This article identifies theoretical and practical resources for practitioners and researchers working toward cultivating character and moral judgment in youth. In doing this, the article draws on a 3-year study on character education in U.K. schools completed by the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham and…

This paper discusses the use of an alternative instrument to assess the social-emotional competence (SEC) of secondary school students in Singapore. The instrument was used in a larger study to explore an approach to infuse social-emotional learning in the curriculum for children in school. The design of this research instrument is based on the…

Although sports are popular activities for adolescents, the emphasis on winning at all costs, prevalent in adult competition models, might hinder moral development in youth. Therefore, this article reports the results of two studies investigating adolescent attitudes toward the acceptance of sports aggression from an integrated theoretical…

This study explored the moral reasoning and scientific argumentation skills of 31 gifted Finnish adolescents participating in a science program at the University of Helsinki. Students were given the Defining Issues Test (DIT) to determine their level of moral reasoning and the Raven test to evaluate their scientific reasoning. The argumentation…

Discusses the Defining Issues Test as an invaluable tool for research and practice in moral education. Explains that because such instruments are based upon previous developmental research, they are unsuitable for research on moral development. Argues that these measures stand in the way of generating new knowledge. (CAJ)

Discusses three core moral judgement ideas: (1) modern schema theory, (2) automatic decision-making frequency, and (3) implicit processes as the default mode of human information processing. Compares the Defining Issues Test (measures the beginnings of moral judgement) and the Lawrence Kohlberg Moral Judgement Interview (measures the highest level…

Gifted adolescents who attended a one-month intensive summer institute were administered the Defining Issues Test, which measures levels of moral development. Results indicated that the students (n=167) received scores above the norm for their age range. (Author/JDD)

Replicates and extends to older adolescents previous findings of factorial independence between IQ and daydreaming in both gifted and average children and young adolescents. Also aims to relate to the development of moral reasoning ability research findings of a decline in guilt and fear-of-failure daydreams among children, adolescents, and…

A comparison of the two leading indices of moral development, the Defining Issues Test and the Moral Dilemma Interview, was made using 215 subjects ranging in age from 12 to 25. Correlation between the two tests was low when age, socioeconomic status, and intelligence variables were partialed out. (Author/SS)

This literature review examines the potential of selective recall for assessing level of moral reasoning. Rest's Defining Issues Test was administered to five individuals to test the applicability of certain principles of selective recall in assessing moral reasoning. (IAH)

Examined whether a relationship exists between family adaptability and cohesion and principled moral reasoning. The moral reasoning level of 131 adolescents was measured using the Defining Issues Test, and levels of perceived family adaptability and cohesion were measured using Family and Adaptability and Cohesion Scales. No significant…

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between moral judgment and personality or attitude toward authority; variation of attitude toward authority through adolescence; and bias of Kohlbergian moral development toward a liberal political philosophy. Results were discussed in terms of the political and psychological features of…

Among Koreans tested on Rest's Defining Issues Test, females, urban people, and older subjects showed significantly more responses demonstrating principled morality than did males, rural people, and younger subjects. Comparisons with American results showed greater age differences in stages of moral development among Americans. Both groups showed…

Using 3 psychological scales, this study examined the level of emotional intelligence, moral judgment, and leadership of more than 200 gifted high school students who participated in an accelerative academic program or an enrichment leadership program through a university-based gifted institute. Major findings include that on emotional…