Abstract

This study utilized the Defining Issues Test to calculate "P" scores for selected educators in Bangkok, Thailand, thereby providing an empirical base for further discussions of moral education in that country. In addition, statistical tests were undertaken to determine if the "P" scores were correlated with variables related to the respondents' personal, educational, and professional background. Finally, written interviews with 15 of the educators who completed the DIT were conducted to elicit opinions about the validity of the DIT in the Thai context. Mean and standard deviations for the "P" scores were calculated for each of the three respondent groups . One-way analysis of variance was used to determine the differences in the average "P" scores earned by the three study groups. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the relationships between "P" scores and the respondents' personal, educational, and professional backgrounds. ;The subjects for the study included 60 administrators, 210 teachers, and 150 last-year undergraduate students in teacher preparation programs. Regression analyses were used to calculate the interrelationships between mean "P" score and personal and demographic variables. ANOVA procedures were used to test for differences between the three groups . ;The results revealed that the mean "P" score of the administrators, teachers, and last-year undergraduate students were similar. Regression procedures revealed only two statistically significant relationships between respondents' background characteristics and the "P" scores earned on the DIT. ;Nonetheless, a follow-up focus group meeting with 15 of the respondents suggested that the DIT is a useful tool for studying the moral judgment of Thai educators