Ethics and Responsibility in Higher Education within a Multicultural Environment : Case: JAMK University of Applied Sciences

Abstract

This research explores how three stakeholders, the institution, its teachers, and students, at JAMK University of Applied Sciences in Jyväskylä, Finland understand and respond to each other’s expectations pertaining to ethics and responsibility in what has become in recent years an increasingly multicultural higher education environment.

A case study approach formed the research strategy, and data was collected using a mixed-methods approach. The Survey on Culturally Based Learning Preferences created by Parrish and Linder-VanBerschot was implemented to measure similarities and differences regarding teaching and learning preferences in a sample of teachers and students. Focus group discussions deepened an understanding of teacher and student perspectives. Finally, the physical and online environment was canvassed to determine how the ethical guidelines are being communicated, and this included communicating with the personnel who provided the information. In this thesis I refer to this canvassing process as "implementation inquiry."

The results indicate that JAMK University of Applied Sciences faces challenges where the influence of students’ native culture, and that of the teachers and administrators, affects the environment in places where their culturally based expectations and behaviours intersect. Because the findings from the present study indicate that there is a strong need for clarity and support amongst teachers and students, particularly regarding the institution’s values and expectations, recommendations are provided in order to enhance the current low level of awareness and understanding of JAMK’s ethical principles guidelines.