A mixed methods approach was used to understand moral reasoning and empathy in 12- to 18-year-old adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HF-ASD) compared to same age typically developing (TD) youth. Adolescents completed measures assessing empathy (perspective-taking, personal distress, and empathic concern), and moral…

My professional and personal lives have always intertwined; as someone who works in moral education and psychology--fields defined by historical and socio-political contexts--the political sphere has also surrounded my career. Being a researcher, interventionist and evaluator has taught me that it is very easy to lose one or more of the necessary,…

This article focuses on the development of, and new theorising about, a strong democracy education intervention, the Just Community approach. Three questions frame the discussion: (1) Does democracy education change children and adolescents or do students in these programs change their schools, or is there a dynamic interaction over time? (2) How…

This article argues that William James's thinking in "The Varieties" and elsewhere contains the view that social institutions, such as religious congregations and schools, are mediators between the private and public spheres of life, and are necessary for transforming personal feelings, ideals and beliefs into moral action. The Exercises of St…

Argues that moral education needs to move beyond the development of individual character and assume a leadership position in the creation of better societies and a better world. Includes examples of innovative schools that have spearheaded this approach. Discusses intersections between moral education and the social sciences. (MJP)