Fostering Ethical Behavior in Omani Undergraduates: The Role of Self-Transcendence and Ethics Education

Among 179 Omani undergraduates, ethical training and the personal value of self-transcendence significantly predicted moral behavior, while openness to change, conservation, and self-enhancement showed no significant effect. The findings suggest that integrating ethics education focused on self-transcendence into university curricula could foster integrity and moral decision-making across cultural contexts.

Study at a glance

Abstract

A student should understand and uphold the greatest moral and ethical standards in their community and society through education. The student will eventually intuitively acquire these moral and ethical principles from schools and universities. This research explores the impact of four personal values (openness to change, self-transcendence, conservation, and self-enhancement) on the ethical behavior of undergraduate students in Oman. The study used a quantitative methodology, analyzing data from a questionnaire using descriptive statistics. Data was submitted by Omani university students in the Ad Dakhlia region of Oman. One hundred seventy-nine undergraduate students were chosen using simple random techniques. Partial least squares (PLS) techniques and structural equation modeling were employed in the study to evaluate the research variables. The results showed that ethical training and self-transcendence significantly affect students' moral behavior. However, personal values such as conservation, openness to change, and self-enhancement have no significant effect on students' ethical behavior. Integrating ethics education into curricula could foster integrity. It can be concluded that the significance of moral principles and practical applications-focused ethics education programs—especially those that emphasize self-transcendence—is imperative. Potential outcomes of this research include increased moral behavior among Oman's students through effective moral education and awareness of ethical principles to support moral decision-making in various cultural circumstances. This article makes both theoretical and practical contributions. In particular, support HEIs in developing customized ethics education programs for Oman. Theoretically, highlighting ethical education and principles like self-transcendence helps to understand critical ethical factors and directs future research at this connection.