NRPA Professional Standards & Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A park manager discovers a subordinate has been falsifying volunteer hour records to meet grant requirements. What is the most ethical course of action?
- Overlook it since the grant deadline has passed
- Report the falsification through proper internal channels immediately (Correct answer)
- Quietly correct the records without notifying anyone
- Warn the subordinate privately and monitor future behavior
Correct answer: Report the falsification through proper internal channels immediately
NRPA ethics require professionals to report fraudulent activity through appropriate channels regardless of timing.
Question 2: Which NRPA Code of Ethics principle addresses a professional's obligation to serve the public interest above personal gain?
- Competence
- Integrity
- Responsibility to the public (Correct answer)
- Professional development
Correct answer: Responsibility to the public
The 'Responsibility to the Public' principle explicitly places public welfare above personal or organizational interest.
Question 3: A recreation professional is offered a significant gift by a contractor bidding on a department project. According to NRPA ethics standards, the professional should:
- Accept the gift if it is below a $100 threshold
- Decline and report the offer to a supervisor (Correct answer)
- Accept but recuse themselves from the bidding decision
- Decline only if the gift exceeds $250 in value
Correct answer: Decline and report the offer to a supervisor
NRPA ethics require declining gifts from parties with business interests before the department and disclosing the offer.
Question 4: The concept of 'dual relationships' in recreation ethics refers to situations where a professional:
- Works two jobs simultaneously
- Has both supervisory and personal relationships with the same individual (Correct answer)
- Holds dual certifications in complementary fields
- Manages both indoor and outdoor facilities
Correct answer: Has both supervisory and personal relationships with the same individual
Dual relationships occur when a professional occupies two distinct roles with the same person, risking objectivity and exploitation.
Question 5: Which standard most directly governs how NRPA-certified professionals must handle confidential participant information?
- HIPAA compliance requirements
- NRPA's confidentiality and privacy ethical standard (Correct answer)
- OSHA record-keeping standards
- ADA documentation requirements
Correct answer: NRPA's confidentiality and privacy ethical standard
NRPA's own ethical standards on confidentiality guide professionals in protecting participant information within recreation contexts.
Question 6: A recreation director learns that a colleague submitted fabricated data in a published program evaluation. The director's ethical obligation is to:
- Ignore it as it is outside their jurisdiction
- Confront the colleague privately and take no further action
- Report the misconduct to appropriate professional or institutional authorities (Correct answer)
- Publish a counter-study refuting the data
Correct answer: Report the misconduct to appropriate professional or institutional authorities
NRPA ethics require professionals to address research misconduct by reporting it to appropriate authorities to protect the field's integrity.
Question 7: Under NRPA professional standards, continuing education requirements exist primarily to:
- Generate revenue for the association
- Ensure professionals maintain current knowledge and competency (Correct answer)
- Allow professionals to network with peers
- Fulfill state licensing mandates exclusively
Correct answer: Ensure professionals maintain current knowledge and competency
Continuing education requirements are rooted in the ethical obligation to remain competent and deliver quality services to the public.
NRPA Professional Standards & Ethics 2
A park manager discovers a subordinate has been falsifying volunteer hour records to meet grant requirements.
What is the most ethical course of action?