The role of the family environment in the development of young children's moral reasoning

Parents and educators are frequently heard discussing the negative behaviors of today's youth. These negative behaviors include acts of varying degrees of seriousness which extend from rudeness, lack of manners, cheating, and lying to disrespect for other's property and a general lack of respect for the value of life. As a result, parents and educators are forced to ask themselves why these negative behaviors occur so often. One of the most common responses is that the youth of today lack respect for others and their property. Indeed, if children respected the rights of others and considered the justice and welfare of other persons during their daily interactions, these behaviors might not take place. Thus, the question becomes not why are these negative behaviors occurring, but how can we, as parents and educators, promote the moral development of children to their highest potential.

The key to promoting moral behavior lies in understanding the development of moral reasoning in young children. Although moral reasoning ability does not predict moral behavior in any given situation, moral reasoning ability provides the necessary foundation for increasing the likelihood of moral behavior across many situations (Damon, 1988; Kohlberg, 1981; Piaget, 1965). Thus, ensuring that each child attains his or her highest potential level of moral reasoning results in each child having the resources necessary to guide his or her behavior across social situations. In order to know how to best promote the development of moral reasoning, we must first understand how children's moral reasoning develops.

The purpose of the present study is to increase understanding of the development of young children's moral reasoning. Young children were chosen in order to target the point at which children begin to reason morally. Research has shown that at age four or five, children become capable of moral reasoning (Piaget, 1981; Wadsworth, 1989).