This proposal is a request for financial support to study the moral development of deaf and hearing

children. The project has two foci; the first is on analyzing various existing biases in Kohlberg's moral
development stage theory and research methodology; the second is on understanding better the impact
of communication parent-child and culture on moral development on deaf and hearing children. Five
different groups of children who will be interviewed and studied: deaf children of deaf parents fluent in
American Sign Language (ASL), deaf children of hearing parents where at least one parent is a fluent
signer, deaf children of hearing parents where no parent signs, hearing children of deaf parents fluent in
ASL, and hearing children of hearing parents. The findings will allow educators, parents, psychologists,
researchers, and counselors to increase awareness, sensitivity, and knowledge regarding the biases in
Kohlberg's theory and the effects of communication and culture on the moral reasoning skills of deaf
and hearing children