What To Teach in Moral Education: Lessons From Research On Age and Sex Differences in Adult Moral Reasoning

Abstract

Research on moral reasoning in adults has developed largely on the basis of studies involving students in the age range 18-25 years. Until recently, this research also was characterized by a disproportionate use of male subjects. Over a period of five years, the authors and their colleagues conducted a series of studies aimed at clarifying the nature of sex differences and age differences in the moral reasoning of adults in three broad age groupings - under 25, 35-50, and over 60. This paper attempts to summarize the major conclusions from this body of research and to use it as the basis for suggesting changes in both the content and the teaching methodology used in programs of moral education for both adults and children.