Junior high school students' moral judgments about aggressive behavior and factors underlying those judgments

Abstract

As reports of bullying by junior high school students have seriously increased, school officials have been pressed to introduce curricula that will improve students' ability to make moral judgments. Based on a preliminary survey of 410 junior high school students, a judgment reason scale was developed, based on Turiel's (1983) social domain theory. The instrument included 4 hypothetical scenarios of aggression that described different means and motives. Respondents indicate their moral judgment of each scenario, and give their reasons for that judgment. In the present study, junior high school students (N=1,022) completed the judgment reason instrument, and personal and environmental factors that might affect their judgments were also measured. Analysis of the data suggested that aggression motivated by revenge was more likely to be tolerated because it was judged by a conventional or personal domain, and that relational aggression, which was more likely to be judged by a moral domain, was considered to be worse than verbal aggression. Sense of guilt as a personal factor was particularly strong in the girls. Confident and objective attitudes of teachers were an environmental factor that may act to improve students' desirable judgments. The discussion dealt with ways in which effective student guidance and class management may reduce bullying.