A replication of earlier research, this study investigates the relationship between moral reasoning and classroom conduct. According to Kohlberg (1978), children who reason at preconventional levels (Stages 1 and 2) would be likely to disrupt a classroom, while children who reason at the conventional levels (Stages 3 and 4) should cause less…

It was hypothesized that (1) classroom conduct problems decline with increasing moral maturity, and (2) Stage 1 and Stage 3 levels of moral reasoning are associated with fewer conduct problems. In a study involving fourth and eighth graders, children with moral reasoning at Stage 1 and Stage 3 had fewer conduct problems than other children. (LB)