Abstract

An understanding of youth culture and its belief systems and how school effects the moral development of young people was the major purpose of this research. The specific purpose of this study was to examine, from the perspective of the young people 13 to 15 years of age how they view the concept of truth, how they make choices concerning the terms right or wrong, and who or what influences their beliefs in these areas. Additionally, this research explored whether young people's moral belief systems are based upon absolute or relative conceptions of truth; where their moral values and beliefs originate; what effect schools have on students' moral development; and suggesting implications of such research to educators. ;An ethnographic case study was conducted at a junior high school. The total population of about 300 students were given a modified Barna 1994 survey in order to select a representative sample in each of the two category bins of absolute or relative. A purposive heterogeneously selected group of 30 seventh and eighth graders between the ages of 13 and 15 years of age constituted the sample. ;The case study supports and reveals some issues that educators must be aware of in understanding youth culture and moral beliefs: Most of today's youth view truth as relative not absolute. The family is the primary influence on the development of young people's moral belief systems. The marital status of parents appears to be a factor influencing the values and morals of young adolescents. Schools and teachers are the next strongest influence on moral development. Peers play a role in influencing young people's moral development. Moral content, in part, is connected to the moral reasoning of young adolescents