Stepping beyond the danger zone: a look into corruption among student leaders.

Abstract

The objectives of this study are to describe the knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of the participants with regard to corruption among student leaders in the University of the Philippines, Diliman and to identify the factors that influence the concept, attitudes, and practices of student leaders towards corruption. This research study aims to establish the correlation between tertiary education level cultures with that of the influence of practicing corruption among the youth. The study was able to determine that the participants view corruption through either a Macro‐Sociological Perspective or a Micro‐sociological Perspective. Under the latter perspective, the influences considered are peers, background/past experiences, faculty/administrative bodies, academic curriculum, and extra‐curricular activities. Other influences include media and personal characteristics. These influences are collated by the individual and are used by the student leader as the basis of his/her actions and decisions, whether consciously or not. The former perspective on the other hand defines corruption according to the affect of the society or culture on the individual. In general the respondent’s attitude towards corruption is tolerant wherein most view the corrupt acts as a means of survival in the political arena of the university. The behavior of the respondents in relation to these activities were also quite varied in that they range from sharing their insights on the topic with other individuals to directly confronting the individuals in question.