The Impact of Service Learning on Moral Development and Moral Orientation

Authors

Matthew L. Bernacki PhD, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Elizabeth A. Jaeger, St. Josephs University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Spring 2008

Publication Title

Michigan Journal of Community Service-Learning

Volume

14

Issue

2

First page number:

5

Last page number:

15

Abstract

Research on Service-learning's (SL) impact on students' moral development has been "mixed." In this study, 46 students in SL and non-SL sections of comparable courses offered at a northeastern Catholic university completed the Defining Issues Test, the Moral Justification Scale, and the SL Outcome Scale at the beginning and end of a semester. Although scores on moral development and orientation did not change significantly, SL students reported becoming more compassionate and more sensitive, having a greater understanding of and ability to solve social problems, and possessing a greater efficacy to make the world better. While a single-semester exposure to SL may be too limited to affect moral development, participants' self-reported changes may be precursors to such developmental changes. Unfortunately, existing measures of moral orientation may preclude a thorough examination of change associated with SL. Future research would benefit from using tools that measure moral thinking and action, and under- standing of hypothetical moral principles.

Disciplines

Education | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Educational Methods | Educational Psychology

File Format

pdf

File Size

168 KB

Language

English

Permissions

Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the item. Publisher policy does not allow archiving the final published version. If a post-print (author's peer-reviewed manuscript) is allowed and available, or publisher policy changes, the item will be deposited.

Repository Citation

Bernacki, M. L., Jaeger, E. A. (2008). The Impact of Service Learning on Moral Development and Moral Orientation. Michigan Journal of Community Service-Learning, 14(2), 5-15.
https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/edpsych_fac_articles/8