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Analyzing gender invariance in adolescents’ moral judgment with measurement model and thematic analysis

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Abstract

Previous studies quantitatively or qualitatively examined gender differences in the moral development of children and adolescents. The present study aimed to examine gender differences in adolescents' moral judgment and combined both quantitative and qualitative data using a measure with closed-ended and open-ended questions. Testing Gibbs' theory of moral judgment, 287 adolescents responded to 28 items Padua Moral Judgment Scale that was analyzed via Multiple Indicators, Multiple Causes model in MPLUS software. The 64 adolescent boys (n = 32) and girls (n = 32) responded to 8 open-ended questions on which reflexive thematic analysis was performed in MAXQDA software. Findings showed that most adolescents were at third out of the fourth stage of moral development as per their age. All four indicators and their factor loadings were significant. There emerged 60 subthemes into 24 themes about 6 moral values. Boys adhered to moral behaviors to preserve their identity and social reputation, whereas girls showed concern for interpersonal relationships and fear of punishment. Girls expressed high caretaking orientation in the choice of moral behaviors. Adolescents refrained from indulging in morally wrong behaviors because of religious orientation, social desirability, personal virtues, and negative consequences, among other reasons. Altogether, both data sets highlighted significant quantitative and qualitative gender differences, favoring girls over boys. The integrated data and the use of advanced statistical analysis provide a rich understanding of adolescents' moral development.

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  1. Department of Psychology, The University of Haripur, KPK, Haripur, Pakistan

    Najia Zulfiqar

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Zulfiqar, N. Analyzing gender invariance in adolescents’ moral judgment with measurement model and thematic analysis. Curr Psychol 42, 13073–13083 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02482-0

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