Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Publication Date

7-6-1979

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine the effect of a cognitive-developmental moral discussion course on the moral reasoning of pre-student teachers as measured by scores on the Defining Issues Test. The specific objective of the course was to facilitate the advancement to postconventional (principled) thinking.

The population for the study consisted of 63 students enrolled in the pre-student teacher program at the University of New Mexico. From this population, 13 pre-student teacher volunteers became the experimental group. Those who did not volunteer became the control group.

The experimental group participated in the cognitive-developmental discussion course for a total of 19 hours during fall semester, 1970. The control group received no treatment. Pretests and posttests were administered to both the experimental 9roup and the control group.

The parametric independent samples t -test was used to compare mean gain scores between the experiment al group and the control group. Eight null hypotheses were not rejected. There were no significant differences between the experimental group and the control group for (l) principled thinking, (2) antiestablishment thinking, (3) clarification of thought concerning moral values, (4) Stage 2 thinking, (5) Stage 3 thiI1lking, (6) Stage SA thinking,

(7) Stage SB thinking, (8) Stage 6 thinking. One hypothesis was rejected. A significant difference was found at the adjusted p < 05 level between the two groups for Stage 4 thinking. The result of the cognitive-developmental moral discussion was a significant gain in Stage 4 (conventional thinking) by the experirmental group. Consequently, the research does not support the view that this discussion course can stimulate the moral reasoning of pre-student teachers to postconventional (principled) thinking.

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Degree Name

Secondary Education

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

<--Please Select Department-->

First Committee Member (Chair)

Roderic L. Wagoner

Second Committee Member

Thomas Venardos

Third Committee Member

William Barton Runge

Fourth Committee Member

Elizabeth I. Walls

Fifth Committee Member

Charles Roe Stoughton

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