Development Trajectory of Personal Values, Integrity, and

Developmental Trajectory ofPersonal Values, Integrity, andProfessional EthicsMatthew L. Cole, M.S., M.A.Psychology Program Director,Department of Humanities, Social Sciences,and Communication

Overview• What is sociomoral development and how is itrelated to personal values, integrity and ethics?• What are the developmental trends in sociomoraldevelopment?• What are some of the ways in which faculty canintroduce character education into the classroomcurriculum in order to help shape students tobecome “morally serious people”?

AAC&U Greater ExpectationsReport (2002)• The Association of American Colleges andUniversities concept of “responsible learners”– Students who “appreciate others, while alsoassuming accountability for themselves, theircomplex identities, and their conduct.”– “By weaving moral reasoning into the social fabricof life and work, they help society shape its ethicalvalues, and then live by those values” (p.23).

Sociomoral Development

Sociomoral Development• Morals = principles of right and wrong behavior• Ethics = the discipline dealing with what is goodand bad and with moral duty and obligation• Ethics reflect the cultural values and mores of thesociety in which they are formulated.• Ethics address in one way or another the issues ofrespect, rights, confidentiality, informed consent,diversity, well-being of consumers, competency,professional boundaries, conflict of interest,honesty, and responsibility to society.

Sociomoral Development• Sociomoral development refers to the growingcapacity to relate emotionally, ethically, andintellectually to the external world.• Encompasses social and personal development.• Refers to age-appropriate cognitive capacities toperceive, wrestle with, and logically resolve thecomplexities of the moral aspects of life andreal-life moral contexts.

Components of SociomoralDevelopment

Components of SociomoralDevelopment: Identity• Sociomoral development begins with knowingone’s self.• We must know what is important to us, what ourworldview is, and how our culturalbackgrounds, personal histories and personalvalues influence that worldview.• How we view the world and ourselves within itshapes our responses to choices and decisionsthat confront us.

Components of SociomoralDevelopment: Relationship• Sociomoral development involves learningabout relationships between self and others.• How will my action impact someone else andwhy should I care about that impact?• Exploring how we interact with others and ourbeliefs about the value of those interactions is anessential component of promoting ethicaldevelopment.

Components of SociomoralDevelopment: Accountability• Ethical decisions and behaviors impact largerwholes beyond the individual, in what may betermed civic responsibility.• Families, communities, organizations,institutions, corporations, and nations can beeither positively or negatively impacted by theactions of individuals.• Sociomoral development must include theconcepts of accountability and responsibility.

Chickering’s Model ofSociomoral Development• Based on Eric Erikson's developmentaltheory, Kohlberg’s and Gilligan’s theories ofmoral development, and Eisenberg’stheoretical perspective on prosocial behavior• Chickering proposed seven vectors ofsociomoral development that align with thedevelopment of traditional-aged collegestudents.

Chickering’s Model ofSociomoral Development1. Developing Competence2. Managing Emotions3. Developing Autonomy4. Establishing Identity5. Developing Interpersonal Relationships6. Developing Purpose7. Developing Integrity

1. Developing Competence• Intellectual competence– knowledge acquisition & critical thinkingskills– capacity for analysis, synthesis, evaluation, &creation of ideas• Physical and manual competence– Athletic and artistic achievement• Social/interpersonal competence– Listen, cooperate, communicate

2. Managing Emotions• Increasing awareness of one's feelings– aware of range and variety of impulses– integration of feelings, which allows flexiblecontrol and expression– tries to find new modes of expression– assess consequences– know how to handle different feelings– define what will be expressed to whom

3. Developing Autonomy• At this stage, students develop increasedemotional independence, self-direction,problem-solving ability, persistence, andmobility• Students recognize and accept theimportance of interdependence.

4. Establishing Identity• A positive identity includes– comfort with body and appearance– comfort with gender and sexual orientation– a sense of one’s social and cultural heritage– a clear concept of self and comfort with one’s rolesand lifestyle– a secure sense of self in light of feedback fromsignificant others– self-acceptance and self-esteem– personal stability and integration

5. Developing InterpersonalRelationships• Increased tolerance for and acceptance ofdifferences between individuals• Increased capacity for mature and intimaterelationships• More reciprocal and empathetic

6. Developing Purpose• This vector consists of developing clearvocational goals, making meaningfulcommitments to specific personal interests andactivities, and establishing strong interpersonalcommitments.• Direction for one's life through assessment andclarification of interests, educational and careeroptions, and lifestyle preferences• Integrated with sense of identity

7. Developing Integrity• Students progress from rigid, moralistic thinkingto a more humanized, personalized value systemthat acknowledges and respects the beliefs ofothers. Values and actions become congruent.• Defining set of values to guide actions– humanizing of values• Shift from literal doctrine set of beliefs toawareness of relativity of values– personalizing of values

7. Developing Integrity• Personal code -personal assessment &direction serving as guide to behavior– congruence between beliefs and behavior• Congruence between values and actions• Viewing values from post-conventionallevel of morality (Kohlberg’s final stageof moral development—guided byuniversal moral principles, not the laws ofsociety)

Developmental TrajectoryThrough Vectors• Chickering posits that students progressthrough the first three vectorssimultaneously during the freshman andsophomore years.• Students generally progress through thefourth vector during their sophomore andjunior years.• Students progress through the last threevectors simultaneously during their juniorand senior years.

Vectors and Social Norms• Chickering's vectors depend largely onsocial norms.• Vectors are dynamic since social valueschange through time.• Social values are different around the world.• Closely aligned with Dewey’s progressivistapproach to education—moral developmentis impacted by the social culture of schools

Character Education• Character education has been a vital part ofUS school curricula.• In 1901, the National Education Associationendorsed character training in the schools.• “The fundamental consideration in anysystem of schools is the development ofmoral character”.

Maryland Value EducationCommission Character Objectives1. Personal integrity and honesty rooted inrespect for the truth, intellectual curiostiy,and love of learning2. A sense of duty to self, family, school, andcommunity3. Self-esteem rooted in the recognition ofone’s potential

Maryland Value EducationCommission Character Objectives4. Respect for the rights of all personsregardless of their race, religion, gender,age, physical condition, or mental state5. A recognition of the right of others to holdand express differing views, combinedwith the capacity to make discriminatingjudgments among competing opinions

Maryland Value EducationCommission Character Objectives6. A sense of justice, rectitude, and fair play,and a commitment to them7. A disposition of understanding, sympathy,concern, and compassion for others8. A sense of discipline and pride in one’swork and respect for the achievement ofothers

Maryland Value EducationCommission Character Objectives9. Respect for one’s property and theproperty of others, including publicproperty10. Courage to express one’s convictions

What Works in Character Education:Strategies• Strategies that promote positive youthdevelopment (Berkowitz & Bier, 2003).• Character Education Partnership NationalForum in Washington, D.C.• Results from 66 studies representing 33programs that fall under the rubric ofeducating for positive youth development andthat have evidence of being effective.

What Works in Character Education:Strategies• Strategies that promote positive youthdevelopment:– Student-centered peer discussions– Interactive strategies, such as class meetings,student governance, and peer tutoring thatcontribute to perspective-taking experiences– Problem-solving and decision-making training

What Works in Character Education:Strategies• Strategies that promote positive youthdevelopment (cont):– Direct training of social, emotional, andpersonal management skills (such as conflictresolution or anger management)– Cooperative learning– Self-management skills training andawareness– Parent-training and involvement

What Works in Character Education:Outcomes• Outcomes for programs utilizing previousstrategies:– Improved sociomoral cognition– Prosocial behavior and attitudes– Development of problem-solving skills– Reduction of violence and aggression– Decrease in substance abuse– Development of emotional competency

What Works in Character Education:Outcomes• Outcomes for programs utilizing previousstrategies (cont):– Moderation of risk attitudes– Improved school behavior– Increased academic achievement andacademic goal setting– Improved self-expectations and motivation

What Works in Character Education:Barriers• Current traditional-aged college studentsare part of Generation Y– aka the millennials or internet generation• Students are focused more on successfulend results, and less on the process orhuman interactions involved in obtainingthe end results

What Works in Character Education:Barriers• The face of friendship is different fortoday’s college students as there isdecreased person-to-person contact– Friendships develop on “Facebook”,“MySpace” and other virtual contact settingsthat inhibit intimate conversation– 75% of students have a “Facebook” account– 34% use websites as their primary source ofnews– 15% are logged on 24/7

What Works in Character Education:Recommendations– Articulated philosophy statement that includesthe desired character goals of the school and theshared vision of the school’s purpose– A committed staff that has been adequatelytrained (and who are adequately supported in anon-going manner) to implement the programfully and faithfully– Student empowerment strategies such as peerconflict resolution, student governance, andcollaborative problem solving

What Works in Character Education:Recommendations– Opportunities for service to others, such asservice learning, community service, andschool-based responsibilities– Developmental discipline, i.e., disciplinestrategies focused on the long-termimprovement of student character and skillsrather than the use of punitive behaviors tobring about immediate cessation of theundesirable behavior

What Works in Character Education:Recommendations– Ongoing evaluation and feedback of data toensure that desired student outcomes arebeing achieved and to continuously improvethe implementation process– Leadership commitment to sufficient andsustained implementation– Practices that strengthen student-teacherrelationships and increase students’perception of school as caring community towhich they belong

What Works in Character Education:Linkshttp://www.collegevalues.org/resources.cfmhttp://www.ltu.edu/student_affairs/student_conduct.asphttp://www.ltu.edu/currentstudents/honor_code.asp