Assessing students' ethical development in computing with the defining issues test. Challenges to be addressed
| Date | 22 August 2007 |
| Published date | 22 August 2007 |
| Pages | 33-42 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14779960710822674 |
| Author | Suzy Jagger,John Strain |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
Assessing students’ ethical
development in computing with
the defining issues test
Challenges to be addressed
Suzy Jagger
School of Business and Social Sciences, Roehampton University,
London, UK, and
John Strain
University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this research paper is to examine the early stages of a research project
aimed at evaluating the pedagogic effectiveness of a teaching module in computing ethics.
Design/methodology/approach – Scores of students’ cognitive capabilities to make moral
judgements were measured before and after they had taken the module by means of the “Defining
Issues Test” (DIT). This is a standard test of students’ capability to make moral judgement based on
the work of Lawrence Kohlberg. Interviews were then used to help understand the results of the test.
Findings – Results revealed low mean scores of post-conventional (P Score) thinking skills and wide
variation in overall scores of capability for moral judgement. Interviews with the students about the
course and the test revealed the importance of understanding students’ beliefs about the importance of
ethics in interpreting the results.
Research limitations/implications – Difficulties in matching “before and after” results for each
subject limited the sample size in what was an early step in the overall research project.
Practical implications – The results point towards the importance of addressing students’ own
understanding of the importance of ethics when teaching computing ethics.
Originality/value – The paper reveals some of the limitations of tests of capabilities for moral
judgement which rely on strongly individualistic notions of ethics. It enables a new appreciation to be
made of the strengths and weaknesses of assessing student moral development in higher education in
terms of cognitive factors.
Keywords Ethics, Computerstudies, Students, Cognition
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
A number of attempts have been made to design assessment tools which measure the
extent to which students at university acquire capabilities in ethical appreciation and
reasoning; and hence acquire the capability to make decisions ethically. Many of these
have been developed in the aftermath of Kohlberg’s (1984) seminal work in ethical
development, building on the developmental approach to cognitive psychology of
Piaget (1932). The defining issues test (DIT) is one of various instruments designed to
measure ethical development which build on Kohlberg’s work. But there has been very
little work in applying such tools to measuring the success of teaching computing
ethics. This is a somewhat surprising gap given the importance attached by the British
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1477-996X.htm
Assessing
students’ ethical
development
33
Journal of Information,
Communication & Ethics in Society
Vol. 5 No. 1, 2007
pp. 33-42
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
1477-996X
DOI 10.1108/14779960710822674
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