An Exploration of Ethical Dilemma Resolution by Student Affairs ...

An Exploration of Ethical Dilemma Resolution by Student Affairs Professionals

Elaine Humphrey

Dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in

partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

In

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Steven M. Janosik, Chair

Elizabeth G. Creamer

Joan B. Hirt

Ellen Plummer

September 15, 2008

Blacksburg, Virginia

Keywords: Ethical Dilemma, Dilemma Resolution, Student Affairs, Ethical Decision Making

Copyright 2008, Elaine Humphrey

An Exploration of Ethical Dilemma Resolution by Student Affairs Professionals

Elaine Humphrey

ABSTRACT

This two-phase, sequential mixed methods study explored how student affairs

professionals resolved professional ethical dilemmas. A student affairs professional was

defined as an individual whose educational background and work experience are in

student affairs. An ethical dilemma is defined as a situation in which two ethical

principles are at odds rather than a simple matter of right versus wrong (Kitchener, 1985).

A professional ethical dilemma is an ethical dilemma in the context of a person¡¯s workrelated experience.

The first phase of the study was a qualitative exploration of how representatives

of the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) resolve

professional ethical dilemmas. Data were collected by interviewing the representatives.

The second phase of this study was confirmatory. An online questionnaire was

designed and administered to members of the National Association of Student Personnel

Administrators (NASPA) who held positions similar to those held by participants in the

phase one sample. The questionnaire was designed to confirm the findings from phase

one about ethical dilemma resolution.

The study found that despite the complexity of ethical dilemmas in terms of the

multiple ethical issues involved and the multiple roles they play in these dilemmas,

student affairs professionals use a relatively simple resolution process of serious

reflection and engaging others such as colleagues and university representatives to

understand the implications of the dilemma and its resolution so that they can weigh the

considerations pertaining to themselves and the wider organization within the context of

the ethical principles involved in that dilemma and make a decision that they believe is

ethical.

iii

Table of Contents

Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii

Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv

List of Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii

List of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

List of Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x

Chapter 1:

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Purpose of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Research Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Significance of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Organization of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Chapter 2:

Literature Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Ethical Dilemma Resolution in Non-higher Education Professions . . . . 19

Ethical Dilemma Resolution Theory from the Fields of Medicine,

Health Care, and Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Biomedicine and ethical dilemma resolution theory . . . . . 20

Psychology and ethical dilemma resolution theory . . . . . . 23

Health law and ethical dilemma resolution theory . . . . . . 27

Medicine, Health Care, and Law Ethical Dilemma Resolution

Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Business Ethical Dilemma Resolution Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Auditors and ethical dilemma resolution research . . . . . . 30

Financial advisors and compliance managers ethical

dilemma resolution research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

iv

Ethical Dilemma Resolution in Higher Education Professions . . . . . . . . 32

Student Affairs and Ethical Dilemma Resolution Theory . . . . . 32

Student Affairs and Ethical Dilemma Resolution Research . . . . 38

Chapter 3:

Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Purpose Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Sampling Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Phase One Data Collection Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Phase One Data Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Phase Two Data Collection Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Phase Two Data Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Chapter 4:

Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Phase One Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Theme Related to Research Question One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Theme Related to Research Question Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Themes Related to Research Question Two and Research

Question Three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Overarching Proposition About Ethical Dilemma Resolution . . . . 88

Phase Two Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Steps of Ethical Dilemma Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Considerations in Ethical Dilemma Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Overarching Proposition and Phase Two Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Chapter 5:

Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

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