Prospective Teachers’ Likelihood of Performing Unethical Behaviors in the Real and Virtual Environments

Abstract

Individuals act different in virtual environment than real life. The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the prospective teachers’ likelihood of performing unethical behaviors in the real and virtual environments. Prospective teachers are surveyed online and their perceptions have been collected for various scenarios. Findings revealed that prospective teachers are more likely to perform unethical behaviors in virtual environment than real life. Results also revealed that men and more internet users regardless of their gender are more likely to perform unethical behaviors in virtual environment than women and less internet users. Future research should investigate the driving forces to perform unethical behaviors in virtual environment.