Assessing the Efficacy of a Character Development Program in Non-Traditional Undergraduate Students

The purpose of this quantitative ex post facto study was to examine if there is a significant difference in mean moral judgment levels of first year undergraduate students after participating in a character development program at a non-traditional program in a university in the southwestern United States. This study included new non-traditional students matriculating between October 2019 and June 2020. The measurement instrument for the study was the Defining Issues Test-2 (DIT-2). Pre- and post-test DIT-2 archival data was retrieved from the study site for the two assessments. The independent variable was the character education program of study, and the dependent variables were the difference in the mean scores from the DIT-2. Paired t-tests were used to determine if a statistical difference existed after character training. The positive mean change in post-conventional thinking scores, P (M = 2.24), N2 (M = 1.70), were not significantly different than zero (P score p = .203, N2 score p = 0.203). The positive mean change in scores for the lowest level of moral reasoning, PI, (M = 0.15) was not significantly different from zero (p = 0.912). The predominant moral schema used by the students, maintaining norms (MN) demonstrated a negative mean change (M = -1.35) but it was not significantly different from zero (p = 0.348). Therefore, the character program of study at the site did not increase moral reasoning levels. The results are significant, as they help to define what works and what does not in non-traditional student ethical development.