Teacher Cadet: Journal Entry

• Write about a time in which you did something that was wrong. Did you know it was wrong? Why did you do it? What was your punishment? How did it make you feel?

• How do you distinguish the different between right and wrong in life? What guides you into making those decisions? Where does your “conscience” come from?

Moral Development

• EQ: How does the moral development of a young person impact his school performance?

Values Auction1. You only have $3,0002. Bid in $100.00 increments3. You must assume you do not currently have

the items on the auction sheet; if you want the items, you must bid on them.

4. If you do not get an item you bid on, you do not lose the money. Just put it towards something else.

5. Take 5 minutes to make some financial decisions.

Values Auction1. What values do the items represent?2. Did you stick with the amount you budgeted

for each item, or did you stray from the amount during the heat of the bidding?

3. Were you tempted to bid on the “blue light special” even though you had not budgeted for it? Do temptations sometimes lure us away from our values?

4. Mrs. B obviously cannot sell you these items, but how can you obtain them if you really want them?

Moral Development

• A child’s moral development is closely linked to his cognitive development.

• Lawrence Kohlberg used the work of Jean Piaget to generate his stages of moral development. His model consists of 3 major stages, each with two sub-stages.

• Kohlberg viewed these steps as sequential and progressive.

Moral Development

Moral Development

• Stage 1: Preconventional Stage– Child makes moral decisions based on reward and

punishment. Moral reasoning is based on the consequences of the act.

– Child thinks something is right if he is praised (Ex: sharing toys) or wrong if it is punished (Ex: saying “bad” words).

– Child does not consider the act itself. Child has a very selfish orientation to right and wrong.

Moral Development

• Stage One: Preconventional StageSubstage 1: Obedience and Punishment• Child does not understand the conventions of society.

Fear is his motivation. He obeys to avoid punishment

Substage 2: Reciprocity• The child shares if others share and hurts if others hurt.

These actions come not from a sense of justice or gratitude, but from a selfish sort of “back scratching.”

Preconventional Stage

Moral Development• Stage 2: Conventional Stage– Child wants to please others, such as parents and

teachers, so he follows the rules.– Moral reasoning is based on compliance with the

rules and values of society. – Something is right if the church or teachers say it

is right; something is wrong if society says it’s wrong

– Child is obsessed with the idea of fairness.

Moral Development• Stage 2: Conventional Stage

Substage 3: Good Child- The child is concerned with what others think and conforms in order to be liked by authority figures and others.Substage 4: Law and Order- The child sees rules as absolute. He believes that rules are rules and should be obeyed simply because they are rules. He does not examine the fairness of the rules themselves.

Conventional Stage

Moral Development• Stage 3: Postconventional Stage– Child or person goes beyond himself and society. This

stage is also called the Stage of Individual Principle. – Person does what he thinks is right regardless of what

others or society says is right (Ex: a reporter might choose not to reveal his source, or a soldier might refuse to fire on a village because children may be present).

– Moral reasoning is based on personal standards of right and wrong. Many people never reach this stage or operate in it regularly.

– Question: Would it be good if everyone operated on this stage at all times?

Moral Development• Stage 3: Postconventional Stage

Substage 5: Social Contract- The person believes that laws are relative and may be changed if the need arises.Substage 6: Principled- Personal beliefs are based on abstract ethics or abstract principles about the way humans are (Ex: one might believe in the concept that humans have dignity and rights and are due respect). Substage 7: Cosmic- Person sees the cosmic view and believes in transcending individual existence and seeking unity of self with the universe (This category is usually reserved for heroes such as Ghandi).

Mahatma Ghandi

Moral Development• Most preschoolers are in the preconventional

stage. Sometimes by early adolescence, children reach the conventional stage. While some high school students may reach the postconventional stage, some researchers believe that most Americans never go beyond the conventional stage at any age. Kohlberg believed that children can be attracted to operating at high levels of moral reasoning, and parents and educators should seek ways to help young people go beyond the preconventional stage.

Some Critics of Kohlberg’s Theory1. Kohlberg sampled only men in his research. Is

there a difference between men and women in moral development?

2. Kohlberg did not sample a variety of cultures. Is there a relationship between culture and moral development? Are there differences in morals between cultures?

3. Kohlberg’s theories deal with moral thinking. Is there a difference between moral thinking and moral behavior?

4. Kohlberg’s theories are based on self-reported data from the respondent to the interviewer. Is this reliable?

Moral Development: Gilligan’s Theory• Believing that Kohlberg’s theory of moral

development is male-biased, Gilligan emphasizes the traditionally female principle of caring. Gilligan stresses independence of relationships, saying that women often use the ethics of care in making moral decisions. While Gilligan advocates there is a gender difference regarding morality, another study by Walker finds that level of education accounted for most of the gender moral differences. Gilligan believes there are 3 distinct levels of female moral development with periods of transition between each.

Moral Development: Gilligan’s Theory

Moral Development: Gilligan’s Theory

1. Individual Survival: The woman is concerned for only herself.– Transition from

selfishness to responsibility (often occurs in adolescence)

Moral Development: Gilligan’s Theory2. Self-Sacrifice and Social Conformity: The

woman moves from selfishness to self-sacrifice. Her thinking is dominated by a sense of responsibility and concern for others. – Unfortunately, at this age, many women feel

powerless and justify their actions by exalting the life of sacrifice.

– From goodness to truth, a woman learns she is not necessarily powerless and starts thinking more independently while valuing her own point of view.

Self Sacrifice and Social Conformity

Moral Development: Gilligan’s Theory

3. Nonviolence- A woman’s moral decisions now include not only her own needs, but also the needs of others. – Striving to be nonviolent, she will try not to hurt

herself or others. – These “third level” moral decisions are more

difficult to make because they are more complex

Moral Development: Gilligan’s Theory• The major difference between Kohlberg’s and

Gilligan’s theories of moral development is in the highest stage: – According to Kohlberg, a person is operating at

the highest level when he does what he believes is right regardless of laws, rules, or the impact his decision might have on others.

– In Gilligan’s highest stage, the woman strives to do what she believes in right for herself as long as her decision does not hurt others.

Why does it matter?• How can/will knowledge of moral development impact

your discipline policies in your future classroom?