An evaluation of the level of the moral judgment of behaviourally handicapped adolescent clinic school pupils of normal intelligence

[摘要] This empirical study aimed at determining anysignificant difference in level of moral judgmentbetween behaviourally handicapped adolescent clinicschool pupils of normal intelligence (experimentalgroup) and a matched sample of non-behaviourallyhandicapped pupils (control group). Moral judgmentlevel was measured in terms of Global stage Scores andWeighted Average Scores using Kohlberg's Moral JudgmentInterviews and standard Issue scoring. Secondary aimswere to determine whether the data obtained indicatedsignificant sex differences in level of moral judgmentand to compare the mean level of moral judgment of theexperimental and control groups with existing research.A statement and motivation of the problem and clarification of concepts were followed by an evaluation ofapplicable pre-Kohlbergian research, the philosophicalfoundations of Kohlberg's theory and the theory itself.This was followed by an examination of the methods ofresearch and the empirical study. The data generatedindicated a significant difference in mean level ofmoral judgment between the research groups in favour ofthe control group when controlling for age, gender andsocio-economic status. This difference was highlightedby comparisons with existing research. No significantgender differences in moral judgment were found.Important conclusions reached were: - Experimental group pupils were retarded in levelof' moral judgment and, unlike the pupils in thecontrol group, most had not yet reached stage 3moral reasoning. - Sex differences in moral judgment were not foundas is predicted in Kohlbergian theory (Colby & Kohlberg, 1987: 130). - Sub-group comparisons indicated chronological age to be an important factor in the measurement ofmoral 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.

[发布机构] North-West University