The following are the objectives of this chapter:

1. Define attitudes and values and describe ways to help students clarify or develop attitudes and values.
   
   
2. Describe the role of classical conditioning and modeling in helping learners develop feelings and attitudes.
   
   
3. Define self concept and describe strategies for helping students develop favorable self concepts.
   
   
4. Describe Kohlberg's stages of moral development and discuss strategies for helping learners move to higher levels of moral reasoning.
   
   
5. Describe strategies for teaching character development.

1. Sandy is tempted to steal some money. She thinks that she can probably do it without getting caught, but then she realizes that this is a violation of the Ten Commandments, and so she decides not to steal it. At what stage is Sandy reasoning?

a. Stage 1

b. Stage 2

c. Stage 3

d. Stage 4

e. Stage 5 or 6

2. Rob sees a bully picking on a little kid. He tells the bully to leave the little kid alone, because little kids have rights just like everyone else, and it's not fair for people to push people around just because they are smaller. At what stage is Rob reasoning?

a. Stage 1

b. Stage 2

c. Stage 3

d. Stage 4

e. Stage 5 or 6

3. Tony is trying to select a candidate to vote for in the election. He notices that the candidate favors permitting federal funds to be used for abortions. Tony disagrees with this position, because he feels that life is sacred from the moment of conception. At what stage is Tony reasoning?

a. Stage 1

b. Stage 2

c. Stage 3

d. Stage 4

e. Stage 5 or 6

4. Harold is trying to select a candidate to vote for in the election. He notices that the candidate opposes permitting federal funds to be used for abortions. Harold disagrees with this position, because he feels that it is wrong for people to impose on other people their own beliefs regarding issues on which there is legitimate disagreement. At what stage is Harold reasoning?

a. Stage 1

b. Stage 2

c. Stage 3

d. Stage 4

e. Stage 5 or 6

5. Mike makes fun of a handicapped child having trouble with his studies in school. He reasons that it is OK to do this, because it will impress the other kids, and he wants them to think he is a neat kid. At what stage is Mike reasoning?

a. Stage 1

b. Stage 2

c. Stage 3

d. Stage 4

e. Stage 5 or 6

 

Answers to Moral Development Quiz

1. (d) It sounds like Sandy's reasoning is based on figuring out what the rules are and then following those rules. This is Stage 4 reasoning &endash; the law and order stage.
   
   
2. (e) It sounds like Rob is reasoning at the social contract stage. He's not citing a specific rule against picking on the little kid. Rather, he's reasoning that society would be a better place if people acted on the basis of treating everyone else fairly. Note that Rob's reasoning to the bully was based at a much lower level. Rob did not assume that the bully was an enlightened moral leader.
   
   
3. (e) Tony is apparently reasoning at a social contract or universal ethic stage. Note that if he is reasoning at this stage, he should be capable of listening to and reasoning with someone else who takes an opposite ethical position &endash; for example, by arguing that everyone has the right to follow their own conscience and that therefore a woman should have a right to follow her own conscience in this regard. If Tony is simply repeating a moral teaching that his church has told him he must adhere to, this would be stage 4 reasoning. If he's saying this primarily because he wants the pastor of his church to be pleased with him, this would be stage 3 reasoning.
   
   
4. (e) Harold is apparently reasoning at a social contract or universal ethic stage. Note that if he is reasoning at this stage, he should be capable of listening to and reasoning with someone else who takes an opposite ethical position &endash; for example, by arguing that the right to life takes precedence over the right of another person to exercise an obviously ill-formed conscience. If Harold is simply repeating a moral teaching that his church has told him he must adhere to, this would be stage 4 reasoning. If he's saying this primarily because he wants the pastor of his church to be pleased with him, this would be stage 3 reasoning.
   
   
5. (c) Mike is trying to receive the social approval of other people he cares about. This is stage 3 reasoning. Of course, Mike is doing something that appears to be wrong. One of the shortcomings of stage 3 reasoning is that if the person seeks the approval of the wrong people, he is likely to reason that it is OK to do things that most people would consider to be wrong.