Journal of Applied Psychological Research

Identifying the Components and Presenting the Framework of Iranian Student Ethics: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Research

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Mohammad Khodayarifard 1
Keyvan Salehi 2
Marjan Hassaniraad 3
Mohsen Shokohi Yekta 4
Bagher Ghobari Bonab 4
Saeed Akbari Zardkhaneh 5
Azam Asefnia 6

1 Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 Associate Professor of Educational Assessment,, Department of Methods, Educational Planning and Curriculum , Facuty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

3 Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Iran

4 Department of Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

5 Department of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

6 PhD in Philosophy of Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

https://doi.org/10.22059/japr.2026.382308.645011
Abstract
The present research was conducted to identify the components and provide a framework for the ethics of Iranian students. To this end, a qualitative approach and grounded theory method were employed at the level of conceptual ordering.Data collection utilized multiple sources, including two sections: documentary and field-based. The documentary section drew from teachings of the Holy Quran, Nahj al-Balagha, ethical charters of prestigious universities worldwide, and positive psychology. The field-based section was based on the perceptions of 67students from universities in Tehran during the years 2022-2023, using semi-structured interviews to narrate events involving ethical issues. Student selection was carried out using a purposive sampling strategy. Data saturation was achieved during the sixty-seventh interview. Data analysis was conducted using MAXQDA2018 software and a constructivist analytical approach. The extracted codes from both documentary and field sections were integrated and categorized within the ethical framework into 16 overarching codes. Subsequently, the instances related to each ethical code were placed within a three-dimensional conceptual framework of student ethics, divided into three groups: educational ethics, research ethics, and public ethics.The proposed conceptual framework provides a suitable foundation for developing tools to measure student ethics and designing intervention programs aimed at enhancing ethics among Iranian students.

Keywords

student ethics
ethics model
education ethics
research ethics
general ethics
Journal of Applied Psychological Research

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 26 July 2026

  • Receive Date 20 October 2025
  • Revise Date 20 May 2026
  • Accept Date 10 June 2026
  • First Publish Date 26 July 2026
  • Publish Date 26 July 2026