0.6 Young, k., larsen, d., & Mixon, j. (october 2011). the relationship  (Page 4/5)

The study was guided by the following research questions:

1. Does the inclusion of an ethics course in a principal preparation program make a difference in the development and evaluation of ethical school policies?
2. Does the inclusion of an ethics course in a principal preparation program make a difference in the development and evaluation of ethical school programs?
3. Does the inclusion of an ethics course in a principal preparation program make a difference in the development and evaluation of ethical school practices?

Participant responses to statements were analyzed based upon whether they indicated having an ethics course in their principal preparation program or not. Their responses were used as the predictor variable in the current analysis. The outcome variables of interest were constructed from the sum of participant responses in each of the three extracted constructs of interest (policies, programs, and practices). Independent sample t -tests were used to investigate the research questions.

Results

A t -test was used to test the effects of a course in ethics in principal preparation programs on the policies, programs, and practices that principals develop and evaluate within their schools. A statistically significant difference was found between leaders who had an ethics course in their program and those who did not regarding the development and evaluation of ethical school policies, t (204) = 2.22, p <.05, d = .31 (Ethics Course: M = 21.79, SD = 3.23; No Ethics Course: M = 20.65, SD = 3.76), and practices, t (204) = 2.43, p <.05, d = .33 (Ethics Course: M = 21.78, SD = 2.55; No Ethics Course: M = 20.63, SD = 3.80). That is, those individuals who had ethics courses in their preparation program were more likely to develop and evaluate ethical school policies and practices that sought to ensure social justice, equity, confidentiality, acceptance, and respect among students and faculty than their colleagues who did not have an ethics course in their principal preparation program. There was no statistically significant difference in the development and evaluation of ethical programming between principals who had an ethics course in their preparation program and those who did not.

Summary, conclusions, and recommendations

Two hundred six individuals responded to an electronically delivered survey investigating whether the inclusion of an ethics course in principal preparation programs impacted the development and evaluation of ethical school policies, programs, and practices. T-tests were used to investigate whether a main effect existed for the inclusion of an ethics course in principal preparation programs regarding a principal’s development and evaluation of ethical school policies, programs, and practices. A main effect for ethics courses was detected for the development and evaluation of ethical policies and practices, but not for programs. This suggests that those respondents who had designated ethics courses in their principal preparation programs were more likely to develop and evaluate their policies and practices in regard to matters of social justice than those students who did not have a specific course in ethics as part of their principal preparation programs.