Learner-Centered Pedagogy and Moral Relativism: Empirical Analysis of Educational Theory's Societal Impact

Background: Modern learner-centered paradigms—from early behaviourism to heutagogy and data-driven techno-instrumentalism—have re-ordered authority in schooling, often displacing transcendent truth and encouraging moral subjectivism. Purpose: This study traces how six influential theories (behaviourism, progressive constructivism, humanistic and critical pedagogies, heutagogy, techno-instrumentalism) migrated from intellectual currents into global curricula, and tests whether their institutional uptake predicts shifts toward moral relativism, rights-centrism, and hedonistic life priorities. Methods: A convergent secondary-data design integrates a PRISMA-guided systematic review, critical discourse analysis of curricular and teacher-education texts, bibliometric network mapping of theoretical diffusion, meta-synthesis of empirical studies on learner outcomes, and cross-national regressions linking educational practices to value indicators drawn from the World Values Survey and PISA. Results: Countries and institutions that adopted learner-autonomy and technocratic frameworks most aggressively exhibit significantly higher endorsement of situational ethics, individualistic rights discourse, and pleasure-centric life goals, even after controlling for media saturation and economic development. Discourse analysis reveals four reinforcing mechanisms—dethroning external truth, centering the self, privileging skills over virtue, and secularizing epistemology—that bridge classroom practice to cultural outcomes. Conclusions: Pedagogy functions as a potent vector of moral-cultural change. Re-aligning education with a biblical epistemology anchored in objective truth and virtue is essential for cultivating resilient, ethically grounded citizens. The article offers a genealogical–empirical model and policy recommendations for Christian educators and decision-makers seeking to restore formative balance without sacrificing academic innovation.