The Moral Reasoning and Scientific Argumentation of Gifted Adolescents

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the moral reasoning and scientific argumentation of Finnish adolescents who are gifted in science. The pupils (N = 31) participated in the gifted program at the University of Helsinki. The general intellectual ability of these students was measured by the Raven test (SMP), and their moral reasoning was measured by the Defining Issues Test (DIT). In qualitative essays and interviews, the pupils were asked to identify moral dilemmas in science and provide solutions to them. Pupils’ argumentation skills were analyzed with the model developed by Toulmin (1958). Two illustrative cases of students who had either average or high scores in the DIT are presented with qualitative analysis of their argumentation in solving a moral dilemma in archeological studies in graves. The findings show that the students identified different relevant aspects in discussing the same moral dilemma. Furthermore, the principles and values used in solving the dilemma reveal qualitative differences in students’ moral sensitivity.

Socio-Scientific Discussions as a Way to Improve the Comprehension of Science and the Understanding of the Interrelation between Species and the Environment

“…Results showed that Science topics within a social context generate moral dilemmas. Tirri and Pehkonen (2002) support what Sadler and Zeidler (2003) suggest. They observed that students with the highest scientific skills were not always the ones with the highest moral reasoning skills.…”

“…Some authors have observed that when Science lessons are learned without reference to social context they do not generate moral dilemmas (Clarkeburn et al 2002;Settelmaier 2003;Tirri and Pehkonen 2002;Walker et al 2000). These authors report that in order to promote moral development in students, Science classes should include discussions related to ethical aspects of Science relevant to the students.…”

“…As Tirri and Pehkonen (2002), Walker et al (2000) observed that moral dilemmas present in Science do not only relate with the scientific knowledge of students but also with their social and cultural backgrounds. They collected data from interviews, observations and questionnaires about ethical dilemmas in Science given to high school and first semester university students and found that students gave different interpretations and solutions to ethical dilemmas in Science according to their different beliefs, experiences and social contexts.…”

Character Education of Adolescents: A Case Study of a Research Center

“…Ahlaki ikilemlerden karakter eğitiminin toplumsal sorunlarla ilişikilendirilerek verilmesinde yararlanılabilir. Tirri ve Pehkonen (2002) fen alanındaki üstün yetenekli ergenlerin ahlaki sorgulama ve bilimsel tartışmalarını incelemiştir. Çalışmanın sonuçları öğrencilerin tartışmadaki ahlaki ikilemle ilgili farklı boyutları betimlediklerini göstermiştir.…”

Moral reasoning and its correlates in job applicants

“…Hernstein and Murray (14), for example, claim that people with lower IQ are more prone to deviant and criminal behaviour, while those with IQ above 125 (so called »cognitive elite«) commit crimes to a much lesser extent, engage less in excessive consumption of drugs and alcohol, have lower unemployment rate, and are usually successful in their careers. In addition, a whole series of studies has reported that gifted individuals have better developed moral reasoning than their peers (15)(16)(17).…”