Meaning and Uniqueness of Ethics & Ethical Teacher Behaviors in Teaching

Introduction to Ethics

• Ancient inquiry into right vs. wrong behaviour traceable to classical Greece (e.g., Plato: virtuous life = good person).

• Ethics = behaviours shaped by moral values (Sims, 1992; Fisher, 2013).

• Evolution of ethical thought:

  • Pre-Enlightenment: community norms & values dominate.

  • Enlightenment (Kant): individual rational mind determines moral action.

  • Industrial/Pragmatic turn: goodness measured through happiness (utilitarian/pragmatist stance; Noddings, 2017).

• Contemporary consensus: people feel safer & happier where ethical climates prevail; in schools this is linked to high trust (Nedkovski et al., 2017).

Ethics in Education & Teaching Profession

• Ethical topics increasingly embedded in teacher education curricula & research (Altınkurt & Yılmaz, 2011; Maxwell & Schwimmer, 2016).

• Historical neglect compared to medicine/law, but recent emergence of formal teacher codes of ethics (e.g., NEA, 2020).

• Core ethical principles for teachers (Aydın, 2006):

  • Professionalism, responsibility, justice, equality.

  • Safe environment, honesty, integrity, objectivity.

  • Professional commitment & improvement, respect, resource stewardship.

• Traits of ethical vs. unethical teachers (Koç & Fidan, 2020):

  • Ethical: fairness, consistency, tolerance, strong communication, people-oriented, professional values > personal.

  • Unethical: discrimination, intimidation, rudeness/violence, corruption, unlawful actions, biased grading.

• Campbell’s four cross-cutting principles: justice, kindness, honesty, respect (2003a).

Turkish Context

• Teachers seen as moral leaders shaping youth & society; positive acts (e.g., producing masks during Covid-19) gain media praise.

• Negative incidents (violence, harassment, privacy breaches) likewise highlight ethical lapses.

• Ministry reminder: live-class screenshots violate classroom privacy (Selçuk, 2020).

• Regulatory landscape:

  • Public Officers Ethics Committee outlines educator-specific principles.

  • University curricula include “Morals & Ethics in Education” (CoHE, 2018).

Purpose of the Study

• Determine ethical teacher behaviours through perspectives of both prospective teachers (PT) and in-service teachers (T).

• Provide culturally specific insights for Turkey via qualitative phenomenology.

Methodology

Design

• Phenomenology (van Manen, 2020): elicit lived meanings of professional ethics.

Participants

• n=30 total: n=15 PTs, n=15 Ts.

• Prospective teachers: 12 F, 3 M; diverse subject majors (German, music, elementary, P&C counselling, Turkish lit, special ed, English).

• Teachers: 11 M, 4 F; mean age \bar{x}{age}=35 yrs, mean seniority \bar{x}{exp}=12 yrs; subject spread (elementary 6, science 5, P&C 1, lit 1, preschool 1, social studies 1).

Data Collection

• Semi-structured interviews; warm-up + 4 core questions + closing.

• Questions probed: definition of ethics, meaning of teachers’ professional ethics, need for unique codes, examples of ethical/unethical behaviours, improvement suggestions.

Analysis

• Transcription → coding → theming (content analysis; Hsieh & Shannon, 2005).

• Reliability via independent coding checks; illustrative quotations retained (Patton, 1990).

Findings

Meaning of Teachers’ Professional Ethics

• Key elements cited:

  • Teacher responsibilities (to students, society, profession).

  • Protection of profession’s dignity & respect.

  • Effective teaching & professional competence.

  • Healthy relationships with all school stakeholders.

  • Benefit to students & society.

  • Set of guiding rules helping discern right/wrong.

  • Embodiment of love, conscience, sacrifice, devotion.

  • Ideal-person modelling role.

• Representative quote (PT1): “Teachers know their responsibilities … protect the dignity … defend truths … stand against mistakes.”

Need for Unique Ethical Codes

• All but 1 respondent endorsed profession-specific ethics.

• Rationale:

  • Teachers’ profound influence on individuals & future society.

  • Ensures unity, order, safe learning environment, prevents abuse.

  • Profession’s ‘sacred’ / highly respected status; requires clearer boundaries.

  • Distinct pedagogical methods warrant tailored rules.

• Minority dissent (PT10): ethics is universal, thus not profession-bound.

Ethical Teacher Behaviours (4 emergent categories)

1. Rights & Justice

• No student discrimination; fairness, impartial grading, equal opportunity.

• Reject corruption: no bribery, misuse of resources, paid tutoring of own pupils without safeguards.

• Respect diverse values; transparency, accountability; avoidance of nepotism/gifts.

2. Interest & Caring (Self & Others)

• Professional mastery; continuous improvement.

• Punctuality, preparation, efficient class time.

• Cultivating love, respect, trust, motivation.

• Honesty/consistency; role-model comportment.

• Sacrifice & devotion; adapting tasks to student capacity.

• Compliance with laws, constitution, universal values.

3. Non-maleficence & Beneficence

• Zero violence, verbal abuse, humiliation.

• Protect student dignity & privacy.

• Maximize student benefit; steward public resources.

4. Public vs. Private Boundaries

• Keep personal ideology/problems outside classroom.

• Maintain confidentiality; avoid gossip; respect personal space.

Illustrative Incidents

• Unethical: teacher shows videos for 4 yrs instead of teaching, biases grades, forces paid weekend classes.

• Unethical: math teacher publicly body-shames student (“Hey fat man …”).

• Ethical: late father continued teaching despite illness, citing students’ right to education.

Improving Ethical Behaviour (5-level framework)

Professional Level

• Embed rigorous ethics training: courses, seminars, case studies, dilemmas.

• Foster professional autonomy, oath adherence, mentoring & knowledge-sharing.

Individual Level

• Self-reflection, moral self-interrogation, empathy development.

• Lifelong learning; art engagement; reading exemplary teacher biographies.

Social Level

• Collaboration with families, students, universities, community.

• Promote societal trust/respect toward teachers; reduce external pressure.

• Family upbringing to instil ethical values early.

Organizational Level

• School leadership to model ethics, recognise & sanction behaviours.

• Safe, resource-sufficient, ethically clear climate.

• Ethical leadership linked to staff trust & lower misconduct (Treviño et al., 2014).

Political / Systemic Level

• Expand school-based practicums; screen candidates’ suitability.

• Depoliticise unions; ensure fairness/equity in policies & resource distribution.

• Enact ‘Teaching Professional Law’; activate career ladders; address pay/status gaps.

Discussion & Theoretical Connections

• Findings align with Sims’ (1992) claim: clear ethical climate reduces dilemmas/unethical acts.

• Supports Campbell’s call for standards to navigate ethical complexity.

• Echoes global literature on care, justice, and critique paradigms (Frick, 2011; Crawford, 2017).

• Affirms leadership’s pivotal role (Brown & Treviño, 2006) & need for ethical training in teacher education (Warnick & Silverman, 2011).

Real-World & Media Examples

• Covid-19 mask-making teacher; principal who vacated office for staff (Sabah 2020; Sözcü 2019).

• Ministry’s social-media privacy warning underscores digital-age dilemmas.

Numerical / Statistical Highlights

• n=30 interviewees; equal split PT/T.

• Teachers: 11/15 = 73\% male, 4/15 = 27\% female.

• Mean teacher age \bar{x}=35 yrs; mean seniority \bar{x}=12 yrs.

Ethical, Philosophical & Practical Implications

• Emphasises virtue ethics tradition (Plato) merged with deontological (Kant) & utilitarian (Pragmatism) lenses within pedagogy.

• Reinforces notion that teaching is inherently moral, not merely technical.

• Suggests policy, leadership, and personal virtue must synergise for sustainable ethical climates.

Limitations

• Data reflect participant perceptions, not direct observations.

• Context-bound to Turkey; transferability requires caution.

• Future studies could examine schools with documented ethical crises or exemplary climates for richer data.