Ethical judgment in counseling students and its relationship to ethical knowledge and life-experience factors

Subjects included fifty-five graduate students enrolled in Counselor Education or School Psychology programs, who had been formally exposed to professional ethics at some time in their training. The EJS, the EAT and the background questionnaire were administered to all subjects. Single-classification analysis of variance was used in analyzing the data.

Subjects showed little variability around the mean EJS scores and represented only two stages, societal (N = 23) and individual (N = 32). Scores on the EAT ranged from 5 to 13 with a mean of 8.345 and a standard deviation of 1.965. On the basis of single-classification analysis of variance, EAT scores could not be predicted any better using EJS group membership than could be predicted on the basis of chance; EJS stages and social experience background factors showed no significant relationship.

The results could be partially explained by the lack of variability in EJS scores or by intervening variables which may have confounded the results. The EAT may also need further refinement.

The EJS and EAT represent important, unique and timely attempts to elucidate ethical theory and to provide assessment tools for the counseling profession. While this study failed to support a relationship between ethical judgment and ethical knowledge or between ethical judgment and social experience background factors, it is recommended that research continue to explore the relationship between ethical judgment and such factors as situational variables, counseling experience and counselor behavior. One background factor (Academic College of Undergraduate Major) was significantly related to EJS stages, however, this result was most likely due to chance.