| This study aimed to determine what ethical issues arise from such communications and fill in a gap in leadership studies by offering an ethical decision making model for use by leaders in higher education. This mixed method study was used to examine the components of ethical decision making in higher education leaders. Professors' perceptions of "friending" students on Facebook.com were examined for communication goals and ethical issues involved in utilizing the social network with students. The purposeful sample of participants for this study consisted of 835 professors at private colleges and universities in eastern Pennsylvania. Data were collected through an online survey, semi-structures interviews and focus groups and then analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods, specifically grounded theory. Qualitative data was gathered from open-ended interviews and focus groups providing rich, thick descriptions from 36 professors of the sample population. The findings of this study allowed for a theoretical framework to be established in the form of a grounded theory. Upon analysis, the research questions were answered affirmatively providing the central theorem, judgment, for engaging with students on the social network. The implications of this research add to the literature in the field of communications, higher education and ethical leadership studies. |
