SDG 16 at a Glance: Exploring Moral Values and Service Dedication among Aspiring Law Enforcers in a State University of the Cordilleras, Philippines

Abstract

Achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 and ethical issues in law enforcement are global concerns, yet studies contextualizing these issues in educational sectors still need to be made available. This study addresses this gap and acknowledges the role of education as a foundation of peace and justice and ensuring strong institutions by assessing the aspiring law enforcers’ moral values and service dedication at a college within a state university in the Cordilleras, Philippines. The study employed a convergent mixed methods approach. Graduating students and recent graduates (n = 280) completed the survey, while faculty and staff (n = 6) participated in one-on-one interviews to triangulate the data. Quantitative findings reveal occasional moral values and service dedication manifestations across five dimensions. Qualitative findings highlight factors influencing these manifestations, which include financial limitations, disinterest in social and political issues, personal weaknesses, conflicting interests, limited understanding of humanitarian law enforcement, reluctance to discuss ethical issues, procrastination, and delayed decision-making. Converging the data emphasizes the importance of enhancing ethics in education within law enforcement curricula to ensure socially conscious and ethically responsible future law enforcers. Future research could explore localized learning outcomes to inform broader policies like SDGs.