How do Computer Science Students Make Decisions in Ethical Situations? Implications for Teaching Computing Ethics based on a Grounded Theory Study

Abstract

The daily influence of new technologies on shaping and reshaping human lives necessitates attention to the ethical development of the future computing workforce. To improve computer science students’ ethical decision-making, it is important to know how they make decisions when they face ethical issues. This article contributes to the research and practice of computer ethics education by identifying the factors that influence ethical decision-making of computer science students and providing implications to improve the process. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, the data from the text of the students’ discussion postings on three ethical scenarios in computer science and the follow-up interviews were analyzed. Based on the analysis, relating to real-life stories, thoughtfulness about responsibilities that come from the technical knowledge of developers, showing care for users or others who might be affected, and recognition of fallacies, contributed to better ethical decision-making. On the other hand, falling for fallacies and empathy for developers negatively influenced students' ethical decision-making process. Based on the findings, this study presents a model of factors that influence the ethical decision-making process of computer science students, along with implications for future researchers and computer ethics educators.