Assessing moral reasoning among college students in education majors in the United States and China

• In Event: Division D Graduate Student in Progress Research Gala

Abstract

Ethics education has remained stagnant for a long time despite the fast development of technology and sciences. Based on various scholars (Boutroux, 1913; Dewey, 1923; Canary et al., 2014), it is clear that ethics education is essential in education. However, how to teach ethics in the educational context remain controversial. This mixed-methods study will utilize a questionnaire, the Define Issues Test – 2, and a semi-structured interview to collect data from college students, from both undergraduate and graduate levels. This study looks at under what circumstances do students manifest certain moral reasonings and what factors at school promote/inhibit students’ moral behaviors.

Author

• Jianhui Zhang, University of Hawaii - Manoa