Open Access Kent State (OAKS)

Within intercollegiate athletics, a popular strategy to encourage ethical decision making and behavior has been to create codes of ethics. Despite the importance placed on codes of ethics, little is known about how student-athletes feel about their codes of ethics. To better understand student-athletes’ perceptions of the content and purposes of their codes of ethics, a sample of student-athletes from one NCAA Division I conference (n = 336) was surveyed. Results revealed student-athletes’ general perceptions of toward codes of ethics and their positions on responsibility for conduct, enforcement, and penalties. Further, results revealed student-athletes’ feelings toward important ethical ideals. Findings from this research should help conferences in writing codes of ethics that are more effective.