Moral Development and Altruism in Middle School Students

he levels of moral development and altruism in middle school students were assessded in this study. 1020 subjects (510 boys and 510 girls) from first to third grade of middle school in five socio-economic regions of Tehran were randomly selected and had completed the Moral Development Test (Ma, 1989). Data analyses showed: (1) Altruism does not develop by an increase in age, however altruistic behaviors towards relatives is more compared to strangers, (2) The scores of total moral development increased significantly from the first grade to second and stopped at third, (3) The scores of boys and girls in total altruism variables (RCT, RBT, RAT) and in total moral development index (TJ) didn’t show a significant difference, (4) The socio-economic status had significant relationship with moral development and altruism. The most and the least means were achieved in rich and poor regions. The findings suggest the necessity of enhancement of cooperation and reciprocity between peers in social context, the need to provide the sociability patterns and altruistic behaviors by adults, through choosing strategies that ensure optimum conditions of cognitive development.