Moral development in children Essays

Moral development in children Essays Moral development in children Essay Moral development in children Essay The purpose of this essay is to create a body of knowledge for follow-on research in the field of the impact of different factors on moral development of children. For this purpose information was gathered through the study and analysis of materials presented in books, research journals, and professional publications so as to determine: Who holds the responsibility for moral development of children? On initial consideration, the question posed here seemed to bracket nicely few main points of the subject, but that impression appeared to be wide of the mark, especially when it came to making judgments concerning the notions of morals and morality. Really, what is a morality? What does it mean to be a moral person? Our values, both moral and non-moral, were acquired along with our basic language and socialized behaviours when we were young children and come from some very strong traditions that are part of our societies and our cultures.Law, religion, our family and peer group all tell us what we ought to do, but following these more traditional oughts does not necessary constitute a moral life. A great number of people, however, do live long and useful lives without ever consciously defining or systematically considering the values or moral rules that guide their social, personal, and work lives. During most of our lives we simply decided what was right and did it. Websters Dictionary, Tenth Edition, defines morality as conformity to the ideals of right human conduct; virtue. The Oxford English Dictionary defines morality as the doctrine of right and wrong in human conduct; conformity to conventional rules by religion or other spiritual influences. However, the terms right or wrong and right human conduct are totally subjective: they have different meanings to different people. Who decides what is right or wrong? Is our moral decision just as simple as the proverbial coin toss? Who sets the standards and norms? Probably, there is no easy answer to any of these questions, neither is there a single universal definition of the notions.One of the most wide-ranging descriptions of morality, where words right and wrong are avoided, belongs to Russian psychologist Rubenstein, who believes that morality is conformity and devotion to a set of standards initiated and/or accepted by an individual; an individuals active adherence to his accepted standards for the duration of his existence. (Rubenstein, 1982, p. 129-130) As in many areas of educational research, the field of moral education is full of controversy, which is directly connected with the debate about the definition of morality.These debates are not lim ited to psychological accounts of the nature of morals, but also include the questions of childrens moral development, extending to their general development and to the very definition of educational aims in this area. Moral development should be related to all the fields that use the word development. In ways that are not easily measurable, moral development has some connection to physical, social, political, religious, and other kinds of development.And, of course, economics being so central to development, one must ask about the correlation of moral development and economic development. To ask about this relation may seem to be a silly question, but perhaps it is just an embarrassing one. (G. Moran) Children develop morality slowly, and in stages. Each stage, beginning from the preschool years and continuing even in the adult years, has its own theory and idea of what is good and right and different reasons why people should be good. Each stage brings a person closer to mature m oral development.These issues have been approached by many psychologists, but the most prominent input into this research was done by Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg. The purpose of Piagets studies was to investigate the growth of moral judgement in children. However, he did not merely seek to examine their moral behaviour, but tried to establish the degree to which children at any given age and stage can reason morally, so that we may know the framework within which we must operate when we seek to help them to develop the moral standards acceptable in our society. (Brearley, 1968, p. 120).Piaget discovered that young children have a much more primitive understanding of right and wrong behaviour than older children: they judge bad behaviour by the amount of damage caused by a persons behaviour. Kohlberg carried Piagets work into adolescence and adulthood. According to Kohlberg (1984, p. 67) there are three levels of moral development with two stages in each. During the first leve l (Pre-conventional) children are concerned with avoiding punishment (Stage 1: Punishment-Obedience) and getting ones own needs met (Stage 2: Individualism).This level and its stages fit into the framework of young children up to the age of ten years. During the second level (Conventional) children are more concerned with living up to the expectations of others (Stage 3: Interpersonal Conformity) and want to do the right thing because it is good for the group, family, or institution (Stage 4: Social System and Conscience). This level and its stages fit children over the age of ten years and on to adulthood. The third level is called Post-conventional. During this level individuals govern their behaviour by the relative values and opinions of the groups they live and interact with.Right behaviour is based on a social contract (Stage 5: Social Contract and Individual Rights) with others and in the validity of universal moral principles (Stage 6: Universal/Ethical Principles), which ma y or may not agree with societies laws. Laws that agree with universal moral principles are obeyed but when those laws violate these principles, the individual follows the principles instead. There are many other theories and approaches to this issue, but our question is about another aspect of the matter: who is responsible for moral development of children?To answer this question, first of all we need to determine the circle of possible relationships that can influence childs moral development. Of course, in the widest sense, all relationships may be regarded as part of social development, but the earlier, more personal relationships have a great impact on the process of moral development. Morality is not something that is practised in isolation. Morality is, among other things, an aspect of out relationship with other people. And anything which diminishes our ability to make such relationships successful diminishes also our capacity for moral actions. (Williams, 1970, p. 109) The moral development of a very young child brings out the interrelation of all ages. One cannot describe the moral development of infants without referring to the moral development of parents and grandparents. Parenting a child is one of lifes great moral adventures, and so is the childing of ones parents. (Rubenstein, 1982, p. 89) Moral life is shaped by our responses to a pattern of relations. The responses in the relation of adult and child are not equal, but the process can still have a degree of mutuality.We often underestimate the infants power of receptivity to moral influence. Robert Coles (1997, p. 45) states that character or moral development is an interaction between nature and nurture, which takes place in a very early age. It develops as a result of parental interaction, balanced discipline styles, and a childs own choices. Children learn about right from wrong from their earliest experiences. When they need nurturing or feeding and parents fulfil that need without exce ssive indulgence, then children develop characters that accept rules and tolerate frustrations later in life.The infant needs to know that he is merely a self among other selves, that he is not omnipotent, that other people have need and feelings too. (Williams, 1970, p. 37) There are two sides of discipline and the parents aim is to try balancing them. Too much love and a child becomes spoiled, expecting their every want and need to be met regardless of other peoples wants and needs. According to Huxley (1985, p. 17), this causes children to be stuck in the early stages of moral development based on selfish individualism.Thats fine for a two-year-old, tolerable in a six-year-old, and obnoxious in a twelve-year-old or older. Too many limits and the child develop a low sense of worth and a lack of self-control. This usually results in an overly rebellious child or an unhealthy submissive one. (ibid. ) Achieving this balance is difficult. But it is easier to do if discipline is viewe d not just as punishing wrong behaviour, but as a process of shaping character. Parents are not simply setting limits. They are teaching how to distinguish right from wrong.It is easier to say no when we know that we are guiding the childs moral development and eventually, his or her social success. As the later stages of moral development reveal, children can make a choice not to follow societys rules or laws. Parents must accept that reality. Thats part of parents on-going moral development. Understanding moral development allows parents to assess their children and have a better target for their individual development. Hopefully, the end result is that our child will be the one who will stop and wait for someone in need, regardless of what the crowd says he or she should do.The ideal is that the child will develop, as Kant put it as a law-making member of a kingdom of ends. He must not only come to know what is in general right or wrong; he must also go beyond this level, so that he sees why such rules are right or wrong and can revise rules and make new ones in the light of new knowledge and new circumstances. (Peters, 1981, p. 33) The described importance of parents influence leads us to the conclusion that a childs moral education is the primary responsibility of the family.Other aspects and factors, other religious and social organizations and institutions can each make their contributions to the process, yet none of them can replace the family. While the school cannot accept the primary responsibility for moral teaching, it still has a significant role to play in the reinforcement of a childs moral understanding and behaviour. The school is a community and should be characterized by courtesy and civility in all its activities, with instruction in specific subject matter informed by moral understanding.Today leading educators no longer see their job primarily to be the teaching only the curriculum subjects. The philosophy of education has undergone a f undamental change. Teachers now perceive their jobs to be the involvement in reshaping of the childs values, beliefs and morals. Teaching is now being viewed as a form of therapy, the classroom as a clinic, and the teacher as a therapist whose job it is to apply psychological techniques in the shaping of the childs personality and values. (G. Moran)

Research Proposal On Impact Of Oil On Agriculture In Nigeria’s Economy The WritePass Journal

Research Proposal On Impact Of Oil On Agriculture In Nigeria’s Economy INTRODUCTION Research Proposal On Impact Of Oil On Agriculture In Nigeria’s Economy INTRODUCTIONRATIONALE OF THE STUDYRESEARCH OBJECTIVESLITERATURE REVIEWRESEARCH QUESTIONSMETHODOLOGYRESEARCH DESIGNRESEARCH APPROACHDATA COLLECTIONDATA ANALYSISETHICAL CONSIDERATIONCONCLUSIONREFERENCERelated INTRODUCTION Fluctuations of crude oil prices and the crisis of rising food insecurity have always been the main concerns of policymakers worldwide. Since the 1960s when oil was first discovered in Nigeria, oil has accounted for a large share of Nigerias export economy (Daramola, et.al, 2007). In 2000, for example, 99.6% of Nigerias export income came from oil, making it the world’s most oil dependent economy (Akpan 2009). The countrys fortune has increasingly relied on oil for its revenue. Nigeria is currently known as the largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa producing an estimate volume of around 2.413 million barrels of oil per day (AFDB 2005). This makes it the 6th largest oil producer in the world. Despite being amongst the largest oil producers in the world, Nigeria remains home to the world’s poor after China and India with majority of its population living below 1$USD per day (Akpan 2009). This raises a fundamental question: why the high rates of poverty? Could it be because of years of mismanagement of the oil sector or due to its neglect of agricultural sector? In addressing these concerns, this analysis examines the impact of oil on agriculture in Nigeria’s economy. RATIONALE OF THE STUDY Prior to the 1960, agriculture was known to be the dominant sector of the countrys economy. It accounted for nearly 70% of the GDP and about 90% of foreign earnings and federal government revenue (Akpan 2009). However, a notable shift emerged with the discovery of oil at the Niger Delta in 1965 as agriculture was replaced by the oil industry (Sekumade 2009). Today, oil account’s for a large percentage of Nigeria’s export earnings (Lawal 2011). Interestingly though, Nigeria fares much worse in terms of the rates of poverty, with the third highest number of people living in abject poverty after China and India. It is estimated that the population of people living on less than US$1 per day had increased significantly from 36% in the 1970 to about 70% in 2006 (Akpan 2009). Of course, these outcomes coincided with oil discovery in the country. It is in this recognition that this proposal seeks to explore on the effect that oil has had on Agriculture in Nigeria’s economy. The proposal seeks to confirm the hypothesis that Nigeria’s neglect of its agricultural sector and increased dependence on oil was the main reason behind the current crisis in its economy. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES This analysis is guided by the following research objectives: To investigate how the discovery of oil in Nigeria has affected the attention given to, and government spending on agriculture in the economy. To examine the extent to which agricultural exports in Nigeria have been adversely affected by oil. To determine the impact that increased government spending, more attention and policies on agricultural practice; may have on the economy considering the neglect it has suffered so far. LITERATURE REVIEW Since the main objective of this paper is to investigate how the discovery of oil in Nigeria has affected the attention given to, and government spending on agriculture in the economy; as part of the study, we shall review some theoretical and empirical studies related to this core objective. Prior to the oil discovery in Nigeria, agriculture accounted for a lion share of the GDP. It also provided employment and food to the teeming population as well as raw materials for the growing industries (Adeniyi 2008). From the standpoint this standpoint, Ogen (2007) suggests agriculture to have been the lead sector of growth in Nigerian economy during the 1960s. Ogen (2007) notes that Nigeria had, during that period, become the worlds second largest cocoa producer and the lead producer and exporter of palm oil. Contributing to this subject, (Alkali 1997) also points out that besides being the lead producer in palm oil; Nigeria had also become the lead exporter in groundnut, rubber, cotton, and hides and skins. Lawal (1997) also affirmed the positive contribution that agriculture had made to the economy of Nigeria before the oil discovery. Despite the reliance on traditional farming methods, agriculture was the main stay of the economy accounting for over 70% of Nigeria’s exports (NEEDS 2004). But the oil boom of the 1970s led to its neglect of agriculture and increased dependence on oil resources. According to Ogen (2007), by 2004 the contribution of the agricultural sector to Nigerias GDP had declined to less than 5%. Ever since, food insecurity and poverty have remained persistently high in Nigeria. The NEEDS Policy Paper (2004) further reveals that close to two-thirds of Nigerias population live below US$1 per day with most of them situated in the rural areas. The policy paper, suggests that roots of this crisis, which led to a vast number of the Nigerian population living below the poverty index, lies in its neglect of agricultural sector and increased dependence on oil. Contributing to this debate, this proposal provides important insights of how the discovery of oil in Nigeria has affected the attention given to, and government spending on agriculture in the economy. To address this drift and as an important realization of the central role that agriculture plays in development,   the proposal seeks to determine the impact that increased government spending, more attention and policies on agricultural practice; may have on the economy considering the neglect it has suffered so far. RESEARCH QUESTIONS This analysis is thus underpinned by the following research questions How has agriculture been affected by the discovery of oil in Nigeria? To what extent has dependency in oil resulted in a decline of agricultural exports in Nigeria? What will be impact of increased government spending, more attention and policies that enhance agricultural practices; on Nigerian economy? METHODOLOGY RESEARCH DESIGN This analysis will take the form of a descriptive research as it seeks to describe how the decline in agriculture and increase in poverty in Nigeria was a result of an increased overreliance on oil resource, which led to the neglect of the agricultural sector. Descriptive statistics will also be employed to describe the variables in this study. RESEARCH APPROACH A secondary research will be undertaken for this analysis. Because of the nature of the study, which is to investigate on how the discovery of oil in Nigeria had affected the attention given to, and government spending on agriculture in the economy; data that has already been generated will be particularly suited for this type of study. The study draws from and overlaps previous work, especially the work of Akpan (2009) who used a VAR methodology to investigate the impact of oil discovery on agriculture in Nigeria’s economy. His findings are very much in line with our hypothesis which points out that the neglect of agriculture has resulted from the increased reliance on mono-cultural oil based economy. DATA COLLECTION The data on government spending in agriculture and oil sector, and their contribution to GDP will be obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) statistical bulletin for various years. Time series data on the amount of federal government expenditure on these two comparable sectors and their contribution to GDP in Nigeria will be obtained for periods between 1970 and 2007. DATA ANALYSIS We will use a VAR approach (a vector autoregressive system) to analyze the relationship between increased dependence on oil in the economy and declining agricultural exports and rising food insecurity in the economy.   This relationship will reveal the extent to which dependency on oil had resulted in the neglect of agriculture in Nigeria. The VAR model incorporates many time series which interact via a few dynamic factors. The variables to be incorporated in this model include: oil price, oil revenue, food insecurity, and agricultural exports. This model provides a framework where in changes to a particular variable, say the price of oil, can be related to changes in other variables and lag in those variables such as agricultural export. ETHICAL CONSIDERATION For any research, there are important ethical considerations that must be considered. With reference to this analysis, the main foreseen ethical issue that is likely to rise is the lack of ethical approval from the original authors. Since this analysis is based on data that has already been generated and draws from previous work; it will not be possible to have ethical approval from the original authors. However, in addressing this ethical concern, the researcher will acknowledge the work of these authors where necessary. CONCLUSION Unlike its neighbor countries, Nigeria has a huge agricultural potential. However, the increasing reliance on a monoculture oil based economy has resulted in its neglect of the agricultural sector. In addressing this drift, this proposal reignites this particular subject and calls for increased government spending, more attention and urgent need for more policies that will enhance domestic production and reduce the overreliance on oil resources in Nigeria. REFERENCE Adeniyi O., 2008. Oil Price Shocks and Nigeria’s macro economy. Unpublished PhD Thesis Post Field Report. Department of Economics, University of Ibadan African Development Bank (AFDB), 2005. African Economic Outlook 2004/2005, Paris: OECD. Akpan, E.O., 2009. Oil resource management and food insecurity in Nigeria. Paper presented at CSAE Conference, Oxford University, Oxford, UK. Alkali, R.A., 1997. The World Bank and Nigeria: Cornucopia or Pandora Box? Kaduna: Baraka Press. Daramola, et.al, 2007. â€Å"Agricultural Export Potential†. In: Collier P. and C. Pattillo (eds.), Economic Policy Options for a Prosperous Nigeria, London: Palgrave Macmillan. Karl, T.L., 2007. Oil-led development: social, political and economic consequences. CDDRL Working Papers. No.80 Lawal, W. A, 2011. â€Å"An analysis of government spending on agricultural sector and its contribution to GDP in Nigeria†. International Journal of Business and Social Science. Vol.2 (20) Lawal, W. A., 1997. â€Å"The Economy and the State from the Pre-colonial Times to the Present†. In: Osuntokun, A. and Olukoju, A. (eds.) Nigerian Peoples and Cultures. Ibadan: Davidson. Ogen, O., 2007. The agricultural sector and Nigerias development: comparative perspectives from Brazilian Agro-Industrial Economy, 1960-1995. Noble World Archives. Nigeria Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy- NEEDS (2004). Executive Summary on Nigeria Agricultural Policy Support Facility (A-PSF). An Agricultural Policy, Research and Knowledge Program to Support Nigeria’s NEEDS. Sekumade, A.B., 2009. â€Å"The effect of petroleum dependency on agricultural trade in Nigeria: an error correlation modelling (ECM) approach†. Scientific Research and Essay, vol. 4 (11), pp. 1385-1391

Galileo in Rome Book Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Galileo in Rome Book Report - Essay Example It deals with a series of events climaxing into Galileo’s trial by the Tribunal of the Inquisition charging him of heresy. The charge against him was brought regarding his publication, Dialogue of the Two Chief World Systems in 1632. Through this publication Galileo expressed his views on certain fundamental scientific truth. The authors are, William R Shea, who held the chair of History of Science at the University of Padua at the time of writing this book, and Mariano Artigas, Professor of Philosophy of Science at the University of Navarra. They came by Galileo’s correspondence in the archive, which was the entire source on which this book is based. They actually speak of two Inquisitions, one in 1616 and the other in 1633. The trial is to be seen in the light of that age when science was just in an emerging state and people were not ready to part with the age-old traditional concepts and embrace challenges of scientific hypotheses. Galileo made his first trip to Rome as an unemployed youth in search of a university job. At this time he found favor with the leading Jesuit Mathematician Christopher Clavius, and perhaps met the future Cardinal Robert Bellarmine also who would play a significant role in Galileo’s future. His second trip to Rome was a glorious experience in his lifetime. He was already a famous professor. The celestial bodies observed through the telescope and their subsequent publication made him famous throughout the world of the intelligentsia. The Jesuit astronomers supported his discoveries, and Cardinal Bellarmine felicitated Galileo on his wonderful achievement. Galileo was granted a membership in the prestigious Accademia dei Lincei. Galileo’s third trip to Rome was clouded with antagonism against his active support for Copernicus and his heliocentric theory in his Letters to the Grand Duchess of Tuscany. The work on sunspots aggravated the suspicion. The authors narrate a series of events that sealed Galileo’s fate.