Development of the Japanese version of the Moral Disengagement Scale

Abstract

The present study aimed to develop a Japanese version of Bandura’s Moral Disengagement Scale for junior high and high school students and to examine its reliability and validity. A total of 1,262 junior high and high school students participated in a questionnaire survey; among them, 1,081 participants were included in the analysis. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the participants, and the results showed that in a similar fashion to the original version, the Japanese version of the Moral Disengagement Scale had a one-factor structure and weak measurement invariance across gender. The scale demonstrated reliability and validity. These results suggest that the Japanese version of the Moral Disengagement Scale can be applied to Japanese junior high and high school students of both genders.