Student perceptions of the campus ethical climate: By gender, academic class and living unit

This study examined students\u27 perceptions of their institution\u27s ethical climate and how selected student characteristics may or may not influence their perceptions. The Campus Ethical Climate Inventory (CECI) was developed to measure students\u27 perceptions of the campus ethical climate. The theoretical framework of the CECI involved the application of Kitchener\u27s (1985) five ethical principles to three major college environments. The My Behavior Scale was developed to measure students\u27 self-reported cheating behaviors. The central questions guiding this research were: (a) do students have different perceptions of the campus ethical climate and do their perceptions vary across gender, academic class, or living unit? and (b) do students\u27 perceptions of the campus ethical climate relate to their self-reported cheating behaviors, and is the relationship different across gender, academic class, or living unit? The revised Campus Ethical Climate Inventory (CECI) and the My Behavior Scale were administered to a sample of 252 students at a public, midwestern university. An exploratory factor analysis on the CECI showed the existence of three major college environments: classroom, student, and administrative. The exploratory factor analysis on the My Behavior Scale indicated that one factor was measured. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to test for differences in students\u27 perceptions across gender, academic class, and living unit. Analysis of variance was used to test for differences in students\u27 self-reported cheating behavior across gender, academic class, and living unit. A regression analysis was used to test the relationship between students\u27 perceptions of the campus ethical climate and students\u27 self-reported cheating behavior. Results showed that students\u27 perceptions of the campus ethical climate differed significantly across academic class but not by gender or living unit. Students\u27 self-reported cheating behaviors did not differ across gender, academic class or living unit. Students\u27 perceptions of the campus ethical climate were significantly associated with their self-reported cheating behaviors. Gender, academic class and living unit, however, did not make a significant contribution to the relationship between perception and behaviors. Recommendations and implications for further study are given