THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EDUCATION AND ETHICAL BEHAVIOR OF NURSING-STUDENTS

Based on the cognitive theory of moral development of Kohlberg, refine d by the addition of the dimension ''ethics of care'' and !he educatio nal theory of Janssen, the relationship of education and ethical behav ior of nursing students was examined. Ethical behavior referred not on ly to the ethical reasoning of students bur also to the relationship b etween this reasoning and their behavior: This study axamined the resp onses of 2,624 nursing students to five ethical nursing dilemmas inclu ded 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 re lationship between education and ethical behavior was found.