The research results are clear: After four years of college, students experience growth in moral judgment. What isn't clear is why. What is it about going to college that contributes to the development of moral thinking? The authors point to something in the college environment that has little to do with the curriculum or the cocurriculum—students’ friendships and social networks.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ColbyA., and KohlbergL.The Measure of Moral Judgment.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,1987.
2.
McNeelS. P.“College Teaching and Student Moral Development.” In RestJ. R., and NarvaezD. (eds.), Moral Development in the Professions.Hillsdale, N.J.: Erlbaum, 1994.
3.
NucciL., and PascarellaE.T.“The Influence of College on Moral Development.” In SmartJ. (ed.), Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research. Vol. 3. New York: Agathon, 1987.
4.
PascarellaE.T., and TerenziniP.How College Affects Students: Findings and Insights from Twenty Years of Research.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass,1991.
5.
RestJ. R.Development in Judging Moral Issues.Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press,1979.
6.
RestJ. R.Moral Development: Advances in Research and Theory.New York: Praeger,1986.
7.
SchlaefliA., RestJ., and ThomaS.“Does Moral Education Improve Moral Judgment? A Meta-Analysis of Intervention Studies Using the Defining Issues Test.”Review of Educational Research, 1985, 55(3), 319–352.
8.
ThomaS. J., and LadewigB. H.“Close Friendships and Moral Judgment Development During the College Years.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, 1991.
9.
ThomaS. J., and LadewigB. H.“Close Friendships and Moral Judgment Development During the College Years.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, New Orleans, 1993.
