The Moral Development and Self-Realization Levels of University Students: North Cyprus Context

Abstract

Problem Statement: When students graduate, they begin to work and start facing the real and difficult life outside school. In addition, what they are obliged to do is that they both have to stand on their own feet and become good members of the society they live in. Furthermore, the students at education faculties are going to be the educators of the future and they will be able to affect many people who will study in their classes. Therefore, it is crucial to study the moral development of university students, especially the students studying at education faculties. Additionally, self-realization, which is the highest level of Maslow's hierarchy for needs, is also important as it is the main force to motivate a person. Purpose of the Study: This study investigates the moral development of university students who study at education faculty. Then the study aims to find out whether there is a correlation with the moral development abilities of the participants and their self-realization levels. Methods: The Turkish versions of Defining Issues Test (DIT) prepared by Akkoyun (1987) and Personal Orientation Inventory prepared by Kuzgun (1973) were given to the participants with an introductory part in order to get some demographic information such as age, gender, the literacy of parents, and so forth. Results: At the end of the study it is found out that the education level of mothers is very important for the moral judgment of participants. The study also shows that students with higher level of self-realization are better at moral judgment. Conclusions and Recommendations: The results reveal that the Junior students' level of moral judgment is higher than the level of Freshman students. Also, the education level of mothers and the departments of students affect participants' moral judgment scores. It is suggested to carry out more studies in order to analyze personal and cultural factors affecting people's moral judgment.