1

LILYROSE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, INC.

GEN Z AS THE TRANSITIONAL GENERATION:

EFFECTS ON THE STUDENT’S
MORAL ETHICS

Research Proposal

Bataller, Karl Andrei A.

Estrada, Charles Theodore F.

Linatoc, Gem Nicolai C.

Linga, Adam Tobe P.

Malolos, John A-jay C.

Robles, Syd Alkaid C.

 2

LILYROSE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, INC.

CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Moral ethics teaches you how to act like a normal person and how

to assess whether something is right or wrong. Aside from education, one

of the things you would acquire in school is ethics, which aids not only in

being a decent person but also in understanding people and what is right

and wrong. Because education is not the only thing that will get you a job

in the future, Gen Z students' moral ethics are crucial for their future

success. Moral ethics is equally as crucial as, if not more important than, a

college degree since not knowing how to act as a person could cause your

hard-won career to vanish in a matter of seconds.

In Malaysia, the problem of school indiscipline is ranked as a major

issue among students in primary and secondary schools. Disruptive

behavior is a source of concern for schools, parents, and fellow students

whose education may be jeopardized. As a result, it cannot be overlooked,

and schools must have a clear and well-understood conduct and

disciplinary policy. Some breaking news stories in the media have

depicted the school as being full with wayward children. Some even go so

far as to classify misbehaving as a criminal offense. (Yahaya et al, 2009).

 3

LILYROSE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, INC.

In addition to that, in another country, Indonesia, Indonesians are

courteous and helpful to others, and the Republic of Indonesia's central

and local governments (provincial and district) are currently establishing 9-

year compulsory education systems. However, acts of ethical breaches

were widespread and perpetrated by students at the same period. Group

fighting among students, as well as other undesirable acts carried out by a

student in a group or alone, are common and cause concern. Other

instances of unethical behavior included a high school student hitting a

substitute teacher, a student bullying a teacher, an attack on a member of

the school cleaning staff, and much more. (Firdaus, 2019).

Meanwhile, a teacher in Singapore remembers instances of

students talking to each other in order to avoid paying attention in class.

As a new teacher you must be ready for the worst Ms. Siti, a teacher from

the school commented when a student unleashed a swarm of

cockroaches to disrupt the lecture (Lee & Zaccheus 2014). It becomes a

problem when it interferes with the learning of other students who want to

study. As a result of the unsatisfactory learning experience, it may have an

impact on the studies of other students.

More so, the younger generation, or what the researchers might

refer to as Gen Z, has an issue with being too secretive and/or not being

transparent with their parents/guardians. As a result, when they are

 4

LILYROSE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, INC.

confronted with a serious problem, they strive to fix it on their own rather

than seeking assistance. Schools have been discussing ways to prevent

this for some time, but who knows what they will do in such a situation.

One very serious issue that Gen Z or students face are the fraternities,

regarding that, a testimony from a mother in the Philippines stated the

brutality done to her 18-year old son, a graduating grade 12-student.

Moreover, what happened in Paranaque was a local community

with rules and regulations to be followed, but based on an interview there

is a big difference between young people or Gen z today compared to

youth of yesteryear. When it comes to moral ethics young students are

now more aggressive and are losing respect for the elders. Because they

focus more on material things and it is greatly causing this in the

behaviors of today’s youth or gen z. In the old days the old generation did

not always value material things. Gen z students are so focused on

material things, such that others are unable to focus on their studies. Gen

Z valuing material things over morals is starting to affect the young ones

(Philstar Global, 2008)

The purpose of the study is to see if generation Z students vary

from prior generations. It also has the goal of determining whether

generation z has better moral ethics than prior generations. Another

reason is to raise public awareness of the current issue of student moral

 5

LILYROSE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, INC.

ethics. If the moral ethic of the current generation is weaker than that of

past generations, finding a solution will also serve as a goal. Because it is

better for a society to have a higher moral ethic.

Theoretical Framework

This study will be immersed in the Utilitarian Theory of Ethics

(Utilitarianism) and Virtue Ethics. These two theories will be useful as the

foundation for providing a comprehensive perspective on the research on

the moral ethics of Gen Z students. The theories should aid in the study of

the morals of either Generation Z or previous generations.

Utilitarianism is an English philosophical system originating with

Jeremy Betham in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, according to

which an action is right if it contributes to promoting joy, happiness, and

pleasure, and wrong if it tends to generate misery and pain. (Betham and

Mill, 1769). The theory applies to decision-makers who focus on the

outcome of the action they are about to take. In this study, the

Utilitarianism will be used as a factor or criteria, as how the decision-

makers or the Gen-Z will decide to do a specific set of action.

While, Virtue Ethics describes what is right and wrong in terms of

acting in accordance with traditional values, and it is the foundation for

becoming a decent person in society. There are objective reasons for

 6

LILYROSE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, INC.

living in accordance with the traditional virtues such as wisdom, courage,

justice and temperance. (Aristotle and Plato, 4th Century). Overall, virtue

ethics says that possessing these four qualities (knowledge, courage,

justice, and temperance) will make you a better person in general and will

teach you how to evaluate what is right and wrong. Since the focus of our

research is on moral ethics, Virtue Ethics has many parallels with our

research because it focuses on what is right and wrong, as well as how to

be a better person in general.

Conceptual Framework

Input Process Output

Gen Z students’ Validation of

Moral Ethic in Questionnaire
terms of :
Analysis of Data
 Conscience Programs and
 Politeness:  Weighted Mean Webinars
and  Standard
 Discipline Deviation

Figure 1
Research Paradigm

Figure 1 shows the effect of Generation Z on a students’

conscience, politeness, and discipline. The first box (input) presents the
 7

LILYROSE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, INC.

three factors of moral ethics which are in students. The second box

(process) shows how the researchers will compute and explain the data

that is gathered. For the last one the third box (output) will represent the

solutions and recommendations in order to maintain a good moral ethic of

the new generation.

Statement of the Problem

1. How does being Gen Z students affect their moral ethics in terms of:

1.1 conscience;

1.2 politeness; and

1.3 discipline?

2. What is the degree of agreement among the said generations in

correspondence to the integrity of Gen Z students?

3. What kind of programs or webinars can help better the moral ethics of

Gen Z students?

Hypothesis

The null hypothesis to be proven for the acceptance or rejection is:

1. There is weak agreement among the said generations in

correspondence to the integrity of Gen Z students.

Significance of the Study

It is therefore the aim of the study to provide information which

would be beneficial to the following:

 8

LILYROSE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, INC.

To the Supervisors. The findings of the study will help them

understand the moral ethics of the new generation in order to mentor or

give advice to new teachers on how to handle the students of the new era

To the Principal. This study will help them teach discipline to the

current generation. It will also help them interact with gen Z students by

knowing their moral ethics.

To the Guidance Counselors. This study will provide more

knowledge on a student’s morals which the student counselor can benefit

from to help the students understand themselves and improve the student

overall. It also helps with solving the problem the students are having.

To the Teachers. This study will help them understand the moral

ethics of the current generation. It also helps them ideas on how to teach

their gen z students.

To the Parents. This study would help the students' parents to

create good advice if their child is in an unfavorable situation. It will also

help with developing the parental skills of the mother and father.

To the Students. This study will help them grow as human beings.

It will be able to help them realize the good and bad ethics of their

generation.

To the Future researchers. This study would provide more

information for the future researchers in order to further the study of

student’s moral ethics.

 9

LILYROSE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, INC.

Definition of Terms

For better understanding, the following terms are defined

conceptually and operationally:

Conscience. Consciousness is usually seen as a morally neutral

term. In most cases, appealing to one's conscience adds nothing to the

moral justification of a given action or principle. Unless someone truly

believes in the relativistic notion that it is their belief (or conscience)

about x being right or wrong that determines whether it is right or wrong

for you to do x. (Foot 1979). In this study, the term refers to the

students who lack good morals and behavior.

Discipline. Discipline can be defined as a body of knowledge and

knowledge for the body, Because if the mind is being trained it will also

train the body (Turner, 2006). In this study, the students who have

disobeyed the rules lack this behavior and not be able to control

themselves.

Generation. This term refers to the definition of a social group of

people born within a specific period in time that share similar traits,

values, and preferences. (Rosenberg, 2020) In this study, the

generations are used to generalize the previous social group of people

and the current or present social groups.

Integrity. Integrity aligns itself with standards of morality such as

honesty and fairness as well as personal ideals that might conflict with
 10

LILYROSE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, INC.

the moral standards (Mcfall , 1987). In this study, the students who are

dishonest and not be able to respect others lack integrity as a behavior.

Politeness. This term pertains to showing good manners toward

others, as in behavior or speech (William Collins, Collins Dictionary). In

this study, the term refers to the behavior of the students that have

weak understanding and poor respect to others.

Transitional. This term is relating to transition, from one state of

an object, place, position, subject etc. into another

state.(Dictionary.com) In this case, the term is used in describing how

the prior generation transforms into another which is the Gen Z.

 11

LILYROSE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, INC.

CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The current research has observed the quantitative approach on

descriptive research concerning the study on the moral ethics of Gen Z

students.

Descriptive research gathers information to answer a variety of

what, when, and how inquiries about a certain population or group.

According to Calderon (2006), Descriptive is a process of collecting,

analyzing, classifying, and tabulating data about present situations,

practices, trends, and cause-and-effect relationships, and then providing

an appropriate and valid explanation of the data, with or without the use of

statistics.

The researchers will eventually follow the descriptive structure, as

they will analyze and assess the integrity of gen Z from the data obtained

from the respondents. Moreover the descriptive structure forms the

foothold for the study in such a way that it provides the necessary data

and procedure needed for the study.

Setting and Respondents

The researchers will utilize non probability sampling to select

respondents, particularly purposive sampling. This sampling is selected

based on characteristics of a population and the objective of the study.

 12

LILYROSE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, INC.

Purposive sampling, also known as judgmental, selective, or

subjective sampling (Crossman, 2020). The respondents need to be a

student in Lilyrose School and must be between the age of ten to twenty

five years old.

Statistical Treatment

Weighted Mean. A weighted mean is similar to an average in that it

takes into account the weights of the data. Rather than each data point

contributing equally to the final mean, some provide more "weight" than

others. The weighted mean are equal the arithmetic mean (the "average"

you're familiar to) if all the weights are equal. In statistics, weighted means

are frequently used, particularly when examining populations (Essa,

2014). This calculation will be used to identify the effects of generation z to

a student's moral ethics.

Standard Deviation. It is defined as the square root of the

variance, is a statistic that represents the dispersion of a dataset

relative to its mean. By determining each data point's departure relative

to the mean, the standard deviation is calculated as the square root of

 13

LILYROSE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, INC.

variance.(Hargrave , 2022). This calculation will be used in order

to know the degree of agreement among the said generations in

correspondence to the integrity of Gen Z students.