The teacher and the method : A study of young people's ethical and moralthinking

The introductory chapter in this study introduces the reader to the overall problem that concernsLawrence Kohlberg and Sven G. Hartman's moral education models. The purpose and questions ofthis studie specifies the overall problem in order to facilitate the process of answer the researchquestions, which is largely about which of Kohlberg's and Hartman's theory one can reasonablyadvocate in the context of, when teachers plan their lessons. Also how do the theories relate to eachother based on the source material. This chapter also describes the hermeneutical method anddocument analysis used to answer the questions. Both Kohlberg's and Hartman's theories aredescribed in this chapter, as well as a problematisation of them. Since the source material consistsof freely written texts of young people, this chapter also discuss ethical considerations. Chapter Twopresents the result, consisting of quoted texts written by the youngsters. The texts presents theirthoughts and arguments about different moral or ethical problems. These problems are divided intothree categories, material and resource distribution, power distribution (political) and solutions toinequality. This chapter also includes the analyses of the result by Kohlberg's and Hartman'stheories. Chapter three, analysis and discussion, answers the questions as to whether teachers haveany benefit from these theories, as well as what one can derive from comparing these theories witheach other. In conclusion, this chapter presents a discussion about which theory is most suitable touse by teachers in the schools, based on the source material. Although the chapter, analysis anddiscussion, mentioning advantages of both theories, the analysis suggests that Kohlberg's theoryweighs a little heavier in a school kontext than Hartman's theory