CYCLE 2

2nd Semester | A.Y. 2021-2022

MODULE 4
Developmental Theories
(Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development,
Vygotsky ‘s Socio-Cultural Theory &
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory )
Dec. 2022 to January 2023

Elective 4
The Child and Adolescent Learners and
Learning Principle

MICHAEL A. MESA, Ph.D

Instructor

Institute of Teacher Education

MajorTheory
Module 4- Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development, Vygotsky ‘s Socio-Cultural Course
&1
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory
ELECTIVE 4 (The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principle)

Objectives:

At the end of this lesson, student should be able to:

1. Explain stages of moral development

2. Cite how the theory of moral development can be applied to one’s work
later on in the classroom

Overview:
 Individuals when confronted by situations where they need to make moral decisions,

exercise their own ability to use moral reasoning. Our ability to choose right from wrong is tied

with our ability to understand and reason logically.

Topic Outline

1. Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development

2. Vygotsky Socio-Cultural Theory

3. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecology Theory

Lesson Proper

Lawrence Kohlberg’s stages of moral development, a comprehensive stage theory

of moral development based on Jean Piaget’s theory of moral judgment for children (1932) and

developed by Lawrence Kohlberg in 1958. Cognitive in nature, Kohlberg’s theory focuses on the

thinking process that occurs when one decides whether a behavior is right or wrong. Thus, the

theoretical emphasis is on how one decides to respond to a moral dilemma, not what one decides

or what one actually does.

Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development

https://www.simplypsychology.org/kohlberg.html

Level 1 - Preconventional morality

Preconventional morality is the first stage of moral development, and lasts until
approximately age 9. At the preconventional level children don’t have a personal code of
morality, and instead moral decisions are shaped by the standards of adults and the consequences
of following or breaking their rules.
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For example, if an action leads to punishment is must be bad, and if it leads to a reward is must
be good.
Authority is outside the individual and children often make moral decisions based on the
physical consequences of actions.

 Stage 1. Obedience and Punishment Orientation. The child/individual is good in order

to avoid being punished. If a person is punished, they must have done wrong.

•  Stage 2. Individualism and Exchange. At this stage, children recognize that there is not
just one right view that is handed down by the authorities. Different individuals have
different viewpoints

Level 2 - Conventional morality

 Conventional morality is the second stage of moral development, and is characterized by
an acceptance of social rules concerning right and wrong. At the conventional level (most
adolescents and adults), we begin to internalize the moral standards of valued adult role models. 
Authority is internalized but not questioned, and reasoning is based on the norms of the group to
which the person belongs.
A social system that stresses the responsibilities of relationships as well as social order is
seen as desirable and must, therefore, influence our view of what is right and wrong.

 Stage 3. Good Interpersonal Relationships. The child/individual is good in order to be

seen as being a good person by others Therefore, answers relate to the approval of others.

 Stage 4. Maintaining the Social Order. The child/individual becomes aware of the
wider rules of society, so judgments concern obeying the rules in order to uphold the law
and to avoid guilt.

Level 3 - Postconventional morality

Postconventional morality is the third stage of moral development, and is characterized

by an individuals’ understanding of universal ethical principles. These are abstract and ill-
defined, but might include: the preservation of life at all costs, and the importance of human
dignity.
Individual judgment is based on self-chosen principles, and moral reasoning is based on
individual rights and justice. According to Kohlberg this level of moral reasoning is as far as
most people get.
Only 10-15% are capable of the kind of abstract thinking necessary for stage 5 or 6 (post-
conventional morality). That is to say, most people take their moral views from those around
them and only a minority think through ethical principles for themselves.

 Stage 5. Social Contract and Individual Rights. The child/individual becomes aware
that while rules/laws might exist for the good of the greatest number, there are times
when they will work against the interest of particular individuals.

 Stage 6. Universal Principles. People at this stage have developed their own set of moral 3
guidelines which may or may not fit the law. The principles apply to everyone.

See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0axVjiTe9Q

Vygotsky – Sociocultural Theory

Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) was a Russian teacher who is considered a pioneer in learning

in social contexts. As a psychologist, he was also the first to examine how our social interactions

influence our cognitive growth. He was convinced that learning occurred through interactions

with others in our communities: peers, adults, teachers, and other mentors. Vygotsky sought to

understand how people learn in a social environment and created a unique theory on social
learning. He determined that teachers have the ability to control many factors in an educational

setting, including tasks, behaviors, and responses. As a result, he encouraged more interactive

activities to promote cognitive growth, such as productive discussions, constructive feedback,

and collaboration with others. Vygotsky also stated that culture was a primary determinant of

knowledge acquisition. He argued that children learn from the beliefs and attitudes modeled by

their culture.

Vygotsky's sociocultural theory views human development as a socially mediated process

in which children acquire their cultural values, beliefs, and problem-solving strategies through

collaborative dialogues with more knowledgeable members of society. Vygotsky's theory is

comprised of concepts such as culture-specific tools, private speech, and the Zone of Proximal

Development.

Effects of Culture: - Tools of intellectual adaptation

Vygotsky claimed that infants are born with the basic abilities for intellectual
development called 'elementary mental functions' (Piaget focuses on motor reflexes and
sensory abilities).

Elementary mental functions include – attention, sensation, perception and memory.

Eventually, through interaction within the sociocultural environment, these are developed
into more sophisticated and effective mental processes which Vygotsky refers to as 'higher
mental functions.'
Each culture provides its children tools of intellectual adaptation that allow them to use
the basic mental functions more effectively/adaptively. 
Tools of intellectual adaptation is Vygotsky’s term for methods of thinking and problem-

solving strategies that children internalize through social interactions with the more 4
knowledgeable members of society.

Vygotsky, therefore, sees cognitive functions, even those carried out alone, as affected by
the beliefs, values, and tools of intellectual adaptation of the culture in which a person develops
and therefore socio-culturally determined. The tools of intellectual adaptation, therefore, vary
from culture to culture.

Social Influences on Cognitive Development

Like Piaget, Vygotsky believes that young children are curious and actively involved in
their own learning and the discovery and development of new understandings/schema.  However,
Vygotsky placed more emphasis on social contributions to the process of development, whereas
Piaget emphasized self-initiated discovery.
According to Vygotsky (1978), much important learning by the child occurs through
social interaction with a skillful tutor. The tutor may model behaviors and/or provide verbal
instructions for the child. Vygotsky refers to this as cooperative or collaborative dialogue. The
child seeks to understand the actions or instructions provided by the tutor (often the parent or
teacher) then internalizes the information, using it to guide or regulate their own performance.
Shaffer (1996) gives the example of a young girl who is given her first jigsaw. Alone, she
performs poorly in attempting to solve the puzzle. The father then sits with her and describes or
demonstrates some basic strategies, such as finding all the corner/edge pieces and provides a
couple of pieces for the child to put together herself and offers encouragement when she does so.
As the child becomes more competent, the father allows the child to work more
independently. According to Vygotsky, this type of social interaction involving cooperative or
collaborative dialogue promotes cognitive development.

Zone of Proximal Development

The concept of the More Knowledgeable Other is integrally related to the second
important principle of Vygotsky's work, the Zone of Proximal Development.
This is an important concept that relates to the difference between what a child can
achieve independently and what a child can achieve with guidance and encouragement from a
skilled partner.
For example, the child could not solve the jigsaw puzzle (in the example above) by itself

and would have taken a long time to do so (if at all), but was able to solve it following

interaction with the father, and has developed competence at this skill that will be applied to

future jigsaws.

Vygotsky (1978) sees the Zone of Proximal Development as the area where the most
sensitive instruction or guidance should be given - allowing the child to develop skills they will
then use on their own - developing higher mental functions.
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Vygotsky also views interaction with peers as an effective way of developing skills and
strategies.  He suggests that teachers use cooperative learning exercises where less competent
children develop with help from more skillful peers - within the zone of proximal development.
 When a child attempts to perform a skill alone, she may not be immediately proficient to

it. So, alone she may perform at a certain level of competency. However, with the guidance of

More Knowledgeable Other (MKO), competent adult or more advanced peer, the child can

perform at a higher level of competency.

The support or assistance that lets the child accomplish a task he cannot accomplish

independently is called, scaffolding.

Scaffolding is not about doing the task for the child while he watches. It is not about

doing shortcuts for the child. It should involve the judicious assistance given by the adult or peer

so that the child can move from the zone of actual to the zone of proximal development.

Four levels of MKO scaffolds process:

1. I do, you watch.

2. I do, you help.

3. You do, I help.

4. You do, I watch. 6

Vygotsky and Language

Vygotsky believed that language develops from social interactions, for communication
purposes. Vygotsky viewed language as man’s greatest tool, a means for communicating with
the outside world.
According to Vygotsky (1962) language plays two critical roles in cognitive
development:

1. It is the main means by which adults transmit information to children.

2. Language itself becomes a very powerful tool of intellectual adaptation.
Vygotsky (1987) differentiates between three forms of language: social speech which is

external communication used to talk to others (typical from the age of two); private speech

(typical from the age of three) which is directed to the self and serves an intellectual function;

and finally private speech goes underground, diminishing in audibility as it takes on a self-

regulating function and is transformed into silent inner speech (typical from the age of seven).

For Vygotsky, thought and language are initially separate systems from the beginning of
life, merging at around three years of age. At this point speech and thought become
interdependent: thought becomes verbal, speech becomes representational. When this happens,
children's monologues internalized to become inner speech. The internalization of language is
important as it drives cognitive development.
'Inner speech is not the interior aspect of external speech - it is a function in itself. It
still remains speech, i.e., thought connected with words. But while in external speech thought
is embodied in words, in inner speech words dies as they bring forth thought. Inner speech is
to a large extent thinking in pure meanings.'

1: Vygotsky places more emphasis on culture affecting cognitive development.

This contradicts Piaget's view of universal stages and content of development
(Vygotsky does not refer to stages in the way that Piaget does).
Hence Vygotsky assumes cognitive development varies across cultures, whereas
Piaget states cognitive development is mostly universal across cultures.

2: Vygotsky places considerably more emphasis on social factors contributing to cognitive

development.
Vygotsky states the importance of cultural and social context for learning. Cognitive
development stems from social interactions from guided learning within the zone of
proximal development as children and their partner's co-construct knowledge. In contrast,
Piaget maintains that cognitive development stems largely from independent explorations
in which children construct knowledge of their own.
For Vygotsky, the environment in which children grow up will influence how they think
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and what they think about.

3: Vygotsky places more (and different) emphasis on the role of language in cognitive
development.
According to Piaget, language depends on thought for its development (i.e., thought
comes before language). For Vygotsky, thought and language are initially separate
systems from the beginning of life, merging at around three years of age, producing
 verbal thought (inner speech).
For Vygotsky, cognitive development results from an internalization of language.

4: According to Vygotsky adults are an important source of cognitive development.

Adults transmit their culture's tools of intellectual adaptation that children internalize. In
contrast, Piaget emphasizes the importance of peers, as peer interaction promotes social
perspective taking.

Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory

American psychologist, Urie Bronfenbrenner, formulated the Ecological Systems Theory

to explain how the inherent qualities of children and their environments interact to influence how

they grow and develop. The Bronfenbrenner theory emphasizes the importance of studying

children in multiple environments, also known as ecological systems, in the attempt to

understand their development.

According to Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, children typically find

themselves enmeshed in various ecosystems, from the most intimate home ecological system to

the larger school system, and then to the most expansive system which includes society and

culture. Each of these ecological systems inevitably interact with and influence each other in all

aspects of the children’s lives.

The Microsystem
The microsystem is the first level of Bronfenbrenner's theory, and are the things that have
direct contact with the child in their immediate environment, such as parents, siblings, teachers
and school peers.
Interactions within the microsystem typically involve personal relationships with family

members, classmates, teachers and caregivers. How these groups or individuals interact with the

children will affect how they grow. If a child has a strong nurturing relationship with their

parents, this is said to have a positive effect on the child. Whereas, distant and unaffectionate

parents will have a negative effect on the child.

The Mesosystem
The mesosystem encompasses the interactions between the child’s microsystems, such as8
the interactions between the child’s parents and teachers, or between school peers and siblings.
The mesosystem is where a person's individual microsystems do not function

independently, but are interconnected and assert influence upon one another.

For instance, if a child’s parents communicate with the child’s teachers, this interaction may
influence the child’s development. Essentially, a mesosystem is a system of microsystems.
According to the ecological systems theory, if the child’s parents and teachers get along
and have a good relationship, this should have positive effects on the child’s development,
compared to negative effects on development if the teachers and parents do not get along.

The Exosystem
The exosystem pertains to the linkages that may exist between two or more settings, one 9
of which may not contain the developing children but affect them indirectly nonetheless.

Based on the findings of Bronfenbrenner, people and places that children may not

directly interact with may still have an impact on their lives. Such places and people may include

the parents’ workplaces, extended family members, and the neighborhood the children live in.
The Macrosystem
The macrosystem is a component of Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory that
focuses on how cultural elements affect a child's development, such as socioeconomic status,
wealth, poverty, and ethnicity. Thus, culture that individuals are immersed within may influence
their beliefs and perceptions about events that transpire in life.
The macrosystem differs from the previous ecosystems as is does not refer to the specific
environments of one developing child, but the already established society and culture which the
child is developing in. This can also include the socioeconomic status, ethnicity, geographic
location and ideologies of the culture. For example, children in war-torn areas will experience a
different kind of development than children in peaceful environments.

The Chronosystem
The fifth and final level of Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory is known as the
chronosystem.
This system consists of all of the environmental changes that occur over the lifetime
which influence development, including major life transitions, and historical events.
These can include normal life transitions such as starting school but can also include non-
normative life transitions such as parents getting a divorce or having to move to a new house.

Classroom Application
The Ecological Systems Theory has been used to link psychological and educational theory
to early educational curriculums and practice. At the center of the theory is the developing child,
and all that occurs within and between the five ecological systems are done so to benefit the
child in the classroom.

 To strengthen the development between the ecological systems in educational practice

according to the theory, teachers and parents should keep good communication with each
other and work together to benefit the child.
 Teachers should also be understanding of the situations their student’s families may be
experiencing, including social and economic factors that are part of the various systems.
 According to the theory, if parents and teachers have a good relationship, this should
shape the child’s development in a positive way.
 Likewise, the child must also be active in their learning, engaged both academically and
socially. They must work as a team with their peers and get involved in meaningful
learning experiences to enable positive development (Evans, 2012).

Evaluation/Assessment/Activity 10

A. Identify the stage of moral development shown in the following:

_________ 1. Jewel allows her classmates to copy her homework so that they will think
she is kind and will like her to be their friend.

_________ 2. Nathan does everything to get passing grades because his Mom will take
his play station away if he gets bad grades.

_________ 3. A civic action group protests the use of pills for family planning, saying
that although the government allows this, it is actually murder because
 pills are abortifacient (causes abortion).

_________ 4. Nicole lets Esme copy during their English test because Esme agreed to let
her copy during their math test.

_________ 5. Che decides to return the wallet she found in the canteen so that people
will praise her honesty and think she’s such a nice girl.

_________ 6. Adrian decides to return the wallet he found in the canteen because he
believes it’s the right thing to do.

_________ 7. Dulce wears her ID inside the campus because she likes to follow the
school rules and regulations.

_________ 8. A jeepney river looks if there’s a policemen around before he u-turns in a

no u-turn slot.

_________ 9. Donna volunteers to tutor children-at-risks children in her community for

free so they will learn to love school and stay in school.

_________ 10. Little Gelo behaves so well to get a star stamp from her teacher,

B. Reflection.

In one or two paragraph, describe how other people or circumstances have

influenced your behavior , attitudes and habits at the present time.

C. Application on scaffolding.

1. Choose a skill you are good in.

2. Identify an individual to whom you can teach this skill. Somebody who will
benefit from scaffolding.

3. Breakdown the steps you will take in teaching the skill.

4. Determine how you will use scaffolding. Describe the specific actions you will do
to scaffold.

5. Teach the skill to the individual.

6. Document it. Attach evidences. Upon submission of this output.

7. Describe how the learning activity went.

References: 11

Bergin, C. and Bergin D. (2018). Child and adolescent development in your classroom. (3rd ed.)

USA: Cengage Learning.

Cherry, K. (2020). The 4 stages of cognitive development. Retrieved from

https://www.verywellmind.com/piagets-stages-of-cognitive-development-2795457
Corpus, B. et.al. (2018). The child and adolescent learners and learning principles. Lorimar

Publishing Inc. Manila, Philippines.

Guy-Evans, O. (2020). Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. Simply Psychology.
Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/Bronfenbrenner.html

Kurt, S. (2020)."Lev Vygotsky – Sociocultural Theory of Cognitive Development,"

in Educational Technology. Retrieved from

 https://educationaltechnology.net/lev-vygotsky-sociocultural-theory-of-cognitive-
development/

McLeod, S. A. (2013). Kohlberg's stages of moral development. Simply

Psychology. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/kohlberg.html
McLeod, S. A. (2018). Lev Vygotsky. Simply Psychology. Retrieved from
https://www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html

Sanders, C. (2006). Lawrence Kohlberg’s stages of moral development. Retrieved from

https://www.britannica.com/science/Lawrence-Kohlbergs-stages-of-moral-development

OFFICIAL MCC MODULE DISCLAIMER

It is not the intention of the author nor the publisher of this module to have monetary gain
in using the textual information, imageries, and other references used in this publication. This
module is only for the exclusive use of bona fide student of Mabalacat City College.

In addition, this module or no part of it thereof may be reproduced, stored in retrieval

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Prepared by:

JENNIFER BUNGQUE-ILAGAN, EdD

Instructor

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