The impact of education level and type on moral reasoning

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Abstract

The importance of education in developing morally sensitive individuals who use principled moral reasoning when facing dilemmas has been widely acknowledged. In the context of the criticism levelled at the Irish higher education system for failing to fulfil the role of intellectual leader and moral critic within the public domain, this paper examines the impact of education level (both undergraduate and post-graduate) and type (arts or technical/profession-based) on moral reasoning using 311 Irish participants from a wide variety of educational backgrounds. An enhanced understanding of the impact of education on moral reasoning will facilitate the development of educational initiatives aimed at augmenting moral reasoning in higher-level students.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)377-393
Number of pages17
JournalIrish Educational Studies
Volume32
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2013

Keywords

  • Education level
  • Education type
  • Moral behaviour
  • Moral reasoning
  • University education

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