THE EFFECT OF EXPERIENCE ON MORAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

This study considers the effect of environmental influences upon the development of moral reasoning. In Kenya, in 1972 to 1973 the author interviewed, 51 Kikuyu secondary students (26 females, 25 male) and 52 University of Nairobi students of assorted ethnic groups' (17 females, 35 male), using adapted versions of Lawrence Kohlberg?s moral judgment interview. Performance on this interview (as measured by a six stage scale of moral judgment maturity) has been related to specific backgrounds and experience factors. With controls for age, sex, ethnic group and level of school achievement, four hypotheses concerning the effect of social and intellectual experiences have been tested and confirmed, using a correlational analysis. First, it is shown that students who have attended secondary schools with multicultural student bodies display higher levels of moral judgment than do students who have attended ethnically homogeneous schools. These findings support the hypothesis that if the interaction between groups, takes place in an atmosphere of mutual willingness to learn rather than hostility and avoidance, then the experience of meeting people with different value systems stimulates preconvention (Stages 1 and2) students to move toward the adult conventional perspective, of Stages 3 and 4.