CURRICULUM GUIDE FOR S.C. TEACHER CADET COURSE | EXPERIENCING EDUCATION, TENTH EDITION
Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development
Stage One:
Preconventional Stage
In this stage, the child makes moral decisions based on reward and
punishment. In other words, moral reasoning is based on the consequences of the act. The child thinks something is right if it is praised
(e.g., sharing toys) or wrong if it is punished (e.g., saying "bad" words).
The child does not consider the act itself. Thus, the child has a very
selfish orientation to right and wrong.
Substage 1. Obedience and
Punishment
The child does not understand the conventions of society. Fear is his
motivation. He obeys to avoid punishment.
Substage 2. Reciprocity
The child shares if others share and hurts if others hurt. These actions
come not from a sense of justice or gratitude, but from a selfish sort of
"back scratching."
Stage Two:
Conventional Stage
The child wants to please others, such as parents and teachers, and so
he goes by the rules. Moral reasoning is based on compliance with the
rules and values of society. Something is right if the church or teachers
say it is right; something is wrong if society says so. The child is obsessed with the idea of fairness.
Substage 3. Good Child
The child is concerned with what others think and conforms in order to
be liked by authority figures and others.
Substage 4. Law and Order
The child sees rules as absolute. He believes that rules are rules and
should be obeyed simply because they are rules. He does not examine
the fairness of the rules themselves.
In this stage, the child or person goes beyond hims V