Do Christian college students develop into more ethical leaders? An evaluation of moral development and transformational leadership.

摘要

This quantitative study used the Defining Issues Test - 2 (DIT-2) and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) to evaluate the relationship between transactional/transformational leadership qualities and moral development within a population of higher education students at a Protestant, Christian, liberal arts college. This study considered the idea that transformational leadership is the morally highest ideal level of leadership. It also considered the impact that the higher education experience has on student moral development. Specifically, based on past studies that suggested that Protestant, Christian, liberal arts institutions have a greater impact on students' moral development than other higher education institutions, junior and senior level students at a small, Protestant, Christian, liberal arts college in the south were surveyed. Similar to other studies, no statistically significant relationship was found between transactional/transformational leadership and moral development within this population. However, the information and values that were gained from this research has provided several areas for further research opportunities.