Extended Abstract
Background and Purpose
Ethics is one of the most important dimensions of societies and organizations, reflecting a set of principles and values of society in the behavior of individuals and affecting individual and social health (Kolaei et al., 2020; Beauchamp, 2018). Ethics translates values into action and is related to standards of right and wrong behavior (Eslami Ardakani, 2022). Philosophers have divided ethics into two parts: theoretical and practical; theoretical ethics studies the good and bad of actions, and practical ethics strives to achieve a desirable moral state (Aflatoni et al., 2023). An organizational and academic code of ethics acts as a tool for guiding ethical behavior, coordination, and unity of practice among members, and plays an effective role in the moral development of individuals (Word et al., 2022; Jafari et al., 2022). Universities can provide a basis for promoting individual, social, and professional ethics by educating students, especially physical education students, who play a special role in the health and culture of society due to their group activities and extensive interactions with society and sports environments. Lack of attention to ethical dimensions in the academic environment may lead to aggression, abnormal behaviors, and reduced social cohesion (Kalantari et al., 2017; Mousavi et al., 2021). International research shows that the existence of written ethical charters and programs in universities strengthens students' responsibility and ethical behaviors (Holland et al., 2024). Choosing Mohaghegh Ardabili University as a case study due to the cultural, ethnic, and linguistic diversity of students, the development of sports disciplines, and the active participation of physical education students in regional and national events provides a unique opportunity to examine ethical behaviors in the academic environment. Therefore, this research aims to identify factors affecting the ethical behavior of physical education students, and can provide a basis for developing appropriate ethical frameworks and models and promoting social and cultural interactions in universities.
Methods
The present research method was applied in terms of purpose and qualitative in terms of data and was conducted using thematic analysis. The research population included professors, university officials, practical course instructors, and physical education managers of Mohaghegh Ardabili University (9 men and 5 women). Purposive and snowball sampling was performed, and the criteria for selecting participants included sufficient familiarity with the behaviors of physical education students, at least a master's degree, and at least 5 years of work experience. The sample size was determined to reach theoretical saturation, and a total of 14 semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted, each with an average time of 45 minutes. After converting the audio files to text, the data were analyzed using Max QDA 2024 software and thematic analysis method, which allows for the identification, organization, and reporting of the main and secondary themes of the data. The analysis steps included familiarization with the data, generation of primary codes, searching for themes, reviewing, defining, and naming themes, and preparing a report. An external reviewer was used for validity and intra-subject agreement was used for reliability, which was 91%. Content analysis was chosen because of its ability to extract patterns and hidden meanings, high flexibility, and the possibility of examining the overt and covert dimensions of students' ethical behavior. Considering the multidimensional nature of ethical behavior and the influence of individual, social, and cultural factors, this method is able to provide a comprehensive picture and a conceptual model for explaining the factors affecting the ethical behavior of physical education students.
Results
The findings of the research were conducted in two parts: examining demographic characteristics and examining thematic analysis, i.e. coding. In the second part of the research, three-stage coding of open, sub-theme, and main was used, and after data analysis, 146 open codes were identified, which after categorizing the concepts, 15 sub-themes and 5 main themes were formed under the headings of (the role of the university), (the role of professors and university officials), (environmental behavior), (support), and (individual characteristics). On the other hand, the analysis of the Shannon part shows that the selected code of the role of the university, having the most codes, refers to the concept that the university is an organization and has rules and regulations that play a very important role in observing ethical principles. On the other hand, the selected code of environmental behavior shows that the ethical behavior of physical education students in different parts of the university stems from the external and internal environment that must be paid attention to. The Shannon matrix is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Shannon matrix analysis
Conclusion
Compliance with behavioral standards by students, professors, and the university can affect the quality indicators of a university in the public eye. Compliance with discipline, compliance with university rules, adherence to promises made by university officials, honesty in speech and behavior, improving the quality of university services, educational attention to classrooms, principled supervision of student behavior, not imposing some tasteful attitudes by university officials, and creating a healthy and non-marginal environment and paying more attention to enriching students' leisure time should be given attention by university administrators. The findings also show that family support for students can play a large role as a motivating factor in the emergence of ethical behaviors. For this reason, it is recommended that Mohaghegh Ardabili University and other universities that have physical education students provide appropriate platforms for creating ethical behaviors by students with a focus on humanization, group formation, and culture formation.

Article Message
This study aimed to identify the key determinants of ethical behavior among physical education students in the university context. The findings show that such behavior is not merely an individual attribute, but emerges from the interaction of university structures, the conduct of professors and administrators, educational and sport environments, students' personality traits, and the level of family and organizational support. Moreover, without clear and up-to-date regulations, a discipline-specific code of ethics, credible behavioral role models, and adequate emotional and material support, sustained ethical conduct is unlikely. Universities should therefore treat student ethics as a multidimensional and systematically managed priority.
Ethical Considerations
In accordance with ethical research principles, study objectives and significance were explained prior to interviews. Participation was fully voluntary, with informed consent obtained from all participants.
Authors' Contributions
Conceptualization: Mehrdad Moharramzadeh
Data Collection: Hamed Kheirollahi Meidani
Data Analysis: Amir Ojagh
Manuscript Writing: Nima Hasanzadeh
Review and Editing: Mehrdad Moharramzadeh
Literature Review: Hamed Kheirollahi Meidani, Amir Ojagh
Project Manager: Nima Hasanzadeh
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the University of Mohaghegh Ardabili. They also extend their sincere appreciation to all participants whose cooperation and insights contributed to the successful completion of this research.