THE EFFECTS OF MORAL EDUCATION ON DELINQUENTS AND PREDELINQUENTS
Abstract
The study analyzed the impact of a moral discussion group, based on the work of Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg, on the moral reasoning of delinquent and predelinquent adolescent males. The research was conducted in a school servicing an institutionalized delinquent and predelinquent population and in a day school program servicing a similar population who were not institutionalized. In each facility, the moral discussion group was compared to a placebo group receiving a values clarification program which was similar in content to the moral discussion group approach and a control group which received no treatment. The results, based on Kohlberg's moral judgment interview process, indicated that an application of Kohlberg's principles as operationalized through the moral discussion group has a significant impact on the moral reasoning ability of delinquent and predelinquent adolescents as compared to a placebo group and a control group. The findings also indicated that gains in moral reasoning do not necessarily lead to improved classroom behaviors. Finally, a comparison of results for the two schools suggest that school environmental factors may interact with project variables to limit or negate gains which can occur as a result of the moral discussion experience.
Subject Area
Educational psychology
Recommended Citation
NILES, WILLIAM JEREMIAH, "THE EFFECTS OF MORAL EDUCATION ON DELINQUENTS AND PREDELINQUENTS" (1983). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI8308486.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI8308486
