| Scope and Method of Study. Using the Sociomoral Reflection Measure (SRM), this study investigated the moral development of students participating in co-curricular student leadership positions in one upper-Midwestern higher education institution and sought to determine the degree to which co-curricular leadership experiences influenced the moral reasoning of participants. The SRM, an instrument designed to measure moral reasoning as defined by Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of moral development, was used to identify case study participants among students holding leadership positions in student senate or residence life. Case study participants were those students scoring at the two highest levels of moral development as indicated by the SRM. During the case study, participants were asked what life experiences they believed led to their providing answers on the SRM that were scored at stage 4 of moral development. Participants were also asked to describe the duties associated with their leadership positions.;Findings and Conclusions. Case study participants described 22 distinct life experiences that influenced their stage 4 responses on the SRM. Of those 22, only one was related to a life experience that took place in the context of a co-curricular leadership position. A majority of responses cited classroom lessons or family interactions as the influencing life experience. The results of this study do not suggest an interrelationship exists between co-curricular leadership experiences and moral development as defined by Kohlberg. The interview data does suggest that the moral development theory of Carol Gilligan, based upon an ethic of care, may be an appropriate theoretical framework for the study of the interrelationship between co-curricular leadership positions and moral development. |
