development, Education, CPE on fraud, Fraud detection

Lawrence Kohlberg's Cognitive Moral Development Theory and the Ideal Human Developed By Religion

Morality has also existed among those who have no faith, as well as those who have a religious and moral belief throughout history. Morality can be defined as a set of attitudes, behaviors, and rules that a particular community has to adhere to the values, norms, principles, or people living in the community. Kohlberg's moral development theory, a theory that is recognized at international level and the basis for many studies. Kohlberg stated that people had six moral judicial phases. The six jurisdictions were also discussed in three levels. According to Kohlberg, people in all cultures use the same basic moral concepts as justice, equality, love, respect, authority. In addition, all individuals, regardless of cultural differences, depending on these concepts and in the same order, they go through the stages of reasoning. The difference between individuals arises only in terms of how far they move and how far they progress. On the other hand, an ideal human being is tried to be found in the religions by accepting a strong motivation source in terms of both presenting the moral principles that are appropriate to their own creation, and encouraging people to act according to these principles. Keywords: Kohlberg, Religion, Education, morality, human DOI: 10.7176/JSTR/5-12-04

Sportsmanship tendency in terms of moral development of middle school students<p>Ortaokul öğrencilerinin ahlaki gelişimleri açısından sportmenlik yönelimleri

This research aims to examine the sportsmanship orientations of secondary school students in terms of their moral developments. In this research, carried out by the mixed method, an exploratory sequential design was used. The study group consisted of a total of 327 students, 148 of whom were female and 179 were male students. The study group in the qualitative chapter of research consisted of a total of 42 students, 22 male and 20 female students. For the collection of quantitative data, the "Personal Information Form" prepared by the researchers and the "Physical Education Lesson Sportsmanship Behavior Scale" developed by Koç (2013) were used. For the collection of qualitative data, two case studies were used that were constituted in the direction of Kohlberg's moral development theory and that could reveal the sportsmanship orientations of the students in the situations of dilemma. Mann Whitney-U test and Kruskall Wallis-H test were used in the analysis of quantitative data. In the analysis of qualitative data, content analysis and descriptive analysis were carried out. According to the findings obtained, it was determined that sportsmanship orientations of students displayed significant differences according to gender, class level and sports branch. In the qualitative analysis, when the students' reactions to the case studies containing the related dilemma were taken into consideration, it was figured out that female students were in the higher stages of Kohlberg's Moral Development Theory compared to male students. In the case study in which the award was highlighted, there was a decrease in the frequency of male students exhibiting behaviors described as sportsmanship. In the study, it was concluded that the quantitative findings of sportsmanship behaviors that students showed in physical education and sport lesson were supported by the findings obtained according to Kohlberg's moral development theory.Extended English abstract is in the end of Full Text PDF (TURKISH) file.ÖzetBu araştırmanın amacı, ortaokul öğrencilerinin sportmenlik yönelimlerini ahlaki gelişimleri açısından incelemektir. Karma yöntem ile gerçekleştirilen bu araştırmada, açımlayıcı sıralı desen kullanılmıştır. Nicel boyutun çalışma grubunu, ortaokul düzeyinde öğrenim gören 148’ı kadın, 179’u erkek 327 öğrenci oluşturmuştur. Araştırmanın nitel boyutundaki çalışma grubunu 22’si erkek, 20’si kadın toplam 42 öğrenci oluşturmuştur. Nicel verilerin toplanmasında, “Kişisel Bilgi Formu” ve Koç (2013) tarafından geliştirilen “Beden Eğitimi Dersi Sportmenlik Davranışı Ölçeği” kullanılmıştır. Nitel verilerin toplanmasında, Kohlberg’in ahlaki gelişim kuramı doğrultusunda oluşturulan ve ikilem barındıran durumlarda öğrencilerin sportmenlik yönelimlerini ortaya koyabilecek iki örnek olaydan yararlanılmıştır. Nicel verilerin analizinde, Mann Whitney-U ve Kruskall Wallis-H testi kullanılmıştır. Nitel verilerin analizinde ise, içerik analizi ve betimsel analiz gerçekleştirilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgulara göre öğrencilerin sportmenlik yönelimlerinin cinsiyet, sınıf seviyesi ve spor branşına göre anlamlı farklılık gösterdiği belirlenmiştir. Nitel analizlerde ise konuyla ilgili ikilem içeren örnek olaylara öğrencilerin verdikleri tepkiler dikkate alındığında, kadın öğrencilerin erkek öğrencilere oranla Kohlberg’in Ahlaki Gelişim Kuramının daha üst evrelerinde yer aldıkları tespit edilmiştir. Ödülün vurgulandığı örnek olayda erkek öğrencilerin, sportmence olarak nitelendirilen davranışları sergileme sıklığında düşüş gözlenmiştir. Çalışmada, öğrencilerin beden eğitimi ve spor dersinde gösterdikleri sportmenlik davranışlarına ilişkin nicel bulguların, Kohlberg’in Ahlaki gelişim kuramına göre elde edilen bulgularla desteklendiği sonucuna varılmıştır.

The Implementation of Personal and Social Resposibility Model in Physical Education Classes: An Action Research

Participation of students in physical education classes provides them with the opportunity to experience moods such as competition, a sense of disagreement and confrontation, despair and joy while at the class and, then, to evaluate their own reactions. The idea that physical education and sports have a role in the development of socialization and morals is generally accepted by many researchers. The positive impact of physical education and sports upon social and moral development will not occur automatically by participation in classes. It is more likely to think that it will come through by taking advantage of the opportunities gained by the carefully designed experience. Hellison’s Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) is one of the programs in which these values are successfully applied through sports during physical education classes. The purpose of this study is; to examine the effects that may arise from the intervention of the TPSR by determining the needs of the 9th grade students for fair play behavior within the framework of Kohlberg's moral development theory. In the study, the action research approach was employed and the data were obtained from video records, student reflections, and semi-structured individual interviews. The study was conducted with 30 students in the 9th grade of a medical vocational high school in Ankara and 6 focus students selected by the purposeful sampling method were evaluated. The obtained data were analyzed by content analysis. The findings of the study are grouped under 3 themes. And these are; 1) I can escape from punishment and care only about my own interests, 2) Reciprocal Relations: “They also supported our team”, 3) I am listening to my own conscience: I care about my competitor and respect him. The findings prove that fair play descriprions of students and attitudes are at the preconventional level according to Kohlberg’s moral development theory while descriptions and attitudes after the implementation are mostly at the conventional level or the postconventional level and students can internalize the concept of fair play and can make decisions in accordance with their own moral judgments. As a consequence, TPSR is a very effective model in providing fair play to students when used as a (frisbee) tool. However, the model does not lead to change in children’s thoughts about the behaviors of their favorite teams not in accordance with fair play while influencing the children to acquire values related to and for themselves.

An Integrational Framework of Organizational Moral Development, Legitimacy, and Corporate Responsibility: A Longitudinal, Intersectoral Analysis of Citizenship Reports

AbstractIn this article, we outline a unique conceptual framework connecting legitimacy types (Suchman, 1995), theories of corporate responsibility (Brummer, 1991), and levels of organizational moral development based on Kohlberg's (1971) moral development stages. In addition, based on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) categories, we found empirical support for our framework, by content analyzing Fortune 500 corporate citizenship reports from four different industries (i.e., chemicals, motor vehicle/auto parts, pharmaceutical, and utilities), at three data points (i.e., 2002, 2007, and 2012). Our analysis indicates that motor vehicle/auto parts and chemicals industries are at a higher developmental level, and portray moral legitimacy along with social demandingness corporate responsibility in recent years; while the pharmaceutical and utilities sectors are at a lower developmental level, showing signs of pragmatic legitimacy, alongside classical and stakeholder corporate responsibility strategies. This article contributes to the current organizational moral development literature by developing and finding empirical support of a conceptual framework of organizational moral development, legitimacy, and corporate responsibility. In particular, our findings provide a deeper understanding of the differences in moral development levels across four focal industries over a 10‐year timespan.

Development of a hierarchical model of sport volunteers' organizational commitment

The present study was an attempt to understand sport volunteers' commitment to an organization from a developmental perspective and propose a hierarchical model of volunteer commitment based on Kohlberg's moral development model. The proposed model includes five stages of attitudinal commitment which are developmental and distinct in nature with the following hierarchical sequence: primitive commitment, continuance commitment, external commitment, normative commitment, and affective commitment. By comparing Kohlberg's moral development model with the three components of Allen and Meyer's organizational commitment, we contend that the external commitment and the primitive commitment need to be included to view sport volunteers' commitment from the developmental perspective. Along with these two new commitment concepts, the characteristics and theoretical reasoning related to each stage of sport volunteers' organizational commitment were addressed.

Unite the Pair so Long Disjoined: Justice and Empathy in Moral Development Theory

The paper provides an analysis of moral development theory developed by Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg. The paper explores the primary critiques of Kohlberg's moral development theory, including justice (the right) as the primary motivation for morality. The paper examines the research of Martin Hoffman's view of empathy (the good) as the primary motivation for morality. John Gibbs takes Hoffman's research a step further by advocating that the primary motivation for morality is co-primary (the right and the good). A Wesleyan view of moral psychology is developed by following Charles Wesley's famous stanza, “Unite the pair so long Disjoined: Knowledge and vital piety.” This statement is a framework to discuss how empathy and justice become the primary motivation for moral development. The paper argues for a Wesleyan view of morality that includes the transformation of the human emotions and affections by the “means of grace” as a basis for moral development. The paper concludes by exploring how congregations can be a means of grace in shaping and forming moral persons.

Active Citizenship and Political Socialization for the Members of the Pupils’ County Council from Cluj

Our study focused on the operationalization of the main common concepts from Audigier Model, Civitas, Velhuis’ study on the active citizenship, the democratic mechanisms and values from Dincu’s study (1999) on the political universe of the pupils. The Case studies with students from the Pupils’ County Council, is concerned the assessment of civic culture perspective on: Kohlberg moral development of political culture in the terms of developmental stages, Marcia (1966) of his political identity, and the possibilities of involvement in a political career based on the social learning theory of Krumboltz (1996). Political socialization is integrated in the general process of the human socialization, they share a common repertoire of socialization factors, mechanisms and agents of socialization. At a specific level, political socialization differs in comparison with the general one only by the dominance of the political content over the social one. The concept of citizenship is a cultural and historical construct.

The Potential Value of the Adoption of an Aristotelian-Centred Communitarian Vocabulary: Facilitating a Character Turn

This article sought to encourage the adoption of novel ethical approaches at the interstice between political and international relations (IR) theory, and character-based approaches in particular. It was argued that though the Fourth Debate has encouraged debate about the ethics of IR theory, surprisingly, character-based approaches have not been discussed, with communitarian and cosmopolitan performative ethics maintaining a conceptual hegemony. The concept of Jus in Bello was nominated for deconstruction since it has traditionally been understood cosmopolitan or communitarian manner based on performative ethic. An Aristotelian vocabulary was adopted in order to deconstruct the concept of Jus in Bello, with Jonathan Haidt's moral psychology, Lawrence Kohlberg's moral development psychology, Immanuel Kant's ethics, and social contract theory all being used to supplement the nominated Aristotelian reading of Jus in Bello. It was concluded that an Aristotelian reading of Jus in Bello is a viable alternative to and hence an Aristotelian vocabulary could be adopted when attempting to understand certain concepts and phenomena at the interstice between political and IR theory.

Stages of Moral Development Among Brazilian Dental Students

This research study aimed to evaluate the level of moral and ethical development of first-year students in a dental school. The students were presented with a dilemma that touched on personal and conflicting values. In responding to the questions posed, they had to present their criteria for judgments and norms that directly influence their behavior. Answers were then analyzed, leading to the categorization of interviewees into five stages of moral development according to Kohlberg's moral development system. The first, lowest stage in Kohlberg's system was reached by 11 percent of students. Most interviewees (47 percent) were in stage two, where individuals are conscious of their own conflicting interests, but an individualistic and instrumental set of morals tends to regulate those interests. Thirty percent of interviewees were identified with stage three, and 8.3 percent were found in stage four, whose main characteristic is the perception of self as a member of society, thus integrating interpersonal perspectives. Only one student reached stage five, in which the person recognizes universal rights and establishes a hierarchy of priorities. No individuals were found in stage six of moral development. The level of moral development found was low for students at this level, which may compromise the optimal moral development of the future dentist. The low level of moral development found may jeopardize the work of the future professionals, their treatment of patients, and society as a whole.

THE OPINIONS OF MEDICINE FACULTY STUDENTS REGARDING CHEATING IN RELATION TO KOHLBERG'S MORAL DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT

In all education systems, cheating is a serious problem. It is regarded as a significant problem because of its frequency and interference in learning and evaluation processes. As cheating is not a fair behavior, it can be dealt with morally. Kohlberg (1969, 1979, 1984) tried to explain our moral behaviors by relating moral development to age and intellectual development. The relationship between Kohlberg's moral development concept and cheating could help find the reasons and solutions for cheating. The aim in this paper is to explain the opinions of the students attending the Faculty of Medicine at Fırat University in Turkey related to cheating in terms of Kohlberg's moral development. A survey method was used in the form of a questionnaire containing of 15 questions. It revealed that in Turkey, at Fı;rat University, Medicine Faculty students emphasize that cheating is unlawful or a sin and forgery; however, they themselves cheat during examinations.