Sociomoral development in the school context

an experience with children from the first cycle - elementary school

Abstract

The at present paper is aimed describing situations experienced in the school context, giving special attention to the thought and moral development analysis of a group of children faced with real dilemmas that arise from this sociability. In order to make such analysis possible, discussions and reflections on the hypotheses, suggested by the group for each dilemma, were proposed to the group by means of meetings. Jean Piaget’s work, “The children moral judgment”, was the theoretical base for the research conduction. The children in the analyzed group are seven/eight years old and they go into the first grade of a Municipal School of Fundamental teaching (E.M.E.F.) on the outskirts of Marília – SP. The work “Piagetian Clinical interview”, described by Juan Delval, was used as an instrument for data collection (dilemmas) and group analysis. The real existing dilemmas are, first of all, motivations for the subjects because they give rise to a conflict among the different types of rules. The dilemmas selected for the present study approach topics related to cooperation, physical and verbal aggression, constitution and obeying of rules. The answers given by the subjects during the meetings were grouped into categories and, by means of the analysis, it was possible to know about their thoughts and the characteristics they attribute to the reality. The participation of the children, trying to solve conflicts, increased the motivation to the group moral autonomy.