Comprehension of moral reasoning is important both for successful moral education and for Kohlbergian claims that moral reasoning development is cognitive in nature. Because a psychometrically appropriate moral comprehension instrument does not appear to exist, the Moral Comprehension Questionnaire (MCQ) was constructed in Study 1 and displayed…

This paper reports the results of a ten-year effort to establish ethics as a learning objective for all business students, to assess the effectiveness in achieving that learning objective and to incorporate ethical conduct as a part of the school's organizational culture. First, it addresses the importance of ethics instruction for all business…

Six stages of moral development are outlined and the moral development of 16 ex-offenders living in a halfway house is examined. Usable Defining Issues Test profiles obtained from eight subjects suggest that discussion involving moral dilemmas is a fruitful area for counselors to explore with ex-offenders. (NRB)

Describes Kohlberg's interview test and Rest's Defining Issues Test and indicates that these are usable, reliable ways of assessing an individual's moral judgment development level. Evidence for accepting a developmental sequence in moral judgment is presented. Impressions about educational intervention are offered. (Author/CC)

College students who took the Defining Issues Test (DIT) were instructed to simulate the responses of 11-, 15-, and 19-year-old adolescents; other college students selected moral issues which they believed should be presented to adolescents in those age groups who were faced with the moral dilemmas in the DIT. (Author/DB)

Provides a critical appraisal of two significant contributions of the Minnesota approach to moral development. Describes one contribution as the componential model that describes the four psychological components underlying moral behavior. Identifies the second contribution as the conceptual and methodological reformulations known as the…

Using the Defining Issues Test, the moral reasoning of 95 Texas A&M University medical students was measured at the beginning of their first semester, after a required first-semester medical ethics course, and after their fourth year. Results show significantly increased moral reasoning at the second and third test administrations, with women…

Results of this study reveal that professionals have a higher level of moral development, and counselor training has no effect on moral development. (Author)

Discusses the Defining Issues Test as an invaluable tool for research and practice in moral education. Explains that because such instruments are based upon previous developmental research, they are unsuitable for research on moral development. Argues that these measures stand in the way of generating new knowledge. (CAJ)

This final project report describes a 3-year project designed to integrate ethics into all disciplines at Utah Valley State College to introduce students to ethical complications they may face in their careers and vocations. Fifty faculty members participated in the project, the major components of which involved a 2-week summer seminar in ethics;…

Fourteen moral judgment intervention studies are reviewed and evaluated to address two questions: "Is it possible to stimulate moral judgment development in an educational setting?" and "Does the Defining Issues Test index such moral judgment changes?" These studies affirm the second question. Half of them produced significant…

Reviews studies examining differences in moral schema development, using techniques that range from measuring implicit knowledge (such as the defining issues test) and explicit knowledge (such as with the moral judgment interview). Finds significant differences in the comprehension of moral narratives based on age/education and level of expertise.…

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)

Maintains that the Defining Issues Test (DIT) is now the most frequently used measure of moral judgment development. Reviews the history of DIT research. Asserts that the measurement system provided by the DIT would put the cognitive developmental approach in a better position to affect change in the moral development field. (CFR)

Reports on a study of the influence of age and formal education on the development of moral reasoning among 215 Spanish citizens ranging in age from 12 to 48. Finds that moral development is highly related to both variables, although more so with formal education than with age. Includes five tables of illustrative data. (CFR)