Developing an instrument to measure the perceived impact of moral education teaching practices on university students’ behavioral changes

This study aims to develop and validate a questionnaire instrument to measure the perceived impact of moral education teaching practices on university students’ behavioral changes, particularly in the domains of pro-social and pro-environmental behavior. Grounded in Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, the research conceptualizes teaching practices as environmental factors influencing behavior through dynamic interaction with students’ cognition and values. The study addresses a significant gap in existing literature by focusing on university-level moral education and integrating the measurement of both pro-social and pro-environmental behavioral outcomes, which have rarely been examined together in previous research. All behavioral outcomes measured in this study were based on students’ self-reports. Following Borg and Gall’s research and development model, the study employed a systematic four-stage design. The results demonstrate strong psychometric properties, with clear factor structures emerging for both teaching methods (three factors) and behavioral changes (two factors). The instruments showed high reliability, with Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.870 for teaching methods and 0.941 for behavioral changes. Theoretically, the findings provide empirical support for Bandura’s model in the moral education context and extend its application to environmental ethics. Practically, the validated instrument offers a tool for educators to assess and optimize teaching strategies, fostering students’ moral development.