Akademisyenlerin Etik Dışı Davranışlarına Yönelik Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Görüşleri

Abstract

Global higher education systems and their stakeholders have substantially been affected by the transformative effects of neoliberal policies that challenged ethical practices through increasing competition, changing managerial understanding, diminishing academic freedom and meritocracy. Considering these effects, this research aims to investigate Turkish university students’ perceptions about unethical practices of faculty ranging from teaching and assessment to their service duties for students. In this qualitative study, 23 Turkish university students’ interview data were evaluated from The Cultural Dimensions Model of Hofstede. The overall impression was that students had high consciousness about academic codes of conduct. As to the major findings, while the top five frequently experienced unethical practices were “favoritism, professional incompetence, humiliation, autonomy vs. responsibility dilemma and verbal abuse”, only a few students defended their rights against unethical practices because they did not want to cause a problem or they had disbelief in positive change. The main implications of this study are for academic leaders to establish an anti-harassment office run by an independent body, for faculty to adopt a fair approach and be open to feedback, and for students to report concerns to faculty, make a complaint to authorities when necessary and develop their knowledge of academic ethics.