Teachers' Beliefs on Moral Development in Hungary - with Reference to Children with Mild Intellectual Disability

The aim of our research was to find out teachers', lower primary school teachers', and special education teachers' beliefs of moral development with a special focus on children with mild intellectual disabilities. We also look at the perceptions of candidates studying on the same subjects. Numerous research studies show that teachers' educational beliefs having significant impact on the educational process. This paper presents the qualitative part of a mixed method research. Semi-structured interviews (N=13) and one focus group discussion (N=1) were used. Interview respondents reported that they found it difficult to define moral behavior because it is situational. We found that among the factors influencing moral development, family background plays the strongest role, but they also feel their own responsibility is paramount. Opinions on the moral development of children with mild intellectual disabilities are varied. The main tendencies are that some say that they cannot reach the same level of development as a typically developing children, and some say that IQ should not be a barrier. And, according to some, moral development may be also atypical. We found interesting correlations between the views of teachers in the field and those of candidates.