Effects of Academic Integrity of Faculty Members on Students’ Ethical Behavior

Abstract

Education is fundamental tool in achieving sustainable development. Higher education institutions play vital role in providing a nation with required skilled manpower, needed to foster sustainable development. For these higher education institutions to achieve their goals and respond positively towards meeting needs of the society, ethical behavior of various actors is crucial. Therefore, this study examined the effects of faculty members’ academic integrity on students’ ethical behavior in universities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A total of 450 students were sampled across three public universities in the country. Random sampling method was used in selecting the participants in this study. The study made use of a 30-item questionnaire on academic integrity and ethical behavior. This was adapted into Kingdom of Saudi Arabia universities. The methods of data analysis used in this study are simple percentage and Pearson Correlation Coefficient. The Pearson Correlation Coefficient was used to examine the relationship between faculty members’ academic integrity and students’ ethical behavior. The result shows that there is a relationship between honest, fairness, responsibility, respect, trust, and ethical behavior of students. In order to ensure sustainable higher education development in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia academic, leaders and policy makers must encourage faculty members to uphold true academia and display good academic integrity as a measure towards influencing the moral and ethical behavior of their students.