Moral Judgment and Student Discipline: What Are Institutions Teaching? What Are Students Learning?

Abstract

College students find themselves in conflict with their college or university when they make choices counter to the expectations of the institution. Typically, these expectations for conduct are outlined in a published code of conduct, which is, in a sense, a moral code for student behavior. “The special function of the construct of moral judgment is to provide conceptual guidance for action choice in situations where moral claims conflict,” (Rest, Narvaez, Bebeau, & Thoma, 1999, p. 499). This statement highlights the essence of a question often raised in college and university judicial affairs offices across the country—do students who violate conduct codes operate at a lower level of moral judgment than those who do not?