Integrating Moral and Social Development Within Middle School Social Studies: A Social Cognitive Domain Approach

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This symposium includes three papers presenting activities, and outcomes of the first full-scale application of social cognitive domain theory preparing teachers to integrate development of students’ reasoning about societal convention and morality within lessons on World and American History. Goals were to enhance student motivation and engagement in learning of the regular academic content while stimulating development within the moral and social conventional domains and capacity to coordinate across domains; and to enhance the likelihood that teachers would continue incorporating these lessons in their teaching after the end of the research. Outcomes were largely supportive of the project goals. Measures used to assess moral development and social convention included the first application of a domain theory-based measure of moral growth.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Moral Development and Education

Chair

• Larry P. Nucci, University of California

Papers

• Preparing Middle School History Teachers to Integrate Moral Development Within Academic Instruction: The Basic Framework - Larry P. Nucci, University of California

• Preparing Middle School Teachers to Incorporate Moral Development in Academic Instruction: Teacher and Classroom Outcomes - Deborah Powers, University of California - Berkeley

• Preparing Urban Middle School Teachers to Incorporate Moral Development in Academic Instruction: Student Outcomes - Michael Walden Creane, University of California - Berkeley

Discussant

• Marvin W. Berkowitz, University of Missouri