Innovation In Russian Moral Education: A Study Of The Impact Of A New Program On The Sociomoral Judgment And Meaning In Life Of Russian Adolescents

Abstract

This study has examined recent innovations in Russian moral education that emerged during the mid 1990s. Specifically, it examined the impact of a new program called, My World and I on Russian adolescents' sociomoral judgment and sense of meaning in life. This study also explored the relationship between these two outcome variables. Treatment schools satisfied criteria of sufficient program implementation as evidenced by the collection and coding of qualitative data. Comparison students came from schools of similar type and from the same region as treatment schools. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected at pre and post tests, in October, 1998 and April, 1999 respectively. The Russian version of the Sociomoral Reflection, Measure - Short Form was developed and used for the first time. The study also utilized a five component model for assessing the implementation of moral education programs. Results showed that participation in the My World and I program did not significantly increase students' moral stage development, moral type thinking or sense of meaning in life. Gains in stage level of sociomoral judgment occurred in the combined sample and for both groups, but these gains were not significantly higher for treatment students. There was no significant increase in moral type thinking in either comparison or treatment group from pre to post test. Sense of meaning in life increased significantly for the comparison group only. A significant correlation between sociomoral judgment and meaning in life was found. Discussion of results examines reasons that the expected outcomes did not occur, such as the ceiling effect of pretest moral judgment scores and the need for more teacher training in moral education methods. Also discussed is the relationship between moral judgment and meaning, the need to examine program effects on different variables and populations and the possible effect of current economic and social conditions that impact the quality of moral education efforts.