A student is faced with a situation where breaking a rule would help someone…

Concept: Lawrence Kohlberg classified moral development by the REASON a person offers for a choice, not by the act itself. He described three levels: at the pre-conventional level reasoning is anchored in consequences to oneself, at the conventional level it is anchored in social rules, approval and law-and-order, and at the post-conventional level it is anchored in self-chosen ethical principles such as justice and human dignity that the person holds above any particular rule.

Application: The reason stated in this situation is that the student believes in universal moral principles, and she acts on that belief even though it means setting a rule aside. Principle is therefore placed above rule, which is exactly the reasoning that defines the post-conventional level (Stage 6, universal ethical principles).

Cross-check: change only the stated reason and the level changes with it.

• If the reason were "I will be punished if I break the rule" or "I will get a reward", the reasoning would sit at the pre-conventional level.

• If the reason were "rules must be obeyed" or "people would think badly of me", the reasoning would sit at the conventional level.

• The concrete operational label belongs to Piaget's account of cognitive development, which describes logical thinking about concrete objects rather than the justification of a moral choice.

Result: the reasoning described is at the post-conventional stage.