The results of a qualitative research showed little understanding of the concept of moral autonomy. Participants were teachers of nursery scholls in Porto Alegre (RS) where educational methods were based on Piaget's theory. The principal aim of this paper is the explanation of Piaget's concept of moral autonomy. This concept is very important to educators since Piaget says that the purpose of education should be the autonomy. Our approach includes: 1- how the construction of moral autonomy became a problem to be investigated by Piaget; 2- the process of constructing moral autonomy through human development. We try to enphasize importance of education for the human being to achive moral autonomy.
Ethics; constructivism; moral development