Abstract:
The main purpose of this study was to examine the development of moral judgment in a sample of Portuguese children within a piagetian framework. The instrument used for this effect was the Moral Development Scale (MDS) recently prepared by Kurtines Pimm and Pimm (1981). The MDS was individually administered to 140 children (10 boys and 10 girls of each age level) who, in the Spring, 1986, attended 3 kindergarten and 3 elementary schools of the town of Coimbra in Portugal. The results of the data analysis showed that the frequency of autonomous answers increased with age although at a variable pace in the different dimensions of moral judgment assessed by this, scale. No significant effect of the variable sex was found. Finally, a systematic analysis of the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of MDS indicated that it was a valid and reliable instrument. Suggestions for future studies with this Scale are presented.
Description:
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