Ethical Reasoning: Real and Simulated

Abstract

We examined high school students' ethical reasoning in the context of their participation in a computer simulation of a workplace environment in order to determine whether such simulations can prompt students to think in more complex ways about ethical issues in the world of work. Students approach the world of work with information based both on their personal experience and on opportunities they have to learn about the workplace in school. In both contexts they are exposed, albeit obliquely, to ethical dilemmas and choices. The personal and the formally taught experiences allow access to different, often conflicting, kinds of knowledge. The question we are concerned with here is whether students will begin to develop a coherent, congruent ethical system that operates in a way that reflects the presence of a complex, nuanced reasoning system and not just a list of appropriate actions for specific situations. The study consisted of three parts. In Part One we examined the opportunities available within a particular workplace simulation for students to engage in ethical discussions and make ethical decisions. In Part Two we observed students as they engaged in the simulation. In Part Three we asked students from two high school classrooms (experimental and control) and laboratory students for written responses to hypothetical ethical dilemmas that are set in work environments both close to and far from their personal experience. Results of the study show that the simulation provides multiple and varied ethical dilemmas and situations requiring student discussion and action. Students observed working on the simulation exhibited a high level of engagement with the program, as evidenced by their spirited discussions. In their responses to post-measure hypothetical dilemmas, treatment students chose more responsible actions, ethical paradigms, and ethical reasoning.