Question

Which statement best describes moral development in younger versus older school-age children?

a. younger children know rules/behaviours expected of them, but do not understand reasons behind them, while older children grasp rules/expectations in larger context
b. the standards of behaviour come from within themselves in younger children while older children are influenced by peers
c. younger children don not interpret accidents/misfortunes as punishment for misdeeds while older children see accidents as 'bad karma'
d. younger children do not yet experience a sense of guilt when they misbehave, while older children do

Answer 1

The best description of moral development compares younger children who don't understand the reasoning behind rules to older children who start to see rules in a broader societal context, a concept derived from Kohlberg's stages of moral development.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that best describes moral development in younger versus older school-age children is: 'Younger children know rules/behaviours expected of them, but do not understand reasons behind them, while older children grasp rules/expectations in larger context'. According to Lawrence Kohlberg's theory, younger children are typically in the pre-conventional stage of moral development where they understand the world sensually and lack higher cognitive abilities to understand the reasons behind rules. As children grow older and reach adolescence, they enter the conventional stage where they become more aware of others' feelings and societal expectations of morality. Meanwhile, the postconventional stage, often not fully attained until adulthood, involves thinking about morality in abstract terms, such as justice, rights, and the common good.

Additionally, Carol Gilligan's research suggests that gender may influence moral reasoning, with boys tending to focus on justice perspective while girls may focus more on care and responsibility. However, it's important to note that there can be a difference between moral reasoning and moral behavior, as sometimes actions do not align with expressed beliefs.