This study investigates how Pre-Qin Confucian moral education cognition relates to university students’ social responsibility and the underlying psychological mechanisms involved in this relationship. Although traditional cultural education has been widely emphasized in higher education, its empirical linkage to students’ civic and moral development remains insufficiently examined. Drawing on Confucian moral education theory, data were collected from 372 undergraduates in Shandong Province, China, and analyzed using SPSS, AMOS, and Hayes’ PROCESS Macro (Model 4). The results demonstrate that Confucian moral education cognition is significantly associated with higher levels of social responsibility. Moreover, value orientation and moral judgment function as significant parallel mediators in this relationship. Among them, moral judgment exhibits a stronger mediating effect than value orientation, indicating the prominent role of moral reasoning in translating cultural cognition into responsible social behavior. The findings highlight that the influence of Confucian moral education on social responsibility is not limited to a direct association, but is also connected with students’ value formation and moral judgment. This study extends current understanding of traditional culture in moral education by empirically validating a dual-path mediation mechanism and provides evidence for integrating Confucian moral resources into contemporary ideological and political education in higher education contexts.
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