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Integrity First: Does Formal Ethics Training Affect Teens' Ethical Decision-Making?

CSEF · 2008 Behavioral & Social Sciences

Kehly D. Kirk · Desert High School, Edwards, Kern County

Overview

Objectives/Goals This project was designed to determine if formal ethics training provided by the U.S. Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC) curriculum increases cadets' ethical knowledge and ethical conduct when compared to the general high school student population as demonstrated by scored responses on an anonymous ethical decision-making survey. Methods/Materials An anonymous survey was distributed to 32 high school students enrolled in AFJROTC and similar organizations (experimental group) and 34 students not enrolled in AFJROTC (control group). The survey contained 14 short statements to assess ethical knowledge and 8 hypothetical situations to assess ethical conduct. Demographic data were also collected. Answers to the survey questions were assigned 1-4 points each with 1 being the least ethical and 4 being the most ethical response. Responses to the survey questions were scored, entered into an Excel spreadsheet, and analyzed. Results In assessing Ethical Knowledge, the benchmark score was 3.17; the experimental group score was 3.05; and the control group score was 3.03. In terms of Ethical Conduct, the benchmark score was 2.87; the experimental group score was 2.57; and the control group score was 2.77. For the Composite Score, the benchmark score was 3.02; the experimental group score was 2.81; and the control group score was 2.90. Using Descriptive Statistics: (Mean, Std Dev, 95% Confidence Level); t-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Unequal Variances (Alpha=0.05); and z-Test: Two Sample for Means (Alpha=0.05) it was determined the three (3) null hypotheses (i.e., no difference between experimental and control groups) could not be rejected. Conclusions/Discussion Experimental Group (AFJROTC) and Control Group (Non-AFJROTC) ethics scores DO NOT differ enough to statistically rule out chance sampling error. Therefore, data collected from this experiment DOES NOT support the hypothesis that formal ethics training results in greater ethical knowledge and ethical conduct among teens.

Summary statement

Using an anonymous survey, this project was designed to determine if formal ethics training provided by the AFJROTC curriculum increases cadets' ethical knowledge and ethical conduct when compared to the general high school population.

Help received

My parents purchased the materials for this project. My father assisted me in understanding the statistical analysis methods used in preparing the graph and data tables.

Competition history

  • CSEF 2008 Behavioral & Social Sciences · Entry S0310

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