This empirical study aimed at determining any
significant difference in level of moral judgment
between behaviourally handicapped adolescent clinic
school pupils of normal intelligence (experimental
group) and a matched sample of non-behaviourally
handicapped pupils (control group). Moral judgment
level was measured in terms of Global stage Scores and
Weighted Average Scores using Kohlberg's Moral Judgment
Interviews and standard Issue scoring. Secondary aims
were to determine whether the data obtained indicated
significant sex differences in level of moral judgment
and to compare the mean level of moral judgment of the
experimental and control groups with existing research.
A statement and motivation of the problem and clarification of concepts were followed by an evaluation of
applicable pre-Kohlbergian research, the philosophical
foundations of Kohlberg’s theory and the theory itself.
This was followed by an examination of the methods of
research and the empirical study. The data generated
indicated a significant difference in mean level of
moral judgment between the research groups in favour of
the control group when controlling for age, gender and
socio-economic status. This difference was highlighted
by comparisons with existing research. No significant
gender differences in moral judgment were found.
Important conclusions reached were: - Experimental group pupils were retarded in level
of' moral judgment and, unlike the pupils in the
control group, most had not yet reached stage 3
moral reasoning. - Sex differences in moral judgment were not found
as is predicted in Kohlbergian theory (Colby & Kohlberg, 1987: 130). - Sub-group comparisons indicated chronological age to be an important factor in the measurement of
moral judgment. The research findings imply that: - Attempts should be made to raise the level of moral judgment of pupils like those in the experimental group specifically, but also that of all pupils. - Planned moral education programmes can ignore sex differences, but not chronological age. - Varied research into moral judgment is necessary. / Dissertation (MEd)--PU for CHO, 1990
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/10350 |
| Date | January 1990 |
| Creators | Johnson, Rowan Alexander |
| Publisher | Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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