importance of ethics in education essay

Importance of Ethics in Education

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The role of ethics in education is crucial and multifaceted, impacting educators, students, and the educational system as a whole. Ethics in education refers to the implementation of moral principles within the educational context, guiding behavior, teaching approaches, and policy making. This essay explores the significance of ethics in education, highlighting how it contributes to a positive learning environment, the development of responsible citizens, and the overall integrity of the educational system.

Firstly, ethics in education is essential for creating a positive and conducive learning environment.

Educators are expected to uphold ethical standards in their conduct, serving as role models for their students. This includes demonstrating respect, fairness, and honesty in interactions with students and colleagues. An ethical approach in teaching encourages a culture of mutual respect and trust, creating a safe and supportive atmosphere that is essential for effective learning and personal development.

Moreover, the integration of ethical values in education plays a pivotal role in the development of students as responsible and moral citizens. Education is not just about imparting academic knowledge; it also involves nurturing character and ethical judgment. By integrating discussions of ethics into the curriculum and creating opportunities for students to engage in moral reasoning and ethical decision-making, educators can help students develop a strong sense of right and wrong and prepare them to navigate complex ethical issues in their personal and professional lives.

Furthermore, ethics is crucial in maintaining the integrity and credibility of the educational system. This includes issues like academic honesty, where policies and practices are put in place to prevent cheating and plagiarism. Upholding ethical standards in assessments and grading also ensures fairness and equality in the educational process. In research and scholarly activities, maintaining ethical standards is essential for ensuring the validity and reliability of educational research and upholding the trust in academic institutions.

In addition to these direct impacts, promoting ethics in education also has broader societal implications. An education system that emphasizes ethical values contributes to the development of a more ethical and just society. It fosters a generation of individuals who value integrity, respect, and responsibility, which are essential for the healthy functioning of any community.

In conclusion, the importance of ethics in education cannot be overstated. It is fundamental in creating a positive learning environment, developing morally responsible individuals, maintaining the integrity of the educational system, and contributing to the betterment of society. As such, a strong commitment to ethics should be a cornerstone of educational policies and practices at all levels.

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• Post author: ecole_admin
• Post category: Education
• Post published: May 13, 2020
• Post last modified: Feb 29, 2024

Ethics In Education

In the ever-evolving landscape of education, the importance of ethical considerations takes center stage. As technology reshapes learning experiences and the world throws new challenges our way, educators face critical questions about right and wrong in the classroom. This article delves into the intricacies of ethics in education , exploring its significance, key areas of concern, and strategies for fostering ethical learning among students.

Table of Contents

Why Ethics in Education is important?

Ethics, a set of moral principles governing behavior, forms the bedrock of a healthy and successful learning environment. It impacts every aspect of the educational journey, shaping relationships, curriculum, assessment, and even the use of technology .

Consider these crucial aspects of the importance of ethics in education:

• Teacher-student relationships:  Trust, respect, and fairness should underpin every interaction. Ethical considerations guide teachers in fostering safe and supportive learning environments where students feel heard and valued.
• Curriculum content and values: Educational content should be free from bias and promote inclusivity, social justice, and critical thinking. Ethics in education ensure a balanced and objective approach to diverse perspectives and challenging topics.
• Assessment and grading practices:  Transparency, equity, and academic integrity are cornerstones of ethical assessment. This means employing fair and non-discriminatory practices that accurately measure student learning.
• Technology integration:  With technology playing an increasingly prominent role, ethical considerations around data privacy, online safety, and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) become paramount.

Therefore, addressing ethics in education is not simply a theoretical exercise; it has real-world consequences for the well-being and development of future generations.

Four Principles Of Ethics In Education:

Honesty is a very important trait to have in Education. Honesty means being loyal, truthful, trustworthy, sincere, and fair. It is admirable in several cultures and religions. As per research conducted by students of top schools in Dehradun ,  good student-teacher bonds come from mutual trust and respect. In today’s world, only academics is enough for students. To be successful, we must have the morality that complements our education knowledge. Amid all the attributed, Honesty is one of the vital assets that are essential for all the students.

Honesty does not come naturally but it is an incarnated method of adopting it through a broad overview. “Honesty is considered the best policy.” When we become an honest person the people give the best compliment and its’ a dream of every individual to get the good compliment. So, the education system should make sure to comprise some important practices and routine to put a student near to morality. Students must be guided correctly from the starting and their childhood to enactment honesty.

2) Confidentiality

Confidentiality is one of the other ethics that is essential in Education. The Confidentiality refers to your commitment not to disclose or transmit information to the unauthorized people. It extends to information about either peoples or organizations. When facing any number of stress, challenges or crises students seek out students affairs professionals. Students frequently share personal information in-depth with the expectation that Confidentiality will be maintained. But there may be a risk to share the information with others.

3) Conflict of Interest

Conflict of Interest ethic in Education is a condition in which your main responsibility to a student is negotiated by engaging priorities. Conflicts of Interest can display in a variety of contexts and for several various reasons. The conflict of Interest emerges when the best Interest of one person is not in the best interest of another individual or organization to which that person incurs loyalty. Conflicts of Interest can extent from mistakenly permitting another priority to affect one’s judgment, to deliberately infracting a school policy for personal benefit.

4) Responsibility

Along with all the ethics, responsibility is also one of the vital ethics in Education . The student’s responsibility takes place when students take an energetic part in their studying by acknowledging they are responsible for their academic success. The student’s responsibility is to communicate respectfully, and careful manner with the teachers, and other classmates of the best girls boarding schools in India . Student responsibility is exhibit when students make an option and take steps which guide them to their educational objectives. Attend and participate in classes, seminars, and labs, along with this effectively complete all the assigned work by a teacher in a given time.

Important Findings

The impact and importance of ethics in education is not just theoretical; it is backed by data. Consider these findings:

A study by the National Education Association found that 72% of teachers reported witnessing bias against students based on race, ethnicity, or gender. A Stanford University research project revealed that AI algorithms used in personalized learning systems could reinforce gender stereotypes. UNESCO highlights the importance of integrating ethics education into curricula, citing its positive impact on social cohesion and responsible global citizenship.

Key Areas of Ethical Concern in Education

While the broad spectrum of ethics permeates every aspect of education, specific areas require ongoing attention and action:

• Teacher bias and discrimination:  Unconscious biases can affect teacher perceptions and interactions with students, influencing learning outcomes. Addressing these biases through self-reflection and professional development is crucial.
• Misinformation and fake news:  Today’s students navigate an information-saturated world where discerning truth from fiction can be challenging. Equipping them with critical thinking skills and media literacy is essential.
• Data privacy and digital citizenship:  As educational technology collects and utilizes student data, concerns about privacy and responsible data management arise. Fostering responsible online behavior and protecting student data are key areas of focus.
• Algorithmic bias:  AI-powered algorithms used in education (e.g., for personalized learning or assessment) can perpetuate bias if not carefully designed and monitored. Ensuring fairness and transparency in their use is vital.

Ethics and Values: The Intertwined Roots of Responsible Learning

The concept of ethics in education is deeply intertwined with values , forming the foundation for responsible and meaningful learning. While ethics delve into right and wrong actions , values represent the guiding principles that shape those actions.

Think of it this way: ethics are the “how” we behave, while values are the “why”. In education, key values such as:

• Respect:  Fostering respectful interactions among students, teachers, and within the broader community.
• Equality and fairness:  Creating a learning environment where everyone has equal opportunities to learn and thrive.
• Honesty and integrity:  Promoting truthfulness, transparency, and responsible academic conduct.
• Social responsibility:  Encouraging students to be active and responsible citizens who contribute positively to society.
• Critical thinking and open-mindedness:  Developing the ability to analyze information, form independent judgments, and engage in respectful dialogue despite differing perspectives.

By integrating these values into the daily fabric of education, we nurture students who are not only academically skilled but also ethically grounded and prepared to navigate the complexities of the world.

This integration can happen in various ways:

• Explicit discussions:  Dedicating time for open dialogue about values, exploring real-world scenarios, and encouraging critical reflection on ethical dilemmas.
• Role-playing:  Creating immersive activities where students practice applying ethical principles in simulated situations.
• Service learning:  Engaging students in community service projects, connecting classroom learning with real-world challenges and fostering social responsibility.
• Modeling ethical behavior:  Educators leading by example, demonstrating respectful communication, fair practices, and a commitment to truthfulness.

The importance of ethics in education is very high and it is only by weaving ethics and values into the curriculum and school culture, we equip students with the compass they need to make responsible choices, navigate complex situations, and become ethical and engaged citizens.

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What Students Gain From Learning Ethics in School

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When Sophie Huttner was 16 years old, she labored over an ethical dilemma. Her small class at Kent Place School in New Jersey was discussing a case study that concerned a woman who was thinking of leaving her disabled husband; caring for his injuries was devouring the woman’s every moment, and the couple’s affection for each other had fizzled. Was it ethically wrong for her to leave him?

“The case made me realize that the value I placed on individual autonomy would often conflict with other values that I also thought important, like loyalty and integrity,” Huttner said. At the time, she was involved in her first serious relationship, and the case and ensuing discussion touched on the very questions she was mulling in her personal life.

“When you give kids and teenagers the space to explore ethical dilemmas, this can be very powerful for students,” said Jana M. Lone, director of the Center for Philosophy for Children at the University of Washington, which brings introductory philosophy to schoolkids in the Seattle area. Central to ethics education is teaching kids the skills to make sound decisions: to search for and evaluate their assumptions, to excavate the reasons behind those assumptions, to examine without prejudice another’s opinion and to make a thoughtful decision with confidence.

“There’s more hunger for this kind of training now,” Lone said. “The most recent political polarization, the shifting news cycle—which makes us less engaged with people who think differently—has made it more imperative,” she added. Kids, too, sense the ugly divisions in society. “Teenagers and kids recognize that they live in a fractured world, and it’s troubling to them,” Lone said.

Though sought after, ethics classes are largely absent from schools. Also, teachers’ freedom to migrate into wide-ranging conversations that might veer into ethics have been curbed by standardized testing and curriculum requirements. This is despite research that shows teenagers’ ability to make ethical decisions—to see problems from multiple view points, and to consider the potential harm to others that a decision can cause—is underdeveloped. In the most recent survey of teenage ethics done by the Josephson Institute, for example, just 49% percent of the 23,000 teenagers surveyed reported never cheating on a test in school. A 2014 analysis by the Making Caring Common Project at Harvard University found that a majority of teenagers value happiness and personal success more than concern for others.

Teaching ethics to children and teenagers

The Ethics Institute* at Kent Place School is devoted solely to teaching ethics to primary and secondary school students, said Karen Rezach, the institute’s director. “There are so many ethics institutes at the university level, but none at our level,” she said. Like Lone, Rezach thinks kids and teenagers long for ethical guidance. “We’re trying to teach them how to exist in this world,” she said.

Children at Kent Place are introduced to ethics in fifth grade, during what would otherwise be a health and wellness class. Rezach engages the students in simple case studies and invites them to consider the various points of view. She also acquaints them with the concept of right vs. right—the idea that ethical dilemmas often involve a contest between valid but conflicting values. “It’s really, really, really elementary,” she said.

In middle and upper school, the training is more structured and challenging. At the core of this education is a simple framework for ethical decision-making that Rezach underscores with all her classes, and which is captured on a poster board inside school. Paired with this framework is a collection of values that students are encouraged to study and explore. The values and framework for decision-making are the foundation of their ethics training.

Once a month, all middle school students grapple with an ethics case study during advisory that’s been written for their grade. Sixth-graders, for example, wrestled with a case about “Emma”, who wasn’t invited to Jane’s party but who saw pictures of the festivities on Instagram. The students then discussed various questions: How might Emma feel when she sees the Instagram photo? What is Jane’s responsibility in this case? What values influence the way you think about this scenario? Though the case studies reflect real-life problems the kids have encountered, the stories are told in the third person, which frees them to talk openly, Rezach said.

Two elective courses on ethics for seventh- and eighth-graders explore deeper quandaries while pressing students to understand the values reflected in those views. In one case study they discussed, “Allison” enters a coffee shop wearing a T-shirt with a swastika, which clearly offends other customers. What should the manager do? How does one balance the right to freedom of expression with the rights of the community? “In this situation, as in all ethical dilemmas, the students have to weigh the benefit and the harm,” Rezach said. She draws connections to books they’re reading in English class, brings up related news stories, and asks students to think of and share ethical quandaries they’ve encountered.

For homework, students study critical historical documents, like the Constitution and Bible, and identify the values that suffuse the work. In another assignment, they prepare a two-minute oral presentation on a principle that matters deeply to them. Some will read a poem, or sing a song, or produce a video that reflects that value. Once the presentations end, Rezach pairs up students with conflicting ideals—compassion versus justice, for example—and asks them to write a case study together.

High school students interested in ethics have other ways to learn. Fourteen kids meet weekly after school on an ethics bowl team, which competes nationally against other schools. In bioethics class, an elective, students explore a particular ethical problem related to a single theme—such as “Environment and Health,” this year’s subject—then present and defend their position at a spring symposium. The ethics club is launching an Instagram account, @ethicseverywhere , which will pose an idea or dilemma for all student followers to reflect on. And during the summer, students can apply for shorter programs, one on the ethical issues surrounding science and technology and the other on ethics in business.

Impact on students

Research suggests that ethics training improves academic performance. Children in Scotland who had been taught to think about ethical decision-making and the responsibilities of citizenship showed improved reasoning abilities. A study in Australia showed that young students who took part in a class on “dialogue-based ethical inquiry” were better able to evaluate and construct reasoned, ethical arguments. Standardized test scores for children who studied “collaborative philosophical enquiry”—a variant of ethics training— went up in verbal, nonverbal, and quantitative reasoning. And a small study conducted by researchers at Penn State revealed that even preschoolers can engage with and learn from simple ethical instruction.

Academic benefits aside, students at Kent Place involved in ethics training relish the open-ended conversations with peers along with the chance to reflect on what matters to them. “I love discussing these things with other people, and hearing other points of view, especially on controversial topics,” said Alexandra Grushkin, an eighth-grader. The value she selected that’s most dear to her is integrity. “I believe you’re a good person if you have integrity,” she explained. In her class presentation, she shared a quote by author Lynne Namka that reflected this value. Alexandra was matched with a student who chose loyalty, and the two crafted a case study that captured the tension between these principles: What does a student do when she spots her close friend cheating in a school competition?

Encouraged at home to listen to others’ opinions, Alexandra said that she’s better able now to understand the ideals that undergird beliefs and to articulate her own positions. “It has changed the way I approach conflict—and most things, actually,” she said. “With ethics, I’ve learned that there are a lot of different sides to everything.” What Alexandra’s mother, Trisha, welcomes in this training is the open-mindedness it provokes, as well as the instruction it provides in how to converse calmly. “There’s a humility that comes with this ethical framework that will serve them well for the rest of their lives,” she said.

Rezach believes that students benefit from an ethics education in many ways. “For the first time in their lives, they’re allowed to think for themselves—without someone telling them what to think,” she said, adding “It’s like you’ve taken the lid off the top of their minds.” For teenagers who often struggle with confidence and identity, these debates on ethics free them to test their values in an abstract, unthreatening way. Exploring conflicts from different points of view—and striving to understand the value behind an opinion—also makes them more empathetic to others. “I see them grow in their ability to see somebody else’s perspective,” Rezach said. Having to identify and defend their decision is also critical, she added. Ordinarily, students she encounters avoid making decisions because they fear they’ll get it wrong. “Being able to make a decision and articulate why—that’s huge!” she said. “And being respectful to a person who doesn’t agree—that’s huge.”

Rezach writes the case studies, teaches the classes and overseas all the extracurricular ethics programs. She has also consulted with about 100 other middle- and high schools that want to bring this discipline back to their communities. “It can’t be a one and done,” Rezach said about how to build an ethical student body. “You have to infuse it into current programs—in classes and after school,” she added.

Now a college freshman, Sophie Huttner said she continues to apply the analytical frameworks she absorbed in her ethics training to her studies at Yale. “My ethics education, above all, has functioned as a mirror, allowing me to reflect on my own values and those held by my community,” she said. “Because I have had the chance to consider at length the ethical concepts most important to me, I have become a better judge of my own actions.”

*Linda Flanagan serves on the  advisory board of the Ethics Institute, for which she receives no financial compensation.  

The importance of ethical behavior in education Essay

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Introduction

The issues that the committee should take into account, possible misrepresentations, recommendations, works cited.

The scandal surrounding Annette Schavan, who was the German Minister of Education, gives rise to a great number of questions about the integrity in academic settings and education. It should be noted that Anette Schavan resigned from her post because she was accused of plagiarizing some parts of her doctoral dissertation (Kulish unpaged).

Therefore, one can say educational institutions and policy-makers should make sure such incidents are reduced to the minimum. This memorandum is aimed at discussing some of the main issues related to the problems of academic dishonesty and ways of preventing such cases from happening.

On the whole, one can say that ethics principles should play a vital role in education; without them, students are not likely to become good professionals or responsible citizens. This is the main argument that one can put forward.

There are several points that academic committee should take into consideration when developing policies that enforce ethical behavior in educational institutions. First of all, a great number of people, especially officials strive to highlight the fact that they have an academic degree (Kulish unpaged). Such a situation is characteristic of many European countries such as Germany (Kulish unpaged).

In this way, they attempt to raise their social prestige and gain the support of other people. This is one of the reasons why some of them claim that they have completed the dissertation. Nevertheless, the recent scandals indicate many of these individuals do not attach much importance to the educational value of degrees.

This is why they can be engaged in different forms of unethical behavior such as plagiarism ( German education minister quits over plagiarism allegations unpaged). This is one of the points that be considered by the academic committee. Furthermore, one should bear in mind that contemporary technologies can offer many opportunities to people who want to attain academic degree without taking too much effort.

Nevertheless, the committee should also take into account that the accusations of plagiarism should be properly substantiated. The problem is that these claims can actually ruin professional of an individual who can be quite innocent. Again, the example of Annette Schavan is very eloquent because her governmental career can be almost ruined ( German education minister quits over plagiarism allegations unpaged).

Finally, one should keep in mind that the case Annette Schavan does not imply that every governmental official can be suspected of unethical behavior. Overall, the problems highlighted by Nicolas Kulish in his article are particularly relevant nowadays when students find ways of violating rules that are adopted in academic settings. Therefore, this problem is very urgent, and it cannot be overlooked.

To a great extent, this behavior can be explained by the attitudes of many people who associate education with prestige, but not with knowledge, skills, or expertise. They are willing to emphasize their social status. This is one of the issues that are imbedded in the Annette Schavan scandal. Such a problem is encountered by many contemporary societies.

At this point, it is difficult to say whether the case of Annette Schavan involves any misrepresentations or misquotations because the former Minister of Education is going to dispute the revoke of her doctoral degree (Kulish unpaged). In fact, she is going to defend her right to the doctoral degree in the court (Kulish unpaged). Therefore, at this point, one cannot say that this person can be blamed for academic dishonesty.

It should be kept in mind in some cases, plagiarism can be unintentional. Very often, it can be attributed to carelessness, rather than the willingness to take credit for the ideas of others. Therefore, one cannot assume that violation of academic standards is associated with lack of ethical integrity. Such an assumption can hardly be called accurate.

This argument is particularly important when one speaks about the accusations of dishonesty that are leveled against people like Annette Schavan whose dissertation is now being scrutinized by the media ( German education minister quits over plagiarism allegations unpaged).

Such claims should be based on the evidence that was thoroughly varied. This issue is of great concern to many educators who want to make sure that the principles of ethics are maintained in educational organizations.

Overall, it is possible to provide several recommendations to the academic committee. These suggestions can help educational institutions avoid many scandals as well as conflicts. First of all, each of the academic papers submitted by students should be checked for plagiarism.

For this purpose the use of anti-plagiarism software can be very useful because it helps to detect those passages that could be taken from the works of other people. This step is critical for enforcing the principles of ethical behavior in academic settings. Secondly, the professors and scientific advisors should make sure that students do understand the topic of their research papers, articles or dissertations.

In this way, they can better detect instances of academic dishonesty, particularly the cases when students rely on the ideas of other people without giving credit to them. These are some of the main precautions that should be taken by educational organizations.

Certainly, this strategy will not ensure that every person follows the principles of academic integrity. Nevertheless, a great number of learners will be reluctant to commit academic fraud. This is the main rationale for adopting them.

Apart from that, the academic committee should also consider the case of Annette Schavan. It seems that people, who intend to assume governmental positions, should submit their academic paper to scrutiny. Again, this approach will make sure that officials comply with the principles of integrity that they so often advocate in their public discourse.

It seems that this approach is quite justifiable because people like Annette Schavan can shape the policies of the state. Thus, they should be able to reach the highest moral standards. These are some of the strategies that can be adopted by educational committees in order to promote the principles of ethics.

Overall, these examples indicate that various forms of dishonesty have not been eliminated from academic settings. In some cases, people can resort to plagiarism in effort to achieve success or status. Such behavior can even be observed in people who want to occupy the positions of authority in society.

By taking different precautions, educational organizations can avert many scandals such as the case of Annette Schavan. The main problem is that too many people value academic degrees, rather than knowledge and skills.

German education minister quits over plagiarism allegations . 2013. Web.

Kulish, Nicholas. “ German Fascination With Degrees Claims Latest Victim: Education Minister .” The New York Times . 2013. Web.

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Importance Of Ethics In Education

Table of contents

Understanding ethics: beyond common sense, the role of ethics in leadership and organizational culture, ethical leadership: modeling behavior and building trust, the special responsibility of teachers in ethical education, case study: ethical dilemmas in classroom management, the impact of unethical behavior on students and school culture.

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6.1 Educational Ethics

The term, “ethics,” is a branch of philosophy that involves analyzing and conceptualizing moral behaviour and determining right from wrong. Educational ethics, in this sense, is analyzing and conceptualizing moral behaviour through pedagogical determinants. This means observing right or wrong actions. Ethical frameworks, regarding learning and epistemology, follow a set of normative ethics, which are morals of how one ought and should act on the ethical principles of justice, utilitarianism, deontology, and human rights [1] .

• Justice : fair according to societal standards
• Utilitarianism : the greatest good for the greatest number
• Deontology : meeting duties obligated by society
• Human Rights : the rights of humans to live, be free, and pursue happiness

Throughout this chapter, learning for citizenship and moral development will be reviewed in terms of normative ethics.

This can be looked at through educational democratization. It was Dewey who introduced the democratic conception of education as freeing for the individual and applying new methodological ideas of teaching and learning [2] . What the democratic conception achieves is a pathway towards a moral framework for teaching and learning. Content can be at the discretion of the educator, however, the process of learning is democratized through fairness, obligation, majority, and humanistic actions. Thus, democratic education, through an ethical framework, can be achieved. Effective pedagogy relies on these building blocks.

The role of schools within this ethical paradigm can be seen by where they are on their journey. Venezia, Venezia, Cavico, and Mujtaba conclude that age, formal education, and “ethics” education have no significant impact on ethics and morality [3] . This brings up questions about the value of ethics education, and whether schools are failing in normative ethics of justice, utilitarianism, deontology, and human rights? These findings suggest that marginalization in schools is a failure of justice and human rights. On the other hand, the growth of epistemology and pedagogy may have resulted in more rights and fairness for people. This ultimately adds to the conceptual ambiguity of ethics and moral developments in relation to schools.

Application of Ethics and Education

An analysis by Sergei Nizhnikov infers that the role of transcendentalism will become the dominant philosophy, as it incorporates the cross-cultural and mutual understanding of ethical actions in a modern and globalized world [4] . On a practical level, transcendentalism co-mingles, critiques, and reasons with the many normative ethics structures of justice, utilitarianism, deontology, and human rights. This is beneficial as it helps to develop a meta-cognitive conception of the different ethical structures and how to apply them in teaching and learning. As an example, a teacher may apply a justice framework, by using fairness, when marking papers.  This is opposed to applying a utilitarian framework for deciding what activity the class wants to engage in through a vote. Combining and moving beyond ethics is an important factor, especially in a modern education framework. Use the accordion folder below for a more concise understanding of educational ethics.

Theories of Individual and Collective Learning Copyright © by Clayton Smith and Carson Babich is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Your environment. your health., what is ethics in research & why is it important, by david b. resnik, j.d., ph.d..

December 23, 2020

The ideas and opinions expressed in this essay are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of the NIH, NIEHS, or US government.

When most people think of ethics (or morals), they think of rules for distinguishing between right and wrong, such as the Golden Rule ("Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"), a code of professional conduct like the Hippocratic Oath ("First of all, do no harm"), a religious creed like the Ten Commandments ("Thou Shalt not kill..."), or a wise aphorisms like the sayings of Confucius. This is the most common way of defining "ethics": norms for conduct that distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

Most people learn ethical norms at home, at school, in church, or in other social settings. Although most people acquire their sense of right and wrong during childhood, moral development occurs throughout life and human beings pass through different stages of growth as they mature. Ethical norms are so ubiquitous that one might be tempted to regard them as simple commonsense. On the other hand, if morality were nothing more than commonsense, then why are there so many ethical disputes and issues in our society?

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One plausible explanation of these disagreements is that all people recognize some common ethical norms but interpret, apply, and balance them in different ways in light of their own values and life experiences. For example, two people could agree that murder is wrong but disagree about the morality of abortion because they have different understandings of what it means to be a human being.

Most societies also have legal rules that govern behavior, but ethical norms tend to be broader and more informal than laws. Although most societies use laws to enforce widely accepted moral standards and ethical and legal rules use similar concepts, ethics and law are not the same. An action may be legal but unethical or illegal but ethical. We can also use ethical concepts and principles to criticize, evaluate, propose, or interpret laws. Indeed, in the last century, many social reformers have urged citizens to disobey laws they regarded as immoral or unjust laws. Peaceful civil disobedience is an ethical way of protesting laws or expressing political viewpoints.

Another way of defining 'ethics' focuses on the disciplines that study standards of conduct, such as philosophy, theology, law, psychology, or sociology. For example, a "medical ethicist" is someone who studies ethical standards in medicine. One may also define ethics as a method, procedure, or perspective for deciding how to act and for analyzing complex problems and issues. For instance, in considering a complex issue like global warming , one may take an economic, ecological, political, or ethical perspective on the problem. While an economist might examine the cost and benefits of various policies related to global warming, an environmental ethicist could examine the ethical values and principles at stake.

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Many different disciplines, institutions , and professions have standards for behavior that suit their particular aims and goals. These standards also help members of the discipline to coordinate their actions or activities and to establish the public's trust of the discipline. For instance, ethical standards govern conduct in medicine, law, engineering, and business. Ethical norms also serve the aims or goals of research and apply to people who conduct scientific research or other scholarly or creative activities. There is even a specialized discipline, research ethics, which studies these norms. See Glossary of Commonly Used Terms in Research Ethics and Research Ethics Timeline .

There are several reasons why it is important to adhere to ethical norms in research. First, norms promote the aims of research , such as knowledge, truth, and avoidance of error. For example, prohibitions against fabricating , falsifying, or misrepresenting research data promote the truth and minimize error.

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Second, since research often involves a great deal of cooperation and coordination among many different people in different disciplines and institutions, ethical standards promote the values that are essential to collaborative work , such as trust, accountability, mutual respect, and fairness. For example, many ethical norms in research, such as guidelines for authorship , copyright and patenting policies , data sharing policies, and confidentiality rules in peer review, are designed to protect intellectual property interests while encouraging collaboration. Most researchers want to receive credit for their contributions and do not want to have their ideas stolen or disclosed prematurely.

Third, many of the ethical norms help to ensure that researchers can be held accountable to the public . For instance, federal policies on research misconduct, conflicts of interest, the human subjects protections, and animal care and use are necessary in order to make sure that researchers who are funded by public money can be held accountable to the public.

Fourth, ethical norms in research also help to build public support for research. People are more likely to fund a research project if they can trust the quality and integrity of research.

Finally, many of the norms of research promote a variety of other important moral and social values , such as social responsibility, human rights, animal welfare, compliance with the law, and public health and safety. Ethical lapses in research can significantly harm human and animal subjects, students, and the public. For example, a researcher who fabricates data in a clinical trial may harm or even kill patients, and a researcher who fails to abide by regulations and guidelines relating to radiation or biological safety may jeopardize his health and safety or the health and safety of staff and students.

Codes and Policies for Research Ethics

Given the importance of ethics for the conduct of research, it should come as no surprise that many different professional associations, government agencies, and universities have adopted specific codes, rules, and policies relating to research ethics. Many government agencies have ethics rules for funded researchers.

• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• National Science Foundation (NSF)
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• Singapore Statement on Research Integrity
• American Chemical Society, The Chemist Professional’s Code of Conduct
• Code of Ethics (American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science)
• American Psychological Association, Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct
• Statement on Professional Ethics (American Association of University Professors)
• Nuremberg Code
• World Medical Association's Declaration of Helsinki

Ethical Principles

The following is a rough and general summary of some ethical principles that various codes address*:

Strive for honesty in all scientific communications. Honestly report data, results, methods and procedures, and publication status. Do not fabricate, falsify, or misrepresent data. Do not deceive colleagues, research sponsors, or the public.

Objectivity

Strive to avoid bias in experimental design, data analysis, data interpretation, peer review, personnel decisions, grant writing, expert testimony, and other aspects of research where objectivity is expected or required. Avoid or minimize bias or self-deception. Disclose personal or financial interests that may affect research.

Keep your promises and agreements; act with sincerity; strive for consistency of thought and action.

Carefulness

Avoid careless errors and negligence; carefully and critically examine your own work and the work of your peers. Keep good records of research activities, such as data collection, research design, and correspondence with agencies or journals.

Share data, results, ideas, tools, resources. Be open to criticism and new ideas.

Transparency

Disclose methods, materials, assumptions, analyses, and other information needed to evaluate your research.

Accountability

Take responsibility for your part in research and be prepared to give an account (i.e. an explanation or justification) of what you did on a research project and why.

Intellectual Property

Honor patents, copyrights, and other forms of intellectual property. Do not use unpublished data, methods, or results without permission. Give proper acknowledgement or credit for all contributions to research. Never plagiarize.

Confidentiality

Protect confidential communications, such as papers or grants submitted for publication, personnel records, trade or military secrets, and patient records.

Responsible Publication

Publish in order to advance research and scholarship, not to advance just your own career. Avoid wasteful and duplicative publication.

Responsible Mentoring

Help to educate, mentor, and advise students. Promote their welfare and allow them to make their own decisions.

Respect for Colleagues

Respect your colleagues and treat them fairly.

Social Responsibility

Strive to promote social good and prevent or mitigate social harms through research, public education, and advocacy.

Non-Discrimination

Avoid discrimination against colleagues or students on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or other factors not related to scientific competence and integrity.

Maintain and improve your own professional competence and expertise through lifelong education and learning; take steps to promote competence in science as a whole.

Know and obey relevant laws and institutional and governmental policies.

Animal Care

Show proper respect and care for animals when using them in research. Do not conduct unnecessary or poorly designed animal experiments.

Human Subjects protection

When conducting research on human subjects, minimize harms and risks and maximize benefits; respect human dignity, privacy, and autonomy; take special precautions with vulnerable populations; and strive to distribute the benefits and burdens of research fairly.

* Adapted from Shamoo A and Resnik D. 2015. Responsible Conduct of Research, 3rd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press).

Ethical Decision Making in Research

Although codes, policies, and principles are very important and useful, like any set of rules, they do not cover every situation, they often conflict, and they require interpretation. It is therefore important for researchers to learn how to interpret, assess, and apply various research rules and how to make decisions and act ethically in various situations. The vast majority of decisions involve the straightforward application of ethical rules. For example, consider the following case:

The research protocol for a study of a drug on hypertension requires the administration of the drug at different doses to 50 laboratory mice, with chemical and behavioral tests to determine toxic effects. Tom has almost finished the experiment for Dr. Q. He has only 5 mice left to test. However, he really wants to finish his work in time to go to Florida on spring break with his friends, who are leaving tonight. He has injected the drug in all 50 mice but has not completed all of the tests. He therefore decides to extrapolate from the 45 completed results to produce the 5 additional results.

Many different research ethics policies would hold that Tom has acted unethically by fabricating data. If this study were sponsored by a federal agency, such as the NIH, his actions would constitute a form of research misconduct , which the government defines as "fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism" (or FFP). Actions that nearly all researchers classify as unethical are viewed as misconduct. It is important to remember, however, that misconduct occurs only when researchers intend to deceive : honest errors related to sloppiness, poor record keeping, miscalculations, bias, self-deception, and even negligence do not constitute misconduct. Also, reasonable disagreements about research methods, procedures, and interpretations do not constitute research misconduct. Consider the following case:

Dr. T has just discovered a mathematical error in his paper that has been accepted for publication in a journal. The error does not affect the overall results of his research, but it is potentially misleading. The journal has just gone to press, so it is too late to catch the error before it appears in print. In order to avoid embarrassment, Dr. T decides to ignore the error.

Dr. T's error is not misconduct nor is his decision to take no action to correct the error. Most researchers, as well as many different policies and codes would say that Dr. T should tell the journal (and any coauthors) about the error and consider publishing a correction or errata. Failing to publish a correction would be unethical because it would violate norms relating to honesty and objectivity in research.

There are many other activities that the government does not define as "misconduct" but which are still regarded by most researchers as unethical. These are sometimes referred to as " other deviations " from acceptable research practices and include:

• Publishing the same paper in two different journals without telling the editors
• Submitting the same paper to different journals without telling the editors
• Not informing a collaborator of your intent to file a patent in order to make sure that you are the sole inventor
• Including a colleague as an author on a paper in return for a favor even though the colleague did not make a serious contribution to the paper
• Discussing with your colleagues confidential data from a paper that you are reviewing for a journal
• Using data, ideas, or methods you learn about while reviewing a grant or a papers without permission
• Trimming outliers from a data set without discussing your reasons in paper
• Using an inappropriate statistical technique in order to enhance the significance of your research
• Bypassing the peer review process and announcing your results through a press conference without giving peers adequate information to review your work
• Conducting a review of the literature that fails to acknowledge the contributions of other people in the field or relevant prior work
• Stretching the truth on a grant application in order to convince reviewers that your project will make a significant contribution to the field
• Stretching the truth on a job application or curriculum vita
• Giving the same research project to two graduate students in order to see who can do it the fastest
• Overworking, neglecting, or exploiting graduate or post-doctoral students
• Failing to keep good research records
• Failing to maintain research data for a reasonable period of time
• Making derogatory comments and personal attacks in your review of author's submission
• Promising a student a better grade for sexual favors
• Using a racist epithet in the laboratory
• Making significant deviations from the research protocol approved by your institution's Animal Care and Use Committee or Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects Research without telling the committee or the board
• Not reporting an adverse event in a human research experiment
• Wasting animals in research
• Exposing students and staff to biological risks in violation of your institution's biosafety rules
• Sabotaging someone's work
• Stealing supplies, books, or data
• Rigging an experiment so you know how it will turn out
• Making unauthorized copies of data, papers, or computer programs
• Owning over $10,000 in stock in a company that sponsors your research and not disclosing this financial interest
• Deliberately overestimating the clinical significance of a new drug in order to obtain economic benefits

These actions would be regarded as unethical by most scientists and some might even be illegal in some cases. Most of these would also violate different professional ethics codes or institutional policies. However, they do not fall into the narrow category of actions that the government classifies as research misconduct. Indeed, there has been considerable debate about the definition of "research misconduct" and many researchers and policy makers are not satisfied with the government's narrow definition that focuses on FFP. However, given the huge list of potential offenses that might fall into the category "other serious deviations," and the practical problems with defining and policing these other deviations, it is understandable why government officials have chosen to limit their focus.

Finally, situations frequently arise in research in which different people disagree about the proper course of action and there is no broad consensus about what should be done. In these situations, there may be good arguments on both sides of the issue and different ethical principles may conflict. These situations create difficult decisions for research known as ethical or moral dilemmas . Consider the following case:

Dr. Wexford is the principal investigator of a large, epidemiological study on the health of 10,000 agricultural workers. She has an impressive dataset that includes information on demographics, environmental exposures, diet, genetics, and various disease outcomes such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease (PD), and ALS. She has just published a paper on the relationship between pesticide exposure and PD in a prestigious journal. She is planning to publish many other papers from her dataset. She receives a request from another research team that wants access to her complete dataset. They are interested in examining the relationship between pesticide exposures and skin cancer. Dr. Wexford was planning to conduct a study on this topic.

Dr. Wexford faces a difficult choice. On the one hand, the ethical norm of openness obliges her to share data with the other research team. Her funding agency may also have rules that obligate her to share data. On the other hand, if she shares data with the other team, they may publish results that she was planning to publish, thus depriving her (and her team) of recognition and priority. It seems that there are good arguments on both sides of this issue and Dr. Wexford needs to take some time to think about what she should do. One possible option is to share data, provided that the investigators sign a data use agreement. The agreement could define allowable uses of the data, publication plans, authorship, etc. Another option would be to offer to collaborate with the researchers.

The following are some step that researchers, such as Dr. Wexford, can take to deal with ethical dilemmas in research:

What is the problem or issue?

It is always important to get a clear statement of the problem. In this case, the issue is whether to share information with the other research team.

What is the relevant information?

Many bad decisions are made as a result of poor information. To know what to do, Dr. Wexford needs to have more information concerning such matters as university or funding agency or journal policies that may apply to this situation, the team's intellectual property interests, the possibility of negotiating some kind of agreement with the other team, whether the other team also has some information it is willing to share, the impact of the potential publications, etc.

What are the different options?

People may fail to see different options due to a limited imagination, bias, ignorance, or fear. In this case, there may be other choices besides 'share' or 'don't share,' such as 'negotiate an agreement' or 'offer to collaborate with the researchers.'

How do ethical codes or policies as well as legal rules apply to these different options?

The university or funding agency may have policies on data management that apply to this case. Broader ethical rules, such as openness and respect for credit and intellectual property, may also apply to this case. Laws relating to intellectual property may be relevant.

Are there any people who can offer ethical advice?

It may be useful to seek advice from a colleague, a senior researcher, your department chair, an ethics or compliance officer, or anyone else you can trust. In the case, Dr. Wexford might want to talk to her supervisor and research team before making a decision.

After considering these questions, a person facing an ethical dilemma may decide to ask more questions, gather more information, explore different options, or consider other ethical rules. However, at some point he or she will have to make a decision and then take action. Ideally, a person who makes a decision in an ethical dilemma should be able to justify his or her decision to himself or herself, as well as colleagues, administrators, and other people who might be affected by the decision. He or she should be able to articulate reasons for his or her conduct and should consider the following questions in order to explain how he or she arrived at his or her decision:

• Which choice will probably have the best overall consequences for science and society?
• Which choice could stand up to further publicity and scrutiny?
• Which choice could you not live with?
• Think of the wisest person you know. What would he or she do in this situation?
• Which choice would be the most just, fair, or responsible?

After considering all of these questions, one still might find it difficult to decide what to do. If this is the case, then it may be appropriate to consider others ways of making the decision, such as going with a gut feeling or intuition, seeking guidance through prayer or meditation, or even flipping a coin. Endorsing these methods in this context need not imply that ethical decisions are irrational, however. The main point is that human reasoning plays a pivotal role in ethical decision-making but there are limits to its ability to solve all ethical dilemmas in a finite amount of time.

Promoting Ethical Conduct in Science

Do U.S. research institutions meet or exceed federal mandates for instruction in responsible conduct of research? A national survey

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Most academic institutions in the US require undergraduate, graduate, or postgraduate students to have some education in the responsible conduct of research (RCR) . The NIH and NSF have both mandated training in research ethics for students and trainees. Many academic institutions outside of the US have also developed educational curricula in research ethics

Those of you who are taking or have taken courses in research ethics may be wondering why you are required to have education in research ethics. You may believe that you are highly ethical and know the difference between right and wrong. You would never fabricate or falsify data or plagiarize. Indeed, you also may believe that most of your colleagues are highly ethical and that there is no ethics problem in research..

If you feel this way, relax. No one is accusing you of acting unethically. Indeed, the evidence produced so far shows that misconduct is a very rare occurrence in research, although there is considerable variation among various estimates. The rate of misconduct has been estimated to be as low as 0.01% of researchers per year (based on confirmed cases of misconduct in federally funded research) to as high as 1% of researchers per year (based on self-reports of misconduct on anonymous surveys). See Shamoo and Resnik (2015), cited above.

Clearly, it would be useful to have more data on this topic, but so far there is no evidence that science has become ethically corrupt, despite some highly publicized scandals. Even if misconduct is only a rare occurrence, it can still have a tremendous impact on science and society because it can compromise the integrity of research, erode the public’s trust in science, and waste time and resources. Will education in research ethics help reduce the rate of misconduct in science? It is too early to tell. The answer to this question depends, in part, on how one understands the causes of misconduct. There are two main theories about why researchers commit misconduct. According to the "bad apple" theory, most scientists are highly ethical. Only researchers who are morally corrupt, economically desperate, or psychologically disturbed commit misconduct. Moreover, only a fool would commit misconduct because science's peer review system and self-correcting mechanisms will eventually catch those who try to cheat the system. In any case, a course in research ethics will have little impact on "bad apples," one might argue.

According to the "stressful" or "imperfect" environment theory, misconduct occurs because various institutional pressures, incentives, and constraints encourage people to commit misconduct, such as pressures to publish or obtain grants or contracts, career ambitions, the pursuit of profit or fame, poor supervision of students and trainees, and poor oversight of researchers (see Shamoo and Resnik 2015). Moreover, defenders of the stressful environment theory point out that science's peer review system is far from perfect and that it is relatively easy to cheat the system. Erroneous or fraudulent research often enters the public record without being detected for years. Misconduct probably results from environmental and individual causes, i.e. when people who are morally weak, ignorant, or insensitive are placed in stressful or imperfect environments. In any case, a course in research ethics can be useful in helping to prevent deviations from norms even if it does not prevent misconduct. Education in research ethics is can help people get a better understanding of ethical standards, policies, and issues and improve ethical judgment and decision making. Many of the deviations that occur in research may occur because researchers simply do not know or have never thought seriously about some of the ethical norms of research. For example, some unethical authorship practices probably reflect traditions and practices that have not been questioned seriously until recently. If the director of a lab is named as an author on every paper that comes from his lab, even if he does not make a significant contribution, what could be wrong with that? That's just the way it's done, one might argue. Another example where there may be some ignorance or mistaken traditions is conflicts of interest in research. A researcher may think that a "normal" or "traditional" financial relationship, such as accepting stock or a consulting fee from a drug company that sponsors her research, raises no serious ethical issues. Or perhaps a university administrator sees no ethical problem in taking a large gift with strings attached from a pharmaceutical company. Maybe a physician thinks that it is perfectly appropriate to receive a $300 finder’s fee for referring patients into a clinical trial.

If "deviations" from ethical conduct occur in research as a result of ignorance or a failure to reflect critically on problematic traditions, then a course in research ethics may help reduce the rate of serious deviations by improving the researcher's understanding of ethics and by sensitizing him or her to the issues.

Finally, education in research ethics should be able to help researchers grapple with the ethical dilemmas they are likely to encounter by introducing them to important concepts, tools, principles, and methods that can be useful in resolving these dilemmas. Scientists must deal with a number of different controversial topics, such as human embryonic stem cell research, cloning, genetic engineering, and research involving animal or human subjects, which require ethical reflection and deliberation.

The Role of Ethics Education in the Fight Against Corruption

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Education has an integral role to inculcate morality in learners. It is expected that education should produce responsible persons who can be trusted in promoting the well-being of society.  An educated individual according to Julius Nyerere is one who is ready to serve the masses, realize and recognize themselves as being part of the society. The current world requires education that can make its citizens grow into morally responsible individuals whose actions promote justice in society. Bearing in mind that unless corruption is eliminated within and through the education system, society will continue to be captive of corruption.  Society today, has overlooked the prime duty of imparting knowledge of morals into its citizens. This has however resulted into the growth of citizens whose morals are in question. Ethics plays a vital role in education since it acts as a basis of identifying the wrong and right and the training of the human will to pursue what is right. Corruption is a wrong doing that can be dealt with when people come into agreement and understanding of their place, place of others and the reasons for respecting every individual’s capabilities (need to address the common good. i.e. resources, public office, public funds).  Individuals with deeper understanding of morality tend to uphold transparency and accountability. Such individuals shun away from acts of corruption since they know and understand the consequences of every action they partake. Schools therefore have a responsibility of ensuring that all students who undergo the education processes are morally equipped with knowledge and skills of the do’s and don’ts. This paper therefore aims at examining the place of ethics in secondary school education and the extent to which education ought to contribute towards the war against corruption in Africa.

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Judah Mualuko Ndiku, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technolog

Professor, Department of Educational Planning and Management, School of Education, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kakamega, Kenya.

Joseph W. Nasongo, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology

Professor, Department of Educational Foundations, School of Education, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kakamega, Kenya.

Monica Odero, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology

Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kakamega, Kenya

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The Importance of Ethics in Our Daily Life

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