As summarized in Woolfolk
(2001), Lawrence Kohlberg proposed
that there are three levels of moral development:
(1) preconventional - judgments
based on personal needs
(2) conventional - judgments based
on external entities (law, family)
(3) postconventional - judgments
based on socially determined norms and personal or abstract ethics
Perhaps the most important precept to Kholberg's theory is the
notion that growth into higher levels of moral development is
contingent upon the learner's ability to adopt perspectives
beyond their own, to understand that the consequences
of certain actions or decisions extend to other individuals.
Kholberg's theory has been criticized
(p. 80) for not differentiating
between social conventions (such as "Don't eat with your
hands") and true moral issues (such as "good children
don't steal").
Carol Gilligan has criticized Kholberg's theory for being heavily
biased toward males. Her Ethic of Caring
theory proposes that:
"individuals move from a focus on
self interests, to moral reasoning
based on commitment to specific
individuals and relationships, and then to the highest level
of morality based on the principles
of responsibility and care for all people." (p.80)
Nel Noddings (1995) extended Gilligans theory to include instructional
themes based on caring as a means to promote character education.
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