CONTENTS
EDUP3023
STAGES OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND
RELATED DEVELOPMENT THEORIES:
MORAL DEVELOPMENT
Dr. Mary Wong Siew Lian
Jabatan PIPK
IPG KBL
Activity
Give some examples of moral issues
in the primary classroom
Moral realism stages of development
where children see rules as absolute
if a rule is broken, a child believes that
punishment should be according to how
much damage is done, not by the intention
of the child/not the intention of the child
Morality of cooperation a stage when
children understand that rules can be
changed; when rules are broken, both the
damage done and the intention of the
person will be taken into account
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Moral dilemmas
Stages of Moral Development (Kohlberg)
Alternatives to Kohlbergs theory
Gender differences in moral reasoning
(Gilligan)
Moral issues begin in the classrooms over
dividing and sharing materials
Distributive justice beliefs about how to
divide materials or privileges fairly
Children begin to be exposed to rules and
consequences of breaking them, in the
classroom
Kohlbergs study (1958):
Kohlberg carried out a study with boys from
age 10, 13, 16 years and then followed them
longitudinally over a period of 20 years,
re-interviewing them at 3-4 year intervals
He used clinical interviewing procedure
where he presented both children and adults
with moral dilemmas or hypothetical
situations and evaluated their level of moral
reasoning through their responses
1
 Kohlberg made the following claims
regarding his six stages of moral change:
Kohlberg regarded his moral stages as
invariant and universal (true for people
everywhere and occurs in a fixed order)
Each stage is the foundation for the next
stage of moral reasoning
Each stage was seen as an organized whole
a qualitatively distinct structure of moral
that a person applies across a wide range of
situations
Kohlbergs Stages of Moral Development
Based on his longitudinal study involving a
group of males, Kohlberg put forward
the following levels and stages of moral
development:
Level Moral Reasoning
2 Conventional judgment is based on others approval,
family expectations, traditional values, the laws of
society, and loyalty to country
Stage 3: Good boy-good girl orientation
Good means nice. It is determined by what pleases,
aids and is approved by others
Stage 4: Law and order orientation
Laws are absolute. Authority must be respected and the
social order maintained
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Moral reasoning is promoted by factors:
Disequilibrium (actively trying to solve a
dilemma)
Gains in perspective taking which enable an
individual to resolve moral conflicts in
increasingly complex and effective ways
An example of a moral dilemma:
Study the following moral dilemma
What would you do if you were in the mans
shoes?
Level Moral Reasoning
1 Pre-conventional judgment is based on personal
needs and others rules; morality is externally
controlled
Stage 1: Punishment-obedience orientation
Rules are obeyed to avoid punishment. A good or bad
action is determined by its physical consequences
Stage 2: Personal reward / instrumental purpose
orientation
Personal needs determine right and wrong. Favors are
returned along the lines of You scratch my back, Ill
scratch yours
Level Moral Reasoning
3 Post-conventional or Principled Level
Move beyond unquestioning support for the rules and laws of
society; defines morality in terms of abstract principles and
values that apply to all situations and societies
Stage 5: Social-contract orientation
Good is determined by socially agreed-upon standards of
individual rights; individuals regard laws and rules as flexible
instruments that cam be changed to suit the individual rights and
the interests of the majority
Stage 6: Universal ethical principle orientation
Good and right are matters of individual conscience and involve
abstract concepts of justice, human dignity and equality; right
action is defined by self-chosen ethical principles of conscience
that are valid for all humanity regardless of law and social
agreement
2
 Development of moral reasoning is a slow
and gradual process
According to Kohlberg, each moral stage
requires certain cognitive and perspective-
taking capacities
Individuals move through the first four stages
in the predicted order, without skipping steps
or returning to less mature reasoning after
attaining a stage
In Europe, a woman was near death from
cancer. There was one drug that the doctors
thought might save her. A druggist in the
same town had discovered it, but he was
charging ten times what the drug cost him to
make. The sick womans husband, Heinz, went
to everyone he knew to borrow the money,
but he could only get together half of what it
cost. The druggist refused to sell the drug for
less or let Heinz pay later. So, Heinz got
desperate and broke into the mans store to
steal the drug for his wife. Should Heinz have
done that? Why or why not?
(paraphrased from Colby et al., 1983, p.77)
Moral reasoning for answer at Level 2:
(Laws are regarded as absolute and
unalterable)
Answer at Level 3:
It is not wrong to steal because human life
must be preserved
The worth of a human life is greater than
the worth of property
(Considers the underlying values that might
be involved in the decision)
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Stage 1 and Stage 2 decrease from late
childhood to early adolescence
Stage 3 increases and becomes more common
by the end of teenage years, when
adolescents begin reasoning at Stage 4
Among college-educated young adults, Stage
4 is the typical response; few people move
beyond it. Moral reasoning at Stages 5 and 6
are rather rare
Answer at Level 1:
It is wrong to steal because you might get
caught
(Reflects childs egocentrism; I might get
caught and punished)
Answer at Level 2:
It is wrong to steal because it is against the
Law
It is right to steal because the man means
well but he will still have to pay the
druggist when he can or accept the penalty
for breaking the law
ALTERNATIVES TO KOHLBERGS THEORY
Kohlbergs Theory has been criticized
(1) In reality the stages do not seem to be
separate, sequenced and consistent, e.g.
when asked to reason about helping
someone else versus meeting their own
needs, both children and adolescents
reason at higher levels than when asked to
reason about breaking the law or risking
punishment
3
 (2) In everyday life, making moral choices
involves more than reasoning. Emotions,
competing goals, relationships, cultural
norms, and practical considerations all
affect choices. People may be able to reason
at higher levels but make choices at lower
levels based on these other factors. Kohlberg
emphasized cognitive reasoning about
morality but overlooked other aspects of
moral maturity such as character and virtue
GENDER DIFFERENCES IN MORAL
REASONING (GILLIGANS THEORY)
Gilligan argued that Kohlbergs theory does
not adequately represent the morality of girls
and women
Gilligan believed that feminine morality
emphasizes an ethic of care that is not
present in Kohlbergs theory
She argued that there has been too much
attention to rights and justice (a masculine
ideal) and too little of emphasis on caring
and responsiveness (a feminine ideal)
Actually, studies (Eisenberg, Martin, & Fabes,
1996; Turiel, 1998) have found few
significant differences between men and
women, or boys and girls, in their level of
moral reasoning as measured by Kohlbergs
procedures
Even though men and women both seem to
value caring and justice, there is some
evidence that in everyday life, women feel
more guilty about violating caring norms
(being inconsiderate or untrustworthy)
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(3) Cultural differences in moral reasoning
Stages 5 and 6 are biased in favor of
Western male values that emphasize
individualism. Others question the
applicability of this stage. Kohlberg later
suggested Stages 5 & 6 be combined
(4) The Stage theory was based on a
longitudinal study of males only; it cannot
be generalized to females as well
Gilligan proposed a different sequence of
moral development: an ethic of care (ethic
- moral principles held an individual/group)
Gilligan suggests that morality in an
individual progress in the following sequence:
A focus on self-interest
Moral reasoning based on commitment to
specific individuals and relationships
Morality based on the principles of
responsibility and care for all people
Men feel more guilty when they show violent
behaviors (fight or damaging property)
(William & Bybee, 1994)
Women are somewhat more likely to use a
care orientation, but both men and women
can use both orientations (Skoe, 1998)
4
 Implications of Kohlbergs Theory and
moral reasoning
Teachers should try to create a moral
atmosphere in the classroom
Suggestions for creating a moral atmosphere
in the classroom:
Establish a community of mutual respect
and warmth with a fair and consistent
application of rules
Teachers responses should be appropriate
to the domain of the behavior moral or
rule / conventional issue
Example of moral issue:
Encourage perspective-taking: Mohan, how
would you feel if someone stole from you?
When someone did something hurtful,
emphasize the harm done: Ahmad, that
really hurt Zainal
Rule or conventional issue:
Reminder: Liza, you are not supposed to
talk when I am talking!
Command: Julie, stop yelling!

Research suggests that peer interaction
during which they confront one another
with differing viewpoints promotes moral
understanding
Facilitate moral reasoning in a warm, friendly,
non-threatening way rather than using a
lecture, threats, or making sarcastic remarks

Peer discussions and role-playing of moral Moral values are caught, not taught
problems also improve moral understanding
Moral values, judgments and behaviors are
The teacher can achieve that by creating also deeply embedded in the individuals
learning situations where children get to faith
work together, discuss, simulate, and share
ideas

Religious and spiritual ideas often serve as

moral forces in their lives

Religious involvement provides children and

adults with expanded caring social networks
that foster moral maturity and opportunities
for social and civic engagements

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