A CROSS-SECTIONAL EXAMINATION OF LEVELS OF MORAL REASONING IN A SAMPLE OF KUWAIT UNIVERSITY FACULTY MEMBERS

Abstract

This cross-cultural study was conducted to examine the moral reasoning of a sample of full time faculty members at Kuwait University. Eighty-six participants completed Rest's Defining Issues Test (DIT) which measures percentage of principled moral reasoning indexed as P%-score. The analysis of the results showed that the obtained P-% score was lower than the norms reported in the published research on Western subjects. Overall, the stages were not significantly related to age or discipline of the participants. Discussions of the present findings were made in line with the recent research on moral development calling for a reorientation of the psychology of morality, which has been predominantly based on the cognitive developmental paradigm for a number of decades.