Moral Development in Higher Education: A Guide to Working with Chinese International Students

Huacong Liu, Matthew Day, and Janelle PapayThe Pennsylvania State University

Moral Development Importance

Cheating, cooperative behavior, voting preferences, social activism, adhering to contracts, and helping those in need

Moral reasoning is related to differences in cultural background

Chinese students represent 25.4% of the total international student population in the U.S.

Chinese culture is characterized by Confucian Collectivism

American culture emphasizes individualism

Definition of Moral Development

“Moral competence refers to the affective orientation to perform altruistic behaviors

towards others and the ability to judge moral issues logically, consistently, and at an advanced level of development” - Ma,

2011

Theoretical Framework

Kohlberg’s Six-Stage Model of Principled Moral Reasoning Development

Conceptual Framework

Inputs

Confucian Morality Concept of Self Rule of Law

Academic culture Language Skills Cognitive

Motivation

Environment

Outcomes

Model

Globalization

Social Justice

Engagement

Discussion

Globalization

• Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan• Variations in pre-college traits among students from mainland

China

Chinese students may not be given opportunities to have a “voice” in society’s moral decision-making

Stereotypes

Social Justice

Engagement

First-Year International Students were found to be more engaged than their U.S. American counterparts With faculty & staff Academic challenge Technology use Active and collaborative learning

Senior International Students Academic work Technology use Diversity-related activities

Implications

Institutions Awareness of what affects Moral Reasoning Development in Chinese International Students Curriculum Co-curricular activities Adaptation of environment

Quality Faculty & Staff Application to other cultures that are

characterized by collectivism

Questions?

References

Bar-Yam, M., Kohlberg, L. & Naame, A. (1980). Moral reasoning of students in different cultural, social, and educational settings. American Journal of Education, 88(3) 345-362.doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/443530

Bonawitz, M. (2002). Analysis and comparison of the moral development of students required to graduate with an ethics course. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Florida Atlantic University.

Chang, K.A. (1996). Culture, power and the social construction of morality: Moral voices of Chinese students. Journal of Moral Education, 25(2). 141-157. doi:10.1080/0305724960250201

Cooper, M., & Schwartz, R. (2007). Moral judgment and student discipline: What are institutions teaching? What are students learning? Journal of College Student Development, 48(5) 595-607 doi: 10.1353/csd.2007.0049

Hau, K.T. & Lew, W.J.F. (1989). Moral development of Chinese students in Hong Kong. International Journal of Psychology. 24(1-5). 561-569. doi:10.1080/00207594.1989.10600066

Hurtado, S., Mayhew, M. J., & Engberg, M. E. (2003, November). Diversity in the classroom and students' moral reasoning. In annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Portland, OR.

Leask, B. (2006). Plagiarism, cultural diversity and metaphor—implications for academic staff development. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 31(2), 183–199. doi:10.1080/02602930500262486

Mayhew, M.J., Seifert, T.A., & Pascarella, E.T. (2010). A multi-institutional assessment of moral reasoning development among first-year students. The Review of Higher Education (33)3, 357–390. doi: 10.1353/rhe.0.0153