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