Facilitating development of four moral concepts among kindergarten and first-grade children.

Abstract

This article reports the results of a study of the effects of a training program designed to facilitate moral development in four specific areas: independence of sanctions, immanent justice, rules in games, and understanding punishment. Included were 58 kindergarten and 60 first-grade children of both sexes, divided equally into treatment and control groups. Children in the treatment groups were read stories designed to stimulate discussion concerning the solution to moral issues presented in the stories. All children were individually pre-and posttested with questions following the presentation of stories. The children in the experimental groups, compared with those in the control groups, improved significantly (p < .01) following the brief training program in three of the four areas: immanent justice, rules in games, and understanding punishment.

Moral Reasoning in Young Children: A Review of Research into Intentionality and Implications for Education

“…On the other hand, Larry Jensen (see Jensen and Murray, 1978) has advanced the view that moral training in young children is better achieved through less formal means such as group discussion in which individual children are exposed to the viewpoints of others. Further research is required into these issues.…”