Impact of a Residence Hall Staff Training Class on the Moral Judgment Development of College Students

Abstract

The everyday dilemmas that residence-hall student staff members (RAs) face have become more challenging for the traditional college-aged student to handle. The need for the decisions and actions of our RAs to have a more solid base in their own moral judgment is important. Helping RAs in their moral judgment development is a task or goal that institutions of higher learning can accomplish in many different ways. One approach includes offering these individuals a preparatory course that addresses various dilemmas and ways they might handle them in their staff positions. How successful is this approach? This study focused on the impact of Resident Assistant training on the development of moral judgment of college students as measured by the Defining Issues Test-2. The research method incorporated pretest-posttest nonequivalent comparison-group and posttest-only control group designs. The findings suggest that students who set out to be RAs are predisposed to a higher level of post conventional moral judgment than students who do not pursue RA training, and completing a RA selection course may influence the development of moral judgement.