Measuring online moral reasoning: the development and psychometric properties of the cyberethics scale
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Abstract
This dissertation developed a valid and reliable instrument that measures online moral reasoning. This instrument is referred to as the Cyberethics Scale (CES). The dissertation examines theoretical basis of CES and describes the process of developing the CES. Cognitive-developmental theories of moral judgment generally explain diverse ways that individuals advance their moral judgment. The study adapted concepts of several theories-particularly those ofKolhberg (1984) and Gibbs, Basinger, and Fuller (1992)-and applied them to identify states of moral reasoning specifically in an online environment. Evidence to confirm the validity and reliability ofthe CES during this process derived from a pilot study, understandability study, expert review panel, and statistical analysis. The psychometric properties were assessed with data from 243 participants recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk (Mturk) website. The CES is a short answer survey that can be group-administrable as a paper-pencil format and online format and requires an average of 10 minutes to complete 10-item survey. The scoring is self-trained. An estimated time to complete scoring a protocol is 20 minutes, which is equivalent to the SRM-SF scoring time. The psychometric properties of the CES are acceptable (r = .604, n = 243). This reliability measure is comparable to the Chronbach Alpha of the Sociomoral Reflection Measure-Short Form when assessed with adult sample (r = .5762, n=48).
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Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University