| The purposes of this study were to investigate the perception of moral development among educational leaders of the schools in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, to research the need for developing and implementing an ethics management program, and to investigate the influence of an established code of ethics in making professional, ethical decisions. The study was guided by three qualitative research questions and two quantitative research questions.;Qualitative research question one investigated the perceptions of ethical decision-making. The data revealed three major themes consisting of (a) justice involving ethical moral emotion, (b) values involving ethical moral reflection, and (c) behavior involving ethical moral conduct.;Qualitative research question two investigated the personal values of the educational leaders contributing to ethical decisions. The data revealed honesty, authority, endurance, courage, self-assuredness, creativeness, problem-solving skills, and boldness were important personal values used by the educational leaders.;Qualitative research question three probed the personal values the educational leaders use to resolve conflicts between personal values and the values of the organization. Resolving the conflicts required (a) interpersonal and negotiation skills, (b) honesty, (c) ability to work cooperatively, (d) respect for others, (e) a willingness to learn, (f) dependability, (g) integrity, (h) justice, and (i) loyalty. The data did not support a strong effect of the professional code of ethics on ethical decisions.;Quantitative research question one determined what characterizations of the moral reasoning process affect ethical, moral decisions. The data indicated the majority of the educational leaders used characterizations at the junior high level to make moral decisions. The qualitative research of the study found that the lower DIT scores did not indicate the level of unethical behavior practice was high.;Quantitative research question two probed the effect of age, gender, ethnicity, and experience on defining moral issues. The data from the Defining Issues Test did not indicate any of the variables had a specific effect on defining moral issues. |
