The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between moral development and year in school, gender, and personality type for university undergraduates. Moral development was measured by the Defining Issues Test (DIT) and personality was assessed using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The sample consisted of 320 freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors enrolled as full-time students at The University of Iowa. From this sample, 188 (36.9%) students returned usable questionnaires. This random sample, stratified according to undergraduate class and gender, was provided by the university registrar. Subjects completed and returned a mailed questionnaire booklet containing the DIT and MBTI. These questionnaires were hand-scored and analyzed using analysis of variance and Pearson Product-Moment Correlations. An additional multiple comparisons test was done using the Scheff method. Systat software for the Macintosh was used to analyze the data. The analysis showed several significant results. Significant gender (p <0.001) and year in school (p <0.010) effects were found when analyzing the %P score of moral development level. Women scored significantly higher than men and seniors scored significantly higher than freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. The feeling dimension of the MBTI was found to be significantly associated with gender (females at p <0.001). Finally, the % Stage 4 score was found to be significantly related to the sensing (S) (p <0.001) and judging (J) (p <0.050) dimensions of the MBTI. The %P score was found to be significantly related to the intuitive (N) (p <0.050) and feeling (F) (p <0.050) dimensions of the MBTI. These results confirmed earlier studies in which a significant relationship was found between year in school and moral development level. The gender effect had been theorized and found in some studies but is unusual when using the DIT. The significant relationship between different dimensions of the MBTI and % Stage 4 and % P moral development scores had not been previously reported in the literature. / Graduation date: 1993
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/12813 |
| Date | 01 June 1992 |
| Creators | McMahon, Timothy R. |
| Contributors | Penn, J. Roger |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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