We conducted a qualitative analysis of 5 years of student writing data to understand learning and moral development on a field philosophy course in Isle Royale National Park. We were interested in the connection between physical experiences in the natural world and the way students care about or value nonhuman beings, natural systems, and place.…

Are athletics a positive or negative educational force? The viewpoint widely shared across academe is that participation in intercollegiate athletics has a positive impact on students and contributes to learning and moral development. Often, this notion is captured in the phrase "character development," a shorthand way to describe the individual…

Institutional atmosphere forms the context of reasoning in an institution and defines the relationship between the individual and the organizational framework of the institution. The hierarchical complexity of the institutional dilemmas solved by people interacting in that institution defines the stages of reasoning embodied in the atmosphere. The…

Explored differences in moral development and attitudes toward nontoleration clause of Honor Code of U.S. Air Force Academy between cadets who were convicted honor violators (n=24) and control group of nonviolators (n=162). Found that, as cadet moral development increased from year to year, acceptance and internalization of principle of…

Factors which aid an individual's progression from one stage of moral reasoning to another remain a mystery. Theorists suggest that intraception, defined as a predominance of feeling, fantasy, and aspirations (connoting a humanistic outlook and an ability to develop role-taking skills) as opposed to a down-to-earth, skeptical attitude, may be an…

This book uses the analogy of three mountains on the horizon that must be traveled in order to explore ethics in relation to student affairs. It contends there are three major approaches to ethics that represent three major approaches to the moral life: (1) principles-based; (2) case-based; and (3) virtues-based. In order to facilitate a person's…

This study investigates the parent-child relationship antecedents of a multidimensional model of moral character among late adolescents. The model posits that the configuration of five character dimensions explains the moral behavior displayed by an individual. The dimensions are moral knowledge, socialization, empathy, autonomy and ethical…

New approaches to investigate the contribution of extracurricular collegiate life to the moral development of students are described. Living environment is found to have the most impact, according to student perceptions. (MSE)

If higher education is to contribute to society's betterment, it must aim to produce people of character. This requires basic principles of liberal arts education including time, an appropriate setting, opportunity for observation, and conversation. Religious faith also makes a contribution. Although many colleges and universities attempt to…

Liberal arts colleges are seen as engaged in moral education. Three moral lessons that a college teaches are described as (1) love for the truth, (2) learning is a human good, and (3) learning requires intellectual rigor or "discipline." Colleges are seen as places of hope. (MLW)

The impact of (1) college experiences, (2) attribution beliefs and attitudes about punitiveness, (3) educational and academic characteristics, and (4) freshmen level of moral judgment development on the level of moral development of upper-division students is reported. For freshmen with high moral reasoning scores, participation in extracurricular…

An overview is given of the Sierra Project, a developmental intervention designed and undertaken at the University of California, Irvine during 1974-75 to facilitate and study dimensions associated with character development in college students. The developmental status of resident freshmen was assessed and their growth and development over the…

Reviews research on the influence of the college experience in students' moral development, particularly within the framework of Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of moral development. Issues discussed include the amount of principled moral growth occurring during college, how much can be attributed to college attendance, institutional characteristics…

Explores Christian college students views of self and of a Christian God. Discusses differences in views between men and women. Suggests that the Christian liberal arts context nurtures integrated and complex views of the self, but authoritative views of God. Notes authoritative views of God shaped the heavy justice self-ethic. (CAJ)

Reported are four studies of the development of moral autonomy among 720 individuals ranging in age from 12 to 21 years. A questionnaire and a focused interview technique were used to find indications of autonomy in moral judgments and the justifications for these judgments. Tasks elicited moral decisions in the areas of child rearing, schools,…