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Decision-making processes of student affairs professionals: An analysis of ethical considerations identified through focus group discussions
Abstract
This study uses focus group discussions as a means for understanding the role of ethics in the decision making processes of student affairs professionals. A second purpose of the study is to consider the method of the focus group discussion itself as a means to enable dialogue and conversation among student affairs professionals about ethical issues. The problem is explored through four research questions: (1) Do ethical considerations enter into the decision making processes utilized by student affairs professionals? (2) How do actual decision making processes as described by the student affairs professionals relate to prescriptions for ethical decision making in the literature? (3) To what extent is an ethic of caring exhibited? (4) Does the focus group forum itself contribute to developing a campus environment which promotes dialogue on ethical decision making? In this study, 26 staff at the University of Southern Maine participated in three focus group discussions. The participants were grouped according to position level: entry-level, mid-level, and director level. The discussion topics designed for the moderator's outline included two hypothetical case situations, as well as opportunities to discuss real work situations. Data were gathered from the transcription of the audio tapes of the discussions, and analyzed in relation to the research questions. Data specific to research question four were also gathered from responses to a follow-up questionnaire administered one month after the focus group interviews. The findings suggest that ethical considerations do enter into the decision making processes of the student affairs staff. The focus group discussions were shown to be a valuable intervention for a campus. The method can help produce an environment which is conducive to dialogue on important matters and in which considerations of ethics are perceived as valuable. Additional findings suggest that organizational considerations are an important part of the decision making processes of the student affairs participants. Regularized focus group discussion among student affairs staff can serve to promote such dialogue in the larger campus community, and therefore is an important step towards the development of an appropriate institutional environment for ethical decision making.
Subject Area
School administration
Recommended Citation
Sailer, Mary Ellen, "Decision-making processes of student affairs professionals: An analysis of ethical considerations identified through focus group discussions" (1990). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9100537.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9100537