Childhood and Growing Up Seminar

 

Childhood and Growing Up

Introduction

I am B.Benoline Chandra has presented a topic, moral development in Childhood and Growing up class (C1) among my peers on 12.3.2021, at 10 a.m. This topic focuses on the meaning and dimension in which the moral development happens. The moral development is a concern for every parent. This topic teaching a child to distinguish right from wrong and to behave accordingly is a goal of parenting.

 Meaning of Moral Development

The term “Moral” is derived from the Latin word. “Mores” meaning manners, customs and folkways. The child has to learn what is good and what is bad, what is right and what is wrong. He has also to learn his duty, all these terms imply clearly that morality has reference to social relationship and social process. Morality is inseparably linked with the social system.

Qualities of Moral Development

Some qualities of moral development are Honesty, Truthfulness, Self-respect, Respect others, Righteousness, Self-control, Duty consciousness, Compassion.

Stages of Moral Development

Children go through stages of moral development, yet unlike physical growth, moral growth doesn’t happen without some input from parents. To develop in to a morally solid person, a child must be given a solid foundation at each stage. Childhood is often divided into five approximate stages of moral development.

Stage 1	Infancy(4weeks-1year)	the child’s only sense of right and wrong;
Stage 2	Toddler Years(1year-2year)	the child learns right and wrong from others;
Stage 3	Preschool (3 to 7 Years)	the child begins to perceive the consequences of behavior;
Stage 4	Ages 8-10	the child begins to question the infallibility of parents, teachers, and other adult;
Stage 5	Preteen and Teenage(11 to 19)	Become increasingly independent, they also develop more nuanced thinking about morality, or what is right or wrong.

 

Stage 1 – Infancy:

An infant does not have the capacity to moralize, other than having a sense of rightness are wrongness as those space feelings apply to him. After nine months of being nurtured in the whom, a baby enters the world expecting that nurturing will continue. Never having been hungry, baby concludes that hungry is wrong; it hurts. Never having been unattended to, baby fined aloneness to be wrong; it’s carry scary. Never out of touch, has baby known that unresponsiveness is wrong. Being in arms, at breast, and responded to field’s right! Baby feels she is the center of the world and she develops a feeling of rightness that becomes her “norm”

Stage 2 – Toddlerhood:

By eighteen months a sense of “otherness” begins. Toddlers learn that others share their world; others have needs and rights, too. The house he lives in has rules that he must learn to live by, which is frustrating. The child doesn’t yet have the ability to judge something “right” or “wrong”; he is only directed by what others tell him, which competes with his internal drive to do what he wants. A child doesn’t yet have the ability to realize he hurts someone when he hits. Hitting is “wrong” because parents tell him so are because he gets punished for it. Depending on how parents convey the behavior they expects, the toddler learns obedience to adults is the norm.

Stage 3 – Preschoolers (three to seven years)

A major turning point in moral development occurs; the child begins to internalize family values. What’s important to the parents becomes important to him. The six –year- old may say to a friend, “in our family we do…” these are the child’s norms. Ones these norms are incorporated in a child’s self, the child’s behavior can be directed by these inner rules—of course, with frequent reminding and reinforcing from parents. Later in this stage children begin to understand the concept of the golden rule and to consider how what they do affects other people, that others have rights and viewpoints, too and how to be considerate. Children from three to seven years of age expect visor people to take charge. They understand the roles of “child” and “adult” and need maturity from the adult. They perceive consequences and can grass the when- then connections: when I miss behave, then this happens. The connected child behaves well because he has had several years of positive parental directions. The

Unconnected child may operate from the basics of “whatever I do is okay as long as I don’t get caught”.

Stage 4 – (seven to ten years)

Children begin to question whether parents and teachers are infallible. Perhaps these people in charge don’t know it all. They have the most respect for those adults who are fair and know how to be in charge. Authority is not threatening to the child, but necessary for social living. They believe that children should obey parents. And, school-age children believe that if they break a rule they should be corrected. This strong sense of “should do” and “should not do” sets some children up to tattle.

Seven-to-ten-year-olds have a strong sense of fairness, understand the necessity of rules and want to participate in making the rules. They begin to believe that children have opinion too, and they begin to sort out which values profit them most – a sort of “what’s in it for me” stage. Parents can use this sense of fairness and drive for equality to their advantage: “Yes, I’ll drive your friends to the movie if you agree to help me with the housework.” These negotiations make sense to this age child. This also begins the stage where children are able to internalize religious values, which concepts truly have meaning for them, and which don’t.

Stage 5 – Preteens and Teens

These children strive to be popular. They are vulnerable to peer pressure and peer values. As they continue to sort out which values will become part of themselves and which they will discard, they may vacillate and try on different value systems to see which ones fit. This child is more capable of abstract reasoning about moral values and becomes interested in what’s good for society. Children may view parents more as consultants than as powerful authority figures.

Children go through stages of moral development, yet unlike physical growth, moral growth doesn’t happen without some input from parents. To develop into a morally solid person, a child must be given a solid foundation at each stage.       

 

Piaget View on Moral Development

According to project the moral development of the child takes place in four stages.

        i.            Anomy (From 1year to 5 years)

Piaget calls this first stage as ‘Anomy’, that is without the law. At this stage the behavior of the child is neither moral nor immoral but non moral or amoral. His behavior is not guided by moral standards. The regulators of behavior are pain and pleasure, and this is the discipline of natural consequences.

      ii.            Heteronomy (From 5 years to 8 years)

The second stage of moral development may be called the discipline of artificial consequences imposed by adults. Moral development at this stage is controlled by external authority. Rewards and punishments regulate moral development.

    iii.            Reciprocity (From 9 years to 13 years)

At this stage, there is morality of co-operation with peers or equals. This stage is regulated by reciprocity, which means “we should not due to others what will be offensive to us”.

    iv.            Autonomy (From 13 year to 18 years)

At this stage the children are in the year adolescent stage and they take responsibility to their activities and follow morality with self-discipline. They follow their own morality without anybody imposing it one them.

Kohlberg’s View on Moral Development:

Kohlberg distinguishes two levels of moral development they are (i). Pre conventional level and (ii). Conventional level.

1)      Pre conventional level

a)      Stage 1: Punishment and Obedience Orientation

At this stage, the moral development is determined by the physical consequences of an action whether it is good or bad. Avoiding punishment and bowing to superior authority and valued positively.

b)     Stage 2: Instrumental Relativist Orientation

At this stage, right action consists of behavior that satisfies child’s own needs. Human relations are considered in reciprocity.

 

2)      Conventional level

It has four stages, as follows.

a)      Stage 1: Interpersonal or Concordance

At this stage, the child begins to like the goodwill of others and tries to please others to obtain their approval such as good boy, nice girl etc.

b)     Stage 2: Orientation Towards Authority

At this stage, the child focuses on authority or rules and shows respect to authority.

c)      Stage 3: Social Contract Orientation

At this stage, the child able to define right behaviors based on standards agreed upon by the group or society.

d)     Stage 4: Universal Ethical Orientation

At this stage, the individual keeps not only the norms of the society in mind but also the universal moral principles.

Educational Implications of Moral Development

A child’s moral behavior influences its learning at school. Moral development helps in maintaining discipline at educational institutions. Self-disciplines enhances student’s concentration and make them focus on their education.

Activity Oriented School Program for Moral Development:

The school plays a vital role in the moral development of the child. Through the organization of various curricular and co-curricular activities, teacher can develop among children various moral qualities. The following suggestions may be followed for moral development at school. 

1.      Organizing group activity.

2.      Organizing group games.

3.      Organizing school panchayat.

4.      Conducting daily morning school assembly.

5.      Celebrating national days.

6.      Organizing scouting and NCC camps. 

 Teaching Aid : PPT 

 
Photos: