Toward Understanding the Factors Underlying Ethical Behavior of Teachers

• In Event: Professional Ethics for Future Teachers: Fostering Educational Responsibility

Abstract

All 50 of the United States have some kind of code or guidelines for ethical behavior of teachers (Dawson. Hofland, Lynes, & Squire, 2015). All states have education laws and Boards of Education to oversee and enforce laws and codes of ethical behavior of teachers. However, research on ethical decision-making does not support the idea that codes of ethics will necessarily cause people to be ethical (Cottone & Claus, 2000; Craft, 2013). In every state there are examples of teacher behaviors that are generally not ethical and sometimes extremely illegal (GAO 14-42). The question arises: Why are there still naughty teachers with so many rules? In order to research the underlying factors that may be influencing unethical or inappropriate decision-making in educational environments, the researchers reviewed existing studies of ethical decision-making and identified a possible model to explain teacher behaviors and promote self-induced ethical behaviors for responsible actions in educational settings.
Methods and Data Sources
The Jones Model of Ethical Decision-Making (1991) was chosen based on identified and validated factors (McMahon & Harvey, 2006) grouped into six constructs of moral intensity. These constructs appear to be factors that influence adult behaviors. A validation study done by McMahon and Harvey (2006) was chosen to replicate; however, the business setting scenarios used to generate data by McMahon and Harvey were determined to be inappropriate for public education teachers. A set of 18 scenarios were developed and rendered into three different levels of moral intensity. A sensemaking framework developed by Brock, Vert, Kligyte, Waples, Sevier, and Mumford (2008) was used to facilitate best choices for fit of the scenarios to the Jones’ constructs. The final scenarios were chosen based on reported actions taken against public education teachers for their unethical behaviors and their fit to the Jones’ constructs. The scenarios were initially vetted through professional peers. After revision, the scenarios were placed into an online testing program and delivered as randomized questions with one scenario from each type of construct. The scenarios and probing questions were designed to allow analysis of the degree of self-reported moral intensity of the study participants. Participants were self-selecting both preservice teachers and in-service teachers enrolled in a university degree program serving an urban population.
Results and Scholarly significance
A presentation will be given that reports on what has been learned about the developing the scenarios, and perceived moral intensity of pre-service and in-service teachers. Suggestions will be given on how that information can be used to understand factors predisposing individual ethical behaviors and how to promote responsible ethics training in education programs.

Authors

• Vicki Napper, Weber State University

• Shirley Dawson, Weber State University