Mis-Educative Martial Law – The Fate of Free Discourse and the Moral Judgment Competence of Polish University Students from 1977 to 1983
PDF

Keywords

moral competence
democratic comtetence
Polish students
MCT
martial law in Poland 1981
the lack of democratic liberties
the regression of moral and democratic competenties in students

How to Cite

Nowak, E., & Lind, G. (2019). Mis-Educative Martial Law – The Fate of Free Discourse and the Moral Judgment Competence of Polish University Students from 1977 to 1983. ETHICS IN PROGRESS, 9(2), 56–74. https://doi.org/10.14746/eip.2018.2.5

Abstract

The reprinted paper refers to Georg Lind and his colleagues’ MCT-based FORM study conducted at several European universities in 1977-1983, including Polish ones. After a short phase of democratization, in 1981 Polish society suddenly faced martial law. That experience had an impact on Polish students moral-, discursiveand democratic competences, as measured by MCT. When Ewa Nowak started her Alexander von Humboldt Foundation supported research stay under the supervision of Professor Georg Lind (University of Konstanz, 2008-2010), they were inspired to revisit and discuss the puzzling Polish research findings of 1981/3. According to their main hypothesis, martial law restricted free speech at universities, and free speech is a key facilitator of the development of moral and democratic competence. In 2018, after a decade of collaborative research on moral and democratic competence, Lind, Nowak and colleagues started a new international MCT study in several Central- and East European countries to examine the impact of the contemporary constitutional crisis in Poland (and the institutional crisis within the European Union) on students’ moral and democratic competencies. In 2018/9 the 40th anniversary of the Moral Competence Test (MCT) and Konstanz Method of Dilemma Discussion (KMDD) will be celebrated. We would like to provide you with the most recent research findings soon.

https://doi.org/10.14746/eip.2018.2.5
PDF

References

Adam E. C. 1993. “Toward a Theory of Situation Awareness in Dynamic Systems.” Human Factors 37(1)32-64.

Aristotle. 2009. Nikomachean Ethics. Tr. by W. D. Ross. http://www.scribd.com/doc/4617088/Aristotle-Nikomachean-Ethics (accessed on 12.01.2009).

Bargel T., Markiewicz W., & Peisert H. 1982. „University Graduates: Study Experience and Social Role – Empirical Findings of a Comparative Study in Five European Countries (FORM project),” in M. Niessen & J. Peschar (Eds.), Comparative Research on Education. Oxford: Pergamon (55-78).

Birnbacher D. 2003. Analytische Einführung in die Ethik. Berlin – New York: Walter de Gruyter.

Blatt M. & Kohlberg L. 1975. “The Effect of Classroom Moral Discussion upon Children’s Level of Moral Judgment.” Journal of Moral Education 4:129-61.

Brehm J.W. 1972. Responses to Loss of Freedom: A Theory of Psychological Reactance. Morristawn: General Learning Press.

Brehm J. W. & Cohen A. R. 1962. Exploration in Cognitive Dissonance. New York: Wiley.

Darwin Ch. 1989. The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex. The Works of Charles

Darwin, ed. by P. H. Barrett & R. B. Freeman. London: Pickering (Original 1871).

Dewey J. 1966. Democracy and Education. An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education. New York: The Free Press.

Dewey J. 1975. Moral Principles in Education. Cambridge: University of Southern Illinois Press.

Mis-Educative Martial Law – The Fate of Free Discourse and the Moral Judgment Competence

of Polish University Students from 1977 to 198371

Gutmann A. 1999. Democratic Education (2nd edition). Princeton, NJ: Princton University Press.

Habermas J. 1986. Autonomy and Solidarity. Ed. by P. Dews. London – New York: Verso.

Habermas J. 1996. Between Facts and Norms. Trans. J. Rehg. Cambridge: Blackwell Publishers Ltd.

Habermas J. 1995. Moral Consciousness and Communicative Action. Trans. Ch. Lenhardt & S. Weber Nicholsen. Introduction by T. McCarthy. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Harvey J. H. et al. 1974. “Perceived Choice as a Function of Internal – External Locus of Control.” Journal of Personality 42:

Hemmerling K. 2014. Morality Behind Bars. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.

Herkner W. 2004. Sozialpsychologie. Bern – Göttingen – Toronto – Seattle: Huber.

Jefferson T. 2008. Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1787. (Forrest version) ME 6:392 quoted in http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/ (accessed on 20.12.2008).

Keasey C. B. 1974. “The Influence of Opinion-Agreement and Qualitative Supportive Reasoning in the Evaluation of Moral Judgments.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 30:477-82.

Kohlberg L. 1964. “Development of Moral Character and Moral Ideology,” in M. L. Hoffman & L. W. Hoffman (Eds.), Review of Child Development Research, Vol. I. New York: Russel Sage Foundation (381-431).

Kohlberg L. 1970. “Education for Justice. A Modern Statement of the Platonic View,” in N. F. Sizer & T. R. Sizer (Eds.), Moral Education: Five Lectures. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press (57-83).

Kohlberg L. 1975. “Moral Education for a Society in Moral Transition.” Educational Leadership (October):46-54.

Kohlberg L. 1980. “High School Democracy and Education for a Just Society,” in R. Mosher (Ed.), Moral Education. A First Generation of Research and Development. New York: Praeger (20-57).

Kohlberg L. 1984. The Psychology of Moral Development. Vol. 2: Essays on Moral Development. San Francisco: Harper & Row.

Lewin K. & Lippit R. A. 1938. “An Experimental Approach to the Study of Autocracy and Democracy. A Preliminary Note.“ Sociometry 1:292-300.

Lind G. 1978. „Wie misst man moralisches Urteil? Probleme und alternative Möglichkeiten der Messung eines komplexen Konstrukts“ [How Does One Measure Moral Judgment? Problems and Alternative Possibilities of Measuring a Complex Construct]. In G. Portele (Ed.), Sozialisation und Moral. Weinheim: Beltz (171-201).

Lind G. 1985. “Growth and Regression in Cognitive-Moral Development,” in C. Harding (Ed.), Moral Dilemmas. Chicago: Precedent Publishing Inc. (99-114).

Lind G. 1986. “Cultural Differences in Moral Judgment Competence? A Study of West and East European University Students.” Behavior Science Research 20:208-25.

Lind G. 1987. “Moral Competence and Education in Democratic Society,“ In G. Zecha & P. Weingartner (Eds.), Conscience: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Dordrecht: Reidel (37-43).

Lind G. 1989. “Measuring Moral Judgment: A Review of ‘The Measurement of Moral Judgment’ by Anne Colby and Lawrence Kohlberg.” Human Development 32:388- 97.

Lind G. 2000a. “Moral Regression in Medical Students and Their Learning Environment.” Revista Brasileira de Educacao Médica 24(3)24-33.

Lind G. 2000b. “The Importance of Role-Taking Opportunities for Self-Sustaining Moral Development.” Journal of Research in Education 10(1)9-15.

Lind G. 2002. Ist Moral lehrbar? Ergebnisse der modernen moralpsychologischen Forschung. [Can morality be taught? Research findings from modern moral psychology]. Second Edition. Berlin: Logos-Verlag.

Lind G. 2008a. “The Meaning and Measurement of Moral Judgment Competence Revisited – A Dual-Aspect Model,” in D. Fasko & W. Willis (Eds.), Contemporary Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives on Moral Development and Education. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press (185-220).

Lind G. 2008b. “Teaching Students to Speak up and to Listen to Others: Cultivating Moral Democratic Competencies,” in D. E. Lund & P. R. Carr (Eds.), Doing Democracy and Social Justice in Education: Political Literacy for All Students. New York: Peter Lang Publishing (185-220).

Lind G. 2016. How to Teach Morality. Promoting Deliberation and Discussion, Reducing Violence and Deceit. Berlin: Logos-Verlag.

Marquard O. 1996. Skepsis und Zustimmung [Skepticism and agreement]. Stuttgart: Reclam.

Mischel W. & Mischel H. 1996. “A Cognitive Social Learning Approach to Morality and Self-Regulation,” in T. Licona (Ed.), Moral Development and Behavior. New York: Holt (84-107).

Nowak E., Schrader D., & Zizek B. (Eds.), Educating Competencies for Democracy. Bern – New York – Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang Verlag.

Piaget J. 1976. “The Affective Unconscious and the Cognitive Unconscious,” in B. Inhelder & H. H. Chipman (Eds.), Piaget and His School. New York: Springer (63-71).

Radbruch G. 1961. Der Mensch im Recht. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.

Radbruch G. 1993. Politische Schriften aus der Weimarer Zeit. Vol. II. Heidelberg: C. F. Müller.

Radbruch G. 2003. Rechtsphilosophie. Heidelberg: C. F. Müller.

Seligman M. E. P. 1975. Helplessness. San Francisco: Freeman.

Sprinthall N. A., Reiman A. J., & Thies-Sprinthall L. 1993. „Role-taking and Reflection: Promoting the Conceptual and Moral Development of Teachers.” Learning and Individual Differences 5(4):283-99.

Tocqueville A. de 1960. Democracy in America. Vol. II (Original published 1848). New York, NY: Vintage Books.