Science and engineering major students' perception of research ethics and education

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the science and engineering major students' experience with the ethics education in science and technology studies and the perception of research ethics. A total of 672 students from five regions in Korea participated in the survey. The survey consisted of a questionnaire on the "experience of ethics education in science and technology," "opinions on ethics education," and the "perception of research ethics." The results showed that the first source of gaining ethics information was mass media (37.1%) for students in the college of science and school (35.6%) for students in the college of engineering (p < .05). A total of 18.6% of the students had taken ethics courses and 75% of the students responded that ethics education is needed in science and technology studies. This opinion was stronger for female than male students and also for students in the college of science than for those in the college of engineering (p < .001). Similarly, students from the college of science have higher levels of perception of research ethics than those from the college of engineering (p < .001). © Korean Educational Development Institute 2010.