title: The relationship between education and ethical behavior of nursing students.
abstract: Based on the cognitive theory of moral development of Kohlberg, refined by the addition of the dimension "ethics of care" and the educational theory of Janssen, the relationship of education and ethical behavior of nursing students was examined. Ethical behavior referred not only to the ethical reasoning of students but also to the relationship between this reasoning and their behavior. This study examined the responses of 2,624 nursing students to five ethical nursing dilemmas included in the Ethical Behavior Test by relating them to four educational variables: students' level of education, level of enrollment, school, and students' perceptions of the educational process. A significant relationship between education and ethical behavior was found.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dierckx de Casterlé
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Janssen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grypdonck
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001530:Belgium; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D004510:Education, Nursing, Diploma Programs; D004511:Education, Nursing, Graduate; D004522:Educational Status; D004993:Ethics, Nursing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008128:Logic; D008297:Male; D035863:Moral Development; D009014:Morals; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires