Chief Academic Officers (CAO) are leaders in institutions of higher education and have wide decision-making scope. Previous research has clearly demonstrated the need for leaders to engage in ethical decision-making. Moral judgments are an aspect of ethical decision-making, so it is important for CAOs to make moral judgments. This study examined…

This paper discusses a cross-sectional study that assessed the moral development profiles of undergraduate pharmacy students (n=71) using Rest's Defining Issues Test. Analysis showed no significant difference in mean level of principled moral reasoning between first and fourth professional year undergraduate students. (GLR)

This final report describes the development of personal, social, and moral values, as well as the development of moral judgments of West Point cadets. The values of cadets at entrance and throughout their four years at the United States Military Academy were assessed. The basic research evaluated how cadets become socialized into the military…

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between moral judgment and personality or attitude toward authority; variation of attitude toward authority through adolescence; and bias of Kohlbergian moral development toward a liberal political philosophy. Results were discussed in terms of the political and psychological features of…

The Defining Issues Test (DIT) has been subjected to construct validation in a number of studies relating it to the development of moral judgment and to measures of cognitive development and political attitudes. The DIT has been found to have significant positive correlations with the Comprehension of Social-Moral Concepts Test for a variety of…

Surveys counselor education students (N=68) using Defining Issues Test and White Racial Identity Scale to determine relationships among multicultural training and moral racial identity development. Results indicated that training could help change modes of information processing about racial attitudes, but may not promote cognitive complexity…

The relationship of scores on a measure of moral reasoning to the perceived relative importance of statements of value that M. Rokeach (1973) conceptualized as being instrumental (states of being) or terminal (end states of existence) was studied with 66 undergraduate students. The pattern of relationships between the scores and the relative…

Reviews the Defining Issues Test and Spheres of Control results of students involved in the pro-choice or pro-life movements. Rates participation of student involvement in on-campus activities. Reveals abortion activists more frequently endorsed moral issues and scored higher on sociopolitical issues. Discusses results based on relationships among…

The document discusses the nature of moral judgment, reviews previous studies which link higher education to moral judgment, and presents results of a longitudinal study comparing college and non-college subjects. This project report from the Higher Education and Cognitive-Social Development Project at the University of Minnesota is presented in…

The relationship is investigated between teacher attitudes, role specific self-concept, and moral judgment in beginning teacher candidates; the differences in the above areas between elementary and secondary candidates; and differences between rankings of ideal teacher role descriptors by those who showed different levels of principled thinking.…

Investigated the relationship between 18-23 year olds' moral judgments and political choices. Surveyed 128 subjects about their perceptions of election issues, candidates, and voting intentions 2 weeks before the 1988 U.S. presidential election. Found significant relationships between subjects' moral development, as measured by the Defining Issues…

Reports on a study of the effect of community service on 71 undergraduate students. Finds that community service work combined with discussion of relevant moral issues is an effective way of moving students into the postconventional stage of principled moral reasoning. Discusses other benefits of community service work. (CFR)

Fifty-five studies of a variety of education interventions designed to stimulate development in moral judgment, which used the Defining Issues Test, are reviewed. Results are discussed in terms of general treatment effects, program type, exposure to Kohlberg's Theory, subject age, and treatment duration. (Author/BS)

The moral reasoning of teachers enrolled in education courses was examined through an administration of the Defining Issues Test. Teachers were found to be at a generally comparable level to most other adults, but below many college graduates. (JKS)

To determine whether admission interviews could differentiate commitment, 456 applicants from 2 medical schools were tested on the commitment, 456 applicants from two medical schools were tested on the Defining Issues Test, which measures the amount of principled or postconventional moral reasoning. The participating institutions were two Israeli…