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Investigating factors related to ethical expectations and motivations among Chinese engineering students

Journal Article (2022)
Author(s)

R.F. Clancy III (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, TU Delft - Ethics & Philosophy of Technology)

Yan Ge (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

Longfei Wu (Institute of Social Cognition and Decision-making)

Research Group
Ethics & Philosophy of Technology
Copyright
© 2022 R.F. Clancy III, Yan Ge, Longfei An
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2022.2066509
More Info
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Publication Year
2022
Language
English
Copyright
© 2022 R.F. Clancy III, Yan Ge, Longfei An
Research Group
Ethics & Philosophy of Technology
Issue number
5
Volume number
47
Pages (from-to)
762-773
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Abstract

Research in engineering ethics has examined the effects of education on the ethical knowledge and reasoning of students from mostly WEIRD (Western educated industrialized rich democratic) cultures. However, it is unclear that findings from WEIRD samples are transferable across cultures. China now graduates and employs more STEM (science technology engineering mathematics) majors than any other country, although little work has examined the ethical perspectives and education of these students. Therefore, a study was conducted exploring the kinds of ethical issues Chinese engineering students expect to encounter (expectations), the importance they attach to being ethical (motivations), and their relations to various curricular and extra-curricular factors, including sources of ethical influence, nature and extent of ethics education, and perceived usefulness of ethics education. 163 Chinese engineering majors from two Chinese-foreign educational institutes in Shanghai, China completed a survey. Results indicate participants were most likely to expect to face ethical issues related to fairness, and that the perceived usefulness of ethics education was predictive of both ethical expectations and motivations, followed by encountering instructors who cared about ethics. The extent of ethics education was related to ethical expectations but not motivations. The implications of these findings and directions for future work are discussed.