Moral education programs reduce prejudice indirectly through justice emphasis

Evidence

Most moral education programs are an outgrowth of Kohlberg’s work on moral development (Kohlberg, 1969). For instance, the first “just community” schools were based on this theory (Kohlberg, 1981). These schools not only taught moral reasoning but were also designed to create egalitarian, caring learning communities. Other moral education programs emphasize moral discourse, attempt to inculcate respect and interpersonal sensitivity, promote tolerance and understanding of others, or place moral education in the historical context of the Holocaust (Battistich et al., 1989; Fine, 1995; Oser, 1985). The primary goal of these programs is to increase students’ levels of moral reasoning, typically through discussions of moral dilemmas. These programs can improve intergroup relations indirectly through their emphasis on justice and egalitarianism. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2677 (#expands, via linked claim)

As expected, in the model, glorification positively predicted emotional minimization and explicit dehumanization. Both the minimization strategy and the dehumanization strategy affected justice negatively. Although the total (zero-order) effect of glorification on justice was significant, once the mediators were included, the direct effect was not significant. Attachment, in line with our expectations, had no effect on justice (β = .04, t = 0.46, p > .05). Overall, this model explained 41% of the variance in justice, confirming our mediational hypothesis. — Bernhard Leidner et al., Ingroup Glorification, Moral…, 56 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Intercultural education and student exchange programs reduce prejudice and foster tolerance — Muhammad Asad Latif, The Identity of Religion Always Comes…, 141; Higher moral development correlates with lower prejudice; Higher moral reasoning correlates with and may lower prejudice. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice: Fifty Years…, 2679 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Moral education programs derive from Kohlberg and target reasoning levels. #expands (0.95) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2677
• Group glorification suppresses justice via moral disengagement whereas attachment does not #complicates (0.80) — Bernhard Leidner et al., Ingroup Glorification, Moral…, 56
• Adopting egalitarian values does not immediately eliminate automatic prejudice #complicates (0.80)