Background: Nomothetic, group differential, and idiographic approaches are all needed to fully understand youth development. However, most research on youth character development has traditionally relied on either the nomothetic approach to study whole sample changes or the differential approach to study changes in predefined groups (e.g.,…

Children are unique humans and experience varied development even though they are of the same gene or the same sex but grow and develop according to their respective characteristics. Of course, this condition also demands adjustments in providing appropriate and varied stimuli and responses. This study aims to observe the growth and development of…

The moral self-concept (MSC) is an early indicator of how children view themselves as moral agents. It has been proposed that an important feature of an established self-concept (SC) is sufficient coherency in how one views oneself. Furthermore, the MSC is expected to develop into a multidimensional, hierarchical construct which is stable over…

This article explores what it means to flourish in and through education and why we should position such flourishing as an issue of morality. We draw on the capabilities approach (CA) advanced by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum and locate the argument in the practical context of higher education (HE) in unequal societies. We use qualitative data…

Presents a model of moral identity formation. Examines the model using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (Child Sample) to assess the influence of family environment on moral identity formation. Reveals that cognitively- and socially-rich family environments and high levels of adolescent-parent joint activity facilitated…

Reports on two studies of adult moral development, experiences, and education: (1) a longitudinal investigation of moral judgment and reported moral experience and (2) an outcome study on the impact of a moral intervention project with adult undergraduate students. Provides some conclusions applicable to teaching adult moral development. (DSK)

The impact of (1) college experiences, (2) attribution beliefs and attitudes about punitiveness, (3) educational and academic characteristics, and (4) freshmen level of moral judgment development on the level of moral development of upper-division students is reported. For freshmen with high moral reasoning scores, participation in extracurricular…

This study examined relations between internalization of conduct rules and the temperamental quality of inhibitory control in 103 children followed from toddlerhood to early school age; and used recent methodological suggestions to obtain better estimates of stability to examine longitudinal continuity of internalization. Maternal reports of…

Examined changes in prosocial moral reasoning and gender differences in prosocial reasoning over 15 years. Found that hedonistic reasoning declined and then increased somewhat; needs-oriented and stereotypic reasoning increased and then declined with age. Direct reciprocity and approval reasoning showed no decline into early adulthood, contrary to…

Assessed the relationship between a measure of consolidation and transition in moral-judgment development and utility of moral concepts in sociomoral decision making in multiple cross-sectional and longitudinal samples. Found that participants' reliance on a Kohlbergian moral framework was highest during periods of consolidation and lowest during…

Examines changes in attitude toward traditional morality accompanying the change from adolescence to adulthood. Finds that while the transition to adulthood involved changes in attitude, these shifts were not consistent in nature. (FMW)

This longitudinal study examined effects of family socialization on sociomoral reasoning in the context of the peer and parent-child relationships. Subjects were 121 urban Icelandic children. Social class was constructed as a multinominal measure defined by the nature of work, education, authority, and responsibility of the parents in the work…