Moral development in children Essays

Moral development in children Essays Moral development in children Essay Moral development in children Essay The purpose of this essay is to create a body of knowledge for follow-on research in the field of the impact of different factors on moral development of children. For this purpose information was gathered through the study and analysis of materials presented in books, research journals, and professional publications so as to determine: Who holds the responsibility for moral development of children? On initial consideration, the question posed here seemed to bracket nicely few main points of the subject, but that impression appeared to be wide of the mark, especially when it came to making judgments concerning the notions of morals and morality. Really, what is a morality? What does it mean to be a moral person? Our values, both moral and non-moral, were acquired along with our basic language and socialized behaviours when we were young children and come from some very strong traditions that are part of our societies and our cultures.Law, religion, our family and peer group all tell us what we ought to do, but following these more traditional oughts does not necessary constitute a moral life. A great number of people, however, do live long and useful lives without ever consciously defining or systematically considering the values or moral rules that guide their social, personal, and work lives. During most of our lives we simply decided what was right and did it. Websters Dictionary, Tenth Edition, defines morality as conformity to the ideals of right human conduct; virtue. The Oxford English Dictionary defines morality as the doctrine of right and wrong in human conduct; conformity to conventional rules by religion or other spiritual influences. However, the terms right or wrong and right human conduct are totally subjective: they have different meanings to different people. Who decides what is right or wrong? Is our moral decision just as simple as the proverbial coin toss? Who sets the standards and norms? Probably, there is no easy answer to any of these questions, neither is there a single universal definition of the notions.One of the most wide-ranging descriptions of morality, where words right and wrong are avoided, belongs to Russian psychologist Rubenstein, who believes that morality is conformity and devotion to a set of standards initiated and/or accepted by an individual; an individuals active adherence to his accepted standards for the duration of his existence. (Rubenstein, 1982, p. 129-130) As in many areas of educational research, the field of moral education is full of controversy, which is directly connected with the debate about the definition of morality.These debates are not lim ited to psychological accounts of the nature of morals, but also include the questions of childrens moral development, extending to their general development and to the very definition of educational aims in this area. Moral development should be related to all the fields that use the word development. In ways that are not easily measurable, moral development has some connection to physical, social, political, religious, and other kinds of development.And, of course, economics being so central to development, one must ask about the correlation of moral development and economic development. To ask about this relation may seem to be a silly question, but perhaps it is just an embarrassing one. (G. Moran) Children develop morality slowly, and in stages. Each stage, beginning from the preschool years and continuing even in the adult years, has its own theory and idea of what is good and right and different reasons why people should be good. Each stage brings a person closer to mature m oral development.These issues have been approached by many psychologists, but the most prominent input into this research was done by Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg. The purpose of Piagets studies was to investigate the growth of moral judgement in children. However, he did not merely seek to examine their moral behaviour, but tried to establish the degree to which children at any given age and stage can reason morally, so that we may know the framework within which we must operate when we seek to help them to develop the moral standards acceptable in our society. (Brearley, 1968, p. 120).Piaget discovered that young children have a much more primitive understanding of right and wrong behaviour than older children: they judge bad behaviour by the amount of damage caused by a persons behaviour. Kohlberg carried Piagets work into adolescence and adulthood. According to Kohlberg (1984, p. 67) there are three levels of moral development with two stages in each. During the first leve l (Pre-conventional) children are concerned with avoiding punishment (Stage 1: Punishment-Obedience) and getting ones own needs met (Stage 2: Individualism).This level and its stages fit into the framework of young children up to the age of ten years. During the second level (Conventional) children are more concerned with living up to the expectations of others (Stage 3: Interpersonal Conformity) and want to do the right thing because it is good for the group, family, or institution (Stage 4: Social System and Conscience). This level and its stages fit children over the age of ten years and on to adulthood. The third level is called Post-conventional. During this level individuals govern their behaviour by the relative values and opinions of the groups they live and interact with.Right behaviour is based on a social contract (Stage 5: Social Contract and Individual Rights) with others and in the validity of universal moral principles (Stage 6: Universal/Ethical Principles), which ma y or may not agree with societies laws. Laws that agree with universal moral principles are obeyed but when those laws violate these principles, the individual follows the principles instead. There are many other theories and approaches to this issue, but our question is about another aspect of the matter: who is responsible for moral development of children?To answer this question, first of all we need to determine the circle of possible relationships that can influence childs moral development. Of course, in the widest sense, all relationships may be regarded as part of social development, but the earlier, more personal relationships have a great impact on the process of moral development. Morality is not something that is practised in isolation. Morality is, among other things, an aspect of out relationship with other people. And anything which diminishes our ability to make such relationships successful diminishes also our capacity for moral actions. (Williams, 1970, p. 109) The moral development of a very young child brings out the interrelation of all ages. One cannot describe the moral development of infants without referring to the moral development of parents and grandparents. Parenting a child is one of lifes great moral adventures, and so is the childing of ones parents. (Rubenstein, 1982, p. 89) Moral life is shaped by our responses to a pattern of relations. The responses in the relation of adult and child are not equal, but the process can still have a degree of mutuality.We often underestimate the infants power of receptivity to moral influence. Robert Coles (1997, p. 45) states that character or moral development is an interaction between nature and nurture, which takes place in a very early age. It develops as a result of parental interaction, balanced discipline styles, and a childs own choices. Children learn about right from wrong from their earliest experiences. When they need nurturing or feeding and parents fulfil that need without exce ssive indulgence, then children develop characters that accept rules and tolerate frustrations later in life.The infant needs to know that he is merely a self among other selves, that he is not omnipotent, that other people have need and feelings too. (Williams, 1970, p. 37) There are two sides of discipline and the parents aim is to try balancing them. Too much love and a child becomes spoiled, expecting their every want and need to be met regardless of other peoples wants and needs. According to Huxley (1985, p. 17), this causes children to be stuck in the early stages of moral development based on selfish individualism.Thats fine for a two-year-old, tolerable in a six-year-old, and obnoxious in a twelve-year-old or older. Too many limits and the child develop a low sense of worth and a lack of self-control. This usually results in an overly rebellious child or an unhealthy submissive one. (ibid. ) Achieving this balance is difficult. But it is easier to do if discipline is viewe d not just as punishing wrong behaviour, but as a process of shaping character. Parents are not simply setting limits. They are teaching how to distinguish right from wrong.It is easier to say no when we know that we are guiding the childs moral development and eventually, his or her social success. As the later stages of moral development reveal, children can make a choice not to follow societys rules or laws. Parents must accept that reality. Thats part of parents on-going moral development. Understanding moral development allows parents to assess their children and have a better target for their individual development. Hopefully, the end result is that our child will be the one who will stop and wait for someone in need, regardless of what the crowd says he or she should do.The ideal is that the child will develop, as Kant put it as a law-making member of a kingdom of ends. He must not only come to know what is in general right or wrong; he must also go beyond this level, so that he sees why such rules are right or wrong and can revise rules and make new ones in the light of new knowledge and new circumstances. (Peters, 1981, p. 33) The described importance of parents influence leads us to the conclusion that a childs moral education is the primary responsibility of the family.Other aspects and factors, other religious and social organizations and institutions can each make their contributions to the process, yet none of them can replace the family. While the school cannot accept the primary responsibility for moral teaching, it still has a significant role to play in the reinforcement of a childs moral understanding and behaviour. The school is a community and should be characterized by courtesy and civility in all its activities, with instruction in specific subject matter informed by moral understanding.Today leading educators no longer see their job primarily to be the teaching only the curriculum subjects. The philosophy of education has undergone a f undamental change. Teachers now perceive their jobs to be the involvement in reshaping of the childs values, beliefs and morals. Teaching is now being viewed as a form of therapy, the classroom as a clinic, and the teacher as a therapist whose job it is to apply psychological techniques in the shaping of the childs personality and values. (G. Moran)

10 Facts on the Geography of Beijing China

10 Facts on the Geography of Beijing China Population: 22,000,000 (2010 estimate)Land Area: 6,487 square miles (16,801 sq km)Bordering Areas: Hebei Province to the north, west, south,  and part of the east and the Tianjin Municipality to the southeastAverage Elevation: 143 feet (43.5 m) Basics About Beijing Beijing is a large city located in northern China. It is also Chinas capital city and it is considered a direct-controlled municipality and, as such, it is controlled directly by Chinas central government instead of a province. Beijing has a very large population at 22,000,000 and it is divided into 16 urban and suburban districts and two rural counties.Beijing is known as being one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China (along with Nanjing, Luoyang and Changan or Xian). It is also a major transportation hub, a political and cultural center of China, and was host to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Geographic Facts The following is a list of ten geographic facts to know about Beijing.1)The name Beijing means Northern Capital but it has been renamed several times in its history. Some of these names include Zhongdu (during the Jin Dynasty) and Dadu (under the Yuan Dynasty). The citys name was also switched from Beijing to Beiping (meaning Northern Peace) twice in its history. After the founding of the Peoples Republic of China,  however, its name officially became Beijing.2) It is believed that Beijing has been inhabited by modern humans for about 27,000 years. In addition, fossils from Homo erectus, dating back to 250,000 years ago have been found in caves in Beijings Fangshan District. Beijings history consists of struggles between various Chinese dynasties which fought for the area and used it as Chinas capital.3) In January 1949, during the Chinese Civil War, Communist forces entered Beijing, then called Beiping, and in October of that year, Mao Zedong announced the creation of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and renamed the city Beijing, its capital. 4) Since the founding of the PRC, Beijing underwent many changes to its physical structure, including the removal of its city wall and the construction of roads intended for cars instead of bicycles. Most recently, land in Beijing has developed at a rapid pace and many historical areas have been replaced by residences and shopping centers.5) Beijing is one of the most developed and industrial areas of China and it was one of the first post-industrial cities (meaning its economy is not based on manufacturing) to emerge in China. Finance is a major industry in Beijing, as is tourism. Beijing also has some manufacturing located on the western outskirts of the city and agriculture is produced outside of major urban areas.6) Beijing is located at the tip of the North China Plain (map) and it is surrounded by mountains to the north, northwest,  and west. The Great Wall of China is located in the northern part of the municipality. Mount Dongling is Beijings highest point at 7,555 feet (2, 303 m). Beijing also has several major rivers flowing through it which include the Yongding and the Chaobai Rivers.7) The climate of Beijing is considered humid continental with hot, humid summers and very cold, dry winters. Beijings summer climate is influenced by the East Asian monsoon. The average July high temperature for Beijing is 87.6 °F (31 °C), while the January average high is 35.2 °F (1.2 °C).8) Because of Chinas rapid growth and the introduction of millions of cars into Beijing and surrounding provinces, the city is known for its poor air quality. As a result, Beijing was the first city in China to require emissions standards to be implemented on its cars. Polluting cars have also been banned from Beijing and are not allowed to even enter the city. In addition to air pollution from cars, Beijing also has air quality problems due to seasonal dust storms that have developed Chinas northern and northwestern deserts due to erosion.9) Beijing is the second-largest (after Chon gqing) of Chinas direct-controlled municipalities. The majority of Beijings population is Han Chinese. Minority ethnic groups include Manchu, Hui and Mongol, as well as several small international communities.10) Beijing is a popular tourist destination within China because it is a center of Chinas history and culture. Many historic architectural sites and several UNESCO World Heritage Sites are within the municipality. For example, The Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City,  and Tiananmen Square are all located in Beijing. In addition, in 2008, Beijing hosted the Summer Olympic Games and sites constructed for the games, such as the Beijing National Stadium are popular.To learn more about Beijing, visit the municipalitys official website.Sources: Wikipedia.com. Beijing - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing