Explaining the Role of Moral Intelligence in University Students' Environmental Attitude and Morality

Abstract

e present study was conducted to investigate the role of moral intelligence in the environmental attitude and morality of the students at the University of Kashan. This research employed a descriptive-correlational design. Three standardized questionnaires, including the Moral Intelligence Questionnaire (Lennick & Kiel, 2005), the Environmental Attitude Questionnaire (Gagnon Thompson & Barton, 1994), and the Environmental Morality Questionnaire (Firoozfar et al., 2019), were used for data collection. The statistical population comprised all 5,597 undergraduate students at the University of Kashan, from which a sample of 265 students was selected using stratified random sampling proportional to size. The content validity of the questionnaires was confirmed by experts, and the reliability of the Environmental Attitude, Moral Intelligence, and Environmental Morality questionnaires was calculated to be 0.82, 0.89, and 0.91, respectively. Data analysis was performed using SPSS22 and AMOS software. The findings revealed that moral intelligence has a positive and significant effect on students' environmental attitudes and morality. Moreover, aspects of moral intelligence, including forgiveness, compassion, responsibility, and integrity, were directly related to environmental morality and attitude. Therefore, based on the results of the study, fostering and enhancing moral intelligence is essential for improving and increasing environmental attitudes and morality.