Exploring moral education in Hong Kong: A test of Situational Action Theory’s Developmental Ecological Action Model

• In Event: Exploring Moral Development: empirical and intervention applications informed by Situational Action Theory in schools.

Abstract

This study employs Situational Action Theory (SAT) to explore the role of moral education in shaping adolescents’ morality and its subsequent impact on their involvement in rule-breaking behaviours. Specifically, it examines how moral education received from the three key social sources—family, school, and peers—contributes to adolescents’ moral development. According to SAT, moral education operates through three primary mechanisms: (1) verbal or written instruction, (2) observation of others’ behaviours and the consequences they evoke, and (3) personal experimentation (Wikström, Treiber & Roman, 2024). In order to capture adolescents’ moral experiences within the three social contexts, this study utilises a modified version of the ‘Young Person Questionnaire’ that was originally developed for the Peterborough Adolescent Development Study (PADS+), with additional scales tailored to the Hong Kong context. Drawing on a sample of over 3,000 students from Year 8 to Year 12, this research aims to explore the contents of moral education across family, school and peer settings in Hong Kong, as well as their influences on adolescents’ morality and rule-breaking behaviours. The findings are expected to provide some insights into the effectiveness of moral education in preventing juvenile delinquency and crime.

Author

• Katie Tu, University of Cambridge