Abstract: An experiment is reported on the effects of a moral education programme in schools. Children were pretested on Kohlberg's index of level of moral thinking. The experimental group was then given twelve hours of discussion of moral problems other than those used in Kolhberg's test spread over twelve weeks. Subsequent testing showed that the experimental group had had tended to move towards a higher level of thinking when compared with controls.

Abstract: The Natural Law perspective holds that there are universal principles of justice acknowledged everywhere. Justice is a continuing preoccupation of the child. The development of the notion of justice in children has been found to follow six stages, the order of which is constant across different societies. The different stages have been found to be associated with different kinds of behaviour in moral situations. Moral education must be based upon an understanding of this development. There is evidence that the (...) development of religious faith follows a parallel sequence of stages and it is important to understand the relationship between the two. 1An edited version of an address to the National Catholic Education Association, Cleveland, April 18, 1974. (shrink)

Abstract An experiment is reported on the effect of a moral discussion programme taught in the schools by regular classroom teachers. Number of discussions and type of teacher preparation were varied. Students? moral judgment stage was assessed before and after the programme and teachers were observed throughout the course of the year. A substantial degree of moral judgment stage change was shown in some but not all of the classrooms. Three variables associated with likelihood of student moral judgment change were (...) number of discussions, range of pre?test moral judgment stage within the classroom, and teachers? skills in eliciting moral reasoning from students during the discussions. (shrink)

Abstract: This paper represents the attempt to apply to the prison situation the principles of moral development derived from the study of moral development in children. Existing correctional institutions do not provide the kind of experience which would foster moral growth in their inmates. In order for this to happen democratic situations have to be created in which staff and inmates can freely discuss moral issues and where staff are sufficiently aware of the nature of moral development that they can (...) stimulate inmates to move to higher levels of moral thinking. An account is given of preliminary efforts to do just this. (shrink)

Abstract In 1975, the first author became director of a group home for ten delinquent boys. Prior to this time, the home operated on a behaviour?modification philosophy. But during the first author's directorship, the home operated on the ?just community? philosophy stressing moral discussion and participatory democracy in making and enforcing rules and in resolving interpersonal conflicts. During this ?just community? period, residents moved up an average of one?third of a stage in their reasoning on the Kohlberg moral judgement interview. (...) This advance in stage was comparable to that found in good developmental moral education programmes for non?delinquent high school youth. Comparison groups of offenders were studied in a secure behaviour modification programme and a secure transaction analysis programme. Insignificant increase in residents? moral reasoning was found in these programmes. A moral atmosphere interview was also administered to residents in each of the programmes. The just community programme was perceived as highest on the following dimensions: 1. Amount of moral discussion and dialogue 2. Amount of resident power and responsibility for rules and decisions 3. Amount of concern about fairness of rules and policies 4. Amount of self?perceived moral behaviour change The transaction analysis programme was intermediate between the just community programme and the behaviour modification programme on these dimensions. Tentative conclusions are advanced with regard to policies for institutionalized youthful offenders. (shrink)