A Multilevel Examination of the Influence of Institutional Type on the Moral Reasoning Development of First-Year Students.

MORAL development; COLLEGE freshmen; STUDENT development; ETHICS; GENDER differences (Psychology) in adolescence; KOHLBERG, Lawrence, 1927-1987; REASONING; UNIVERSITIES & colleges; PSYCHOLOGY

The article examines the impact of higher education institutional type on the moral reasoning development of first-year students. The author looks at the research of Lawrence Kohlberg who developed a testable theory in relation to adults' moral development. The research is based on a sample population of first-year students attending 19 four- and two-year colleges and universities in the U.S. Topics include the use of the Defining Issues Test, Version 2 (DIT2) which objectively tests moral reasoning, students' learning environments, and the differences between women and men's moral reasoning development.