







































 

 

 

 

 

Effects of Online Learning on Student 

Moral Development: A Meta-analysis 

Based on 42 Experimental and 

Quasi-experimental Studies

Hao Wang, Aimin Tang 

 
Qufu Normal University, Qufu 273165, Shandong, China 

 

Abstract: The widespread practices of online learning have sparked increasing 

interest in its educational efficacy. The effects of online learning on learners’ moral 

development remain contentious in existing research. The purpose of this meta-

analysis was to ascertain how online leaning impact students’ moral development. It 

included 42 experimental and quasi-experimental studies with an aggregate sample 

of 5303 learners after the processes of literature screening, data extraction, and risk 

of bias assessment. Analytical results revealed that online learning had positive 

effects on student moral understanding and reasoning, but no significant impact on 

student moral emotions and behavior. Subgroup analyses by student type, course 

type, online learning pattern, and involvement of interactive activity showed that 

there were disparities in the effect size between all subgroups and that only the 

moderating effect of student type on student moral reasoning was statistically 

significant. 

Best Evidence in Chinese Education 2023; 15(1):1789-1793. 

Doi: 10.15354/bece.23.ar095 

How to Cite: Wang, H., & Tang, A. (2023). Effects of online learning on student 

moral development: A meta-analysis based on 42 experimental and quasi-

experimental studies. Best Evidence in Chinese Education, 15(1):1789-1793. 

Keywords: Online Learning, Moral Education, Moral Development, Meta-analysis 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Wang & Tang. (Shandong, China). Online Learning and Student Moral Development. 

BECE, Vol.15, No.1, 2023 1790 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

About the Authors: Hao Wang, Faculty of Education, Qufu Normal University, Qufu 273165, Shandong, China. 

Aimin Tang, Faculty of Education, Qufu Normal University, Qufu 273165, Shandong, China. E-mail: 
tam6706@126.com 

Correspondence to: Aimin Tang at Qufu Normal University of China. 

Conflict of Interests: None. 
 

© 2023 Insights Publisher. All rights reserved. 

Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the 

Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 License 

(http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of 

the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed by the Insights Publisher. 

mailto:tam6706@126.com
http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/


Wang & Tang. (Shandong, China). Online Learning and Student Moral Development. 

BECE, Vol.15, No. 1, 2023 1791 

Introduction 

Online learning is a paradigm of learning that is partially or completely internet-based 

and electronic communication device-dependent. Despite the significance of online 

learning for moral education being widely acknowledged, there is a lack of agreement 

on how online learning affects moral development among researchers. Therefore, it is 

necessary to conduct a meta-analysis that includes a wide range of relevant studies in 

order to obtain accurate and timely research findings. 

Data and Methods 

This meta-analysis adopted the methods proposed in Cochrane Handbook for Systemat-

ic Reviews of Interventions for data treatment (Higgins et al., 2022) and defined the 

reporting items according to The PRISMA 2020 Statement (Page et al., 2020). 

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria 

Th present study established literature inclusion and exclusion criteria according to the 

framework of PICOS: 

 Subjects: students exercising online learning. 

 Interventions: solely online learning and blended learning. 

 Outcome indicator: scores by student moral understanding, reasoning, emotion, 

and behavior development scales. 

 Research design: experimental or quasi-experimental study 

 Exclusion criteria: using patients suffering from specific diseases as subjects; elec-

tronic games as interventions; information or data on outcomes missing; systemat-

ic reviews; republished literature; articles with complete text unavailable. 

Literature Search Method 

The present study collected empirical studies on the impact of online learning on stu-

dent moral development by searching databases including CNKI, Wanfang Data, Pub-

Med, Web of Science, EBSCO, ERIC, Taylor & Francis, ProQuest, and Wiley Online 

Library. Targeted studies were those published before September 2022. 

Literature Screening and Data Extraction 

This study engaged two researchers in screening literature and extracting data inde-

pendently as well as performing cross-checking. Discrepancies in screening and extrac-

tion results were resolved through discussion or consultation with a third party. 

Risk of Bias Assessment 

Studies included in this analysis comprised randomized controlled trials and non-

randomized studies. 



Wang & Tang. (Shandong, China). Online Learning and Student Moral Development. 

BECE, Vol.15, No. 1, 2023 1792 

Research Results 

Literature Screening Procedure and Results 

With the prescribed literature search method, the present study obtained 6230 pieces of 

literature, of which 6,222 were attained through database retrieval and 8 through manu-

al tracing. Eventually, 42 studies were included in the meta-analysis according to inclu-

sion and exclusion criteria. 

Basic Features of the Studies Included 

There were 7 randomized controlled trials and 35 non-randomized trials, with a sample 

of 5303 learners included in the analysis. Among them, 20 studies were published after 

2020, accounting for 47.62% of the total included literature and contributing the latest 

research findings on this topic. The 42 studies encompassed participants (subjects) from 

15 countries around the world with three of them focusing on students from China. Col-

lege students constituted the samples of 33 of the studies, in-service personnel such as 

teachers, nurses, and managers were the participants of eight of them, and primary 

school students made up the sample of one of them. Online learning courses entailed in 

these studies included both specialized moral education courses and non-moral educa-

tion courses. Solely online learning and blended learning were the two main forms of 

online learning adopted. In terms of the effects of online learning on student moral de-

velopment, 16 studies reported outcomes of student moral understanding, 9 studies re-

ported outcomes of student moral reasoning, 15 studies reported outcomes of student 

moral emotions, and 11 studies reported those of student moral behavior. 

Meta-analytical Results 

Online learning could moderately and positively impact student moral understanding 

and positively but slightly affect student moral reasoning, whereas it had no significant 

effects on student moral emotions or moral behavior. 

Moderating Effect Analysis 

School students could make greater progress in moral understanding through online 

learning, while in-service learners could benefit more from online learning in moral 

reasoning, moral emotions, and moral behavior. Specialized moral education courses 

had greater effects on students’ moral understanding improvement, while non-moral 

education courses had more significant effects on students’ moral emotion development. 

Solely online learning was more favorable to students’ moral reasoning and emotion 

development, whereas blended learning was more beneficial for students' moral under-

standing advancement. Online courses with teacher guidance and peer interplays con-

tributed to students’ moral understanding and emotion elevation, while online self-study 

courses without interactions had positive effects on students’ moral reasoning develop-

ment. 

 



Wang & Tang. (Shandong, China). Online Learning and Student Moral Development. 

BECE, Vol.15, No. 1, 2023 1793 

 

Reference 

Higgins, J. P. T., Thomas, J., Chandler, J., Cumpston, M., Li, T., Page, M. J., & Welch, 

V. A. (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions version 

6.3 (updated February 2022). Cochrane, 2022. Available at: 

www.training.cochrane.org/handbook  

 

Page, M. J., McKenzie, J., Bossuyt, P., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T., Mulrow, C., Moher, 

D. (2020, September 14). The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for re-

porting systematic reviews. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31222/osf.io/v7gm2  

 

 

The Chinese version of this article has been published in Educational Research and Experiment, 

2023(3):61-70. The English version has been authorized for being publication in BECE by the au-

thor(s) and the Chinese journal. 

 

王浩, 唐爱民. (2023). 在线学习如何影响学生的道德发展-基于 42 项实验与准实验研究的 Meta

分析. 教育研究与实验, 2023; 2023(3):61-70. 

 

 
 

Received: 7 August 2023 

Revised: 22 August 2023 

Accepted: 08 September 2023 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.training.cochrane.org/handbook
https://doi.org/10.31222/osf.io/v7gm2

	AR-AiminTang-BECE_TitleSep_2023
	AR-AiminTang-BECE_MaintextSep2023

