An analysis of predictors of college students' ethical inclinations

Correlational and path analyses are used to examine the effects of four situations on self-reported ethical behaviors on four primary ethical dimensions among 323 undergraduate communication students in two mid-Atlantic public universities. The four situations are: the students' self-reported ethical beliefs, the students' perceptions of their professors' ethical beliefs, and the students' perceptions of both the beliefs and behaviors of their peers. The ethical dimensions, which form the basis for path models, are direct-testing, indirect-testing, indirect-substitution, and direct-substitution behaviors. Results indicate that different path models fit different types of behaviors. For example, professors' beliefs, as perceived by the students, have an indirect effect on students' behaviors, particularly in the indirect dimensions. Also, in three dimensions, interactions among professors' beliefs and most college students' beliefs and behaviors influence students' behaviors. An interpretation of these behaviors is suggested, based on an adaptation of the Ajzen and Fishbein theory of reasoned action.