Moles, Porcupines, and Children's Moral Reasoning: Unexpected responses

Abstract

This article concerns two classroom conversations about a moral dilemma presented in a fable. The conversations were studied as part of a larger research project on the moral understandings of young children. Two groups of primary-aged children (6 and 7 years old) in two different cultural settings discussed the conflict between a porcupine and a family of moles in ways that differed from other student discussions recorded by the author. In the first classroom discussion, students objected to the terms of the dilemma itself; in the second, students expressed concern for the character who is typically perceived by children as unsympathetic The two conversations raise questions for researchers and teachers about the relationship between individual and group deliberations about moral problems, and these lead to a broader discussion about the goals and means of moral education for young students.

Keywords:

• Moral Education
• Moral Dilemmas
• Children'S Literature