The research presented in this essay is grounded in Social Domain Theory. Research provides substantial evidence that children's social development is characterized by the formation of distinctly different systems of thought, including those in the moral, social-conventional, and personal domains. A main focus here is on morality, defined as…

The problem of motivation is one of the most important in determining the driving mechanisms that force a person to learn, work, master something new. Motivation to work is one of the key elements of challenging yourself on the way to self-development. Motivation has deep psychological and moral roots and is a complex multifaceted phenomenon that…

The educability of personal qualities has garnered attention for its potential to raise student achievement. This investigation asks how one such quality--grit--has become a commonsensical way to think about differences among students. As a history of the present, grit is approached as a cultural thesis that links individualism to narratives of…

These days, problems of relations between the church and the schools are at the focus of attention of sociologists. In present-day Russia, religion, particularly the Orthodox religion, is acknowledged to have the right to contribute to the formation of the Russian state and culture. According to the findings of recent sociological surveys, many…

A study examined Carol Gilligan's theory of moral reasoning, seeking evidence to either support or deny the claim that individuals primarily use one of two different sets of sex-related constructs to arrive at decisions when faced with moral dilemmas. Subjects, 20 young lawyers and psychologists (equally divided as to men and women), were…

Critiques Larry Nucci's argument that for many religious believers, religion and morality cannot be separated. Believes that morality is only weakly independent from religion. Argues that moral education in U.S. public schools needs curricula that help students explore and understand moral rationales and motivations from various cultural and…

Examines the ways that adult narrators address the child reader in fictions written for children in moral education. Analyzes these relationships and considers their pedagogical implications. Specifically considers the personification of children's behavior by animals in these stories and connects this to a shift in the contemporary concept of…

Argues that resistance and subversion are part of life and integral to development in most cultures. Notes that many theories of social and moral development do not account for resistance or view it as anti-social. Demonstrates that social conflict and resistance based on moral aims occur in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. (CAJ)

This report compiles 6 of the 12 papers commissioned for the first Kauffman Early Education Exchange Conference in November 2001 that present the latest findings on the importance of social and emotional aspects of school readiness. The papers also provide evidence of programs that help to prepare young children for early school success. An…

This book is the first volume of a collection of papers from the Seventh Interdisciplinary Conference on Piagetian theory and its implications for the helping professions social work and psychological services. More than 40 papers are included. Areas explored in the papers include development of prosocial behavior in children; the effect of…