Can higher education increase students’ moral reasoning? The role of student engagement in the U.S.

ABSTRACT

This study aims to explore the relationships between different types of student engagement and moral reasoning development among U.S. college students. Using the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education, a longitudinal dataset, and applying fixed-effect and random-effects models, the results indicate that various types of student engagement, including honors programs, participation in undergraduate research, and the frequency of nonclassroom interaction with faculty, improve students’ moral reasoning. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of student engagement in the development of moral reasoning.

KEYWORDS:

• Moral reasoning
• student engagement
• honors programs
• undergraduate research

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. Chi-Ming (Angela Lee) for her insightful feedback on the earlier draft of this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Wei-Lin Chen

Wei-Lin Chen specializes in sociology of education and higher education. His current work focuses on the cause and consequence of educational and socioeconomic disparities on college students’ development, including academic performance, leadership skills, health development, and moral and social competence As a substantive topic, his quantitative research focuses on propensity score methods and longitudinal data analysis.

Yun-Wen Chan

Yun-Wen Chan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Texas State University, USA. Her research focus on teaching and learning about environmental citizenship, and moral and ethical education. She has closely worked with scholars, teachers and students in Taiwan, China and Texas about deliberations of sustainability challenges and controversial issues.