The Relationship Between Ethical Decision Making and Ethical Reasoning in Information Technology Students

Authors

Belle Woodward, Southern Illinois University
Diane C. Davis, Southern Illinois University
Flaviu A. Hodis, Southern Illinois University

Abstract

This study examined undergraduate information technology (IT) students' (N=122) level of ethical reasoning and decision making at a Midwestern university. The purpose was to determine whether IT students' level of ethical reasoning provided information about the degree of their ethical decision making. The Defining Issues Test-2 (DIT-2) was used as well as an Ethics in IT survey instrument containing 21 vignettes related to the field of information technology. The findings did reveal a correlation between ethical reasoning scores (as measured by the DIT-2) and the level of ethical decision making related to an IT setting (as measured by the Ethics in IT survey).

Recommended Citation

Woodward, Belle; Davis, Diane C.; and Hodis, Flaviu A. (2007) "The Relationship Between Ethical Decision Making and Ethical Reasoning in Information Technology Students," Journal of Information Systems Education: Vol. 18 : Iss. 2 , 193-202.
Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/jise/vol18/iss2/7