International Association of Educators   |  ISSN: 2834-7919   |  e-ISSN: 1554-5210

Original article | International Journal of Progressive Education 2020, Vol. 16(4) 213-228

Exploring Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions about Professional Ethics in Teaching: Do Gender, Major, and Academic Achievement Matter?

Sevinc Gelmez-Burakgazi, Iclal Can & Muhammet Coşkun

pp. 213 - 228   |  DOI: https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2020.268.14   |  Manu. Number: MANU-2001-13-0003.R1

Published online: August 13, 2020  |   Number of Views: 358  |  Number of Download: 826


Abstract

This study aims to explore whether there is a statistically significant difference in pre-service teachers’ perceptions of professional ethics in teaching according to gender, major and academic achievement. The data was collected from 541 conveniently sampled pre-service teachers from seven different majors and four state universities using a 43-item scale developed by the researchers. The data was analyzed using Linear Regression Analysis in R.  The results indicated that gender was a significant predictor of pre-service teachers’ perceptions of professional ethics in teaching, and that females held significantly more ethical perceptions about the teaching profession compared to the males. The results also indicated that pre-service teachers’ majors did not seem to have a significant effect on their ethical perceptions about the teaching profession with the sole exception of classroom teaching. The results further revealed that academic achievement was not a significant predictor of pre-service teachers’ perceptions about their profession. However, when gender was used as a covariate, the analysis indicated that teachers’ majors were a significant predictor of pre-service teachers’ perceptions of professional ethics in teaching. The results further indicated that academic achievement was not a significant predictor of pre-service teachers’ perceptions about their profession even when the pre-service teachers’ gender and major were controlled.

Keywords: Teaching Ethics, Codes Of Ethics, Teacher Education, Pre-Service Teachers, Ethics, Gender


How to Cite this Article?

APA 6th edition
Gelmez-Burakgazi, S., Can, I. & Coskun, M. (2020). Exploring Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions about Professional Ethics in Teaching: Do Gender, Major, and Academic Achievement Matter? . International Journal of Progressive Education, 16(4), 213-228. doi: 10.29329/ijpe.2020.268.14

Harvard
Gelmez-Burakgazi, S., Can, I. and Coskun, M. (2020). Exploring Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions about Professional Ethics in Teaching: Do Gender, Major, and Academic Achievement Matter? . International Journal of Progressive Education, 16(4), pp. 213-228.

Chicago 16th edition
Gelmez-Burakgazi, Sevinc, Iclal Can and Muhammet Coskun (2020). "Exploring Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions about Professional Ethics in Teaching: Do Gender, Major, and Academic Achievement Matter? ". International Journal of Progressive Education 16 (4):213-228. doi:10.29329/ijpe.2020.268.14.

References
  1. Alas, R. (2006). Ethics in countries with different cultural dimensions. Journal of Business Ethics, 69(3), 237-247. [Google Scholar]
  2. Altınkurt, Y., & Yılmaz, K. (2011). Öğretmen adaylarının öğretmenlerin mesleki etik dışı davranışlar ile ilgili görüşleri. Mehmet Akif Ersoy Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 1(22), 113-128. [Google Scholar]
  3. Ameen, E. C., Guffey, D. M., & McMillan, J. J. (1996). Gender differences in determining the ethical sensitivity of future accounting professionals. Journal of Business Ethics, 15(5), 591-597. [Google Scholar]
  4. American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Ethics. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/topics/ethics/index.aspx [Google Scholar]
  5. Aydın, İ. (2012). Yönetsel, mesleki ve örgütsel etik (5th Edt.). Ankara: Pegem Akademi Yayıncılık. [Google Scholar]
  6. Aydın, İ. (2018). Eğitim ve öğretimde etik (9th ed.). Ankara: Pegem Akademi. [Google Scholar]
  7. Aynal, S. Ö., Kumandas, H., & Ersanli, K. (2013). Okul öncesi öğretmenlerine yönelik mesleki etik ilkeleri ölçeği geliştirme çalışması. Ahi Evran Üniversitesi Kırşehir Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 14(1), 429-442. [Google Scholar]
  8. Badiou, A. (2004). Etik: Kötülük kavrayışı üzerine bir deneme. (T. Birkan, Trans.). İstanbul: Metis Yayınları. [Google Scholar]
  9. Boon, H. (2011). Raising the bar: Ethics education for quality teachers. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 36(7), 76-93. [Google Scholar]
  10. Boon, H. J., & Maxwell, B. (2016). Ethics education in Australian preservice teacher programs: A hidden imperative?. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 41(5), 1-20. [Google Scholar]
  11. Burant, T. J., Chubbuck, S. M., & Whipp, J. L. (2007). Reclaiming the moral in the dispositions debate. Journal of Teacher Education, 58(5), 397-411. [Google Scholar]
  12. Campbell, E. (2000). Professional ethics in teaching: Towards the development of a code of practice. Cambridge Journal of Education, 30(2), 203-221. [Google Scholar]
  13. Carr, D. (2005). Professionalism and ethics in teaching. Taylor & Francis e-Library. [Google Scholar]
  14. Christie, P. M. J., Kwon, I. W. G., Stoeberl, P. A., & Baumhart, R. (2003). A cross-cultural comparison of ethical attitudes of business managers: India Korea and the United States. Journal of Business Ethics, 46(3), 263-287. [Google Scholar]
  15. Council of Higher Education of Turkey. (2018). Öğretmenlik lisans programlarina yeni düzenleme. Retrieved from http://www.yok.gov.tr/ogretmenlik_lisans_yeni_duzenleme [Google Scholar]
  16. Cummings, R., Dyas, L., Maddux, C. D. & Kochman, A. (2001). Principled moral reasoning and behavior of preservice teacher education students. American Education Research Journal, 38(1), 143–158. [Google Scholar]
  17. Cummings, R., Harlow, S., & Maddux, C. D. (2007). Moral reasoning of in‐service and pre‐service teachers: a review of the research. Journal of Moral Education, 36(1), 67-78. [Google Scholar]
  18. Derryberry, W. P., Snyder, H., & Wilson, T. (2006). Moral judgment differences in education and liberal arts majors: Cause for concern?. Journal of College and Character, 7(4), 1-10. [Google Scholar]
  19. Duran, K. (2014). A study on the perception level of pre-school teachers’ professional ethical behaviors and ethical dilemmas in preschool education (Master’s thesis). Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.  [Google Scholar]
  20. Einarsson, C., & Granström, K. (2002). Gender-biased interaction in the classroom: The influence of gender and age in the relationship between teacher and pupil. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 46(2), 117-127. [Google Scholar]
  21. Erdem, A. R. & Şimşek, S. (2013). Öğretmenlik meslek etiğinin irdelenmesi. Adıyaman Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 6(15), 185-203. [Google Scholar]
  22. Eryaman, M. Y. (2007). From reflective practice to practical wisdom: Toward a post-foundational teacher education. International Journal of Progressive Education, 3(1), 87-107. [Google Scholar]
  23. Flax, J. (1995). Race/gender and the ethics of difference: A reply to Okin's “Gender inequality and cultural differences”. Political Theory, 23(3), 500-510. [Google Scholar]
  24. Flite, C. A., & Harman, L. B. (2013). Code of ethics: principles for ethical leadership. Perspectives in Health Information Management, 10(Winter), 1d. [Google Scholar]
  25. Gelmez Burakgazi, S., & Can, İclal. (2018). Development and validation of a professional ethics scale for pre-service teachers. Uluslararası Eğitim Programları ve Öğretim Çalışmaları Dergisi, 8(2), 275-298. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.31704/ijocis.2018.013.  [Google Scholar] [Crossref] 
  26. General Teaching Council for England (GTC). (2004). Code of conduct and practice for registered teachers. Retrieved from http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/8257/3/conduct_code_practice_for_teachers.pdf [Google Scholar]
  27. George, M. I. (2017). What moral character is and is not. The Linacre Quarterly, 84(3), 261-274. [Google Scholar]
  28. Glanzer, P. L., & Ream, T. C. (2007). Has teacher education missed out on the “ethics boom”? A comparative study of ethics requirements and courses in professional majors of Christian colleges and universities. Christian Higher Education, 6(4), 271-288. [Google Scholar]
  29. Gluchmanova, M. (2015). The importance of ethics in teaching profession. Procedia- Social and Behavioral Sciences, 176, 509-513. [Google Scholar]
  30. Golubeva, M. & Kanins, V. (2017). ETINED council of Europe platform on ethics, transparency and integrity in education: Volume 4, codes of conduct for teachers in Europe: A background study. Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing. [Google Scholar]
  31. Gülcan, N. Y. (2015). Discussing the importance of teaching ethics in education. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 174, 2622-2625. [Google Scholar]
  32. Inglehart, R. & Baker, W. E. (2011). Modernization, cultural change, and the persistence of traditional values. American Sociological Review, 65(1), 19-51. [Google Scholar]
  33. Karakoc, E. Y. (2016). The Role of Ethical Sensitivity and Self-Esteem on Academic Performance in Accounting Course. Eurasian Journal of Business and Management, 4(2), 95-105. [Google Scholar]
  34. Kaufman, R. (2008). A Practical Definition of Ethics for Truly Strategic Planning in Higher Education. New Directions for Higher Education, 142, 9-15. [Google Scholar]
  35. Koçyiğit, M., Tekel, E. & Karadağ, M. (2018). Eğitimde ahlak ve etik. Ankara: Nobel Akademi Yayıncılık [Google Scholar]
  36. Kruea-In, N., & Kruea-In, C. (2015). Pre-Service Teachers’ Responses to Ethical Situations Related to Teaching Practice. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 197, 988-992. [Google Scholar]
  37. Kuçuradi, İ. (1988). Uludağ konuşmaları: Özgürlük, ahlak, kültür kavramları. Ankara: Türkiye Felsefe Kurumu, Türk Felsefe Dizisi, 1. [Google Scholar]
  38. Kuçuradi, İ. (2000). Felsefi etik ve ‘Meslek etikleri’. Etik ve meslek etikleri (pp. 17-32). Ankara: Türkiye Felsefe Kurumu Yayınları. [Google Scholar]
  39. Kuçuradi, I. (2007). Problems of ethics and of professional ethics. Reproductive BioMedicine Online, 14, 70-72. [Google Scholar]
  40. Langenderfer, H. Q., & Rockness, J. W. (2006). Integrating ethics into the accounting curriculum. Accounting Ethics: Theories of accounting ethics and their dissemination (pp. 346-357). Routledge. [Google Scholar]
  41. Lieberman, M. (1963). Thumbs down: Professional ethics and the NEA. The Phi Delta Kappan, 44(7), 310-312. [Google Scholar]
  42. Martinsons, M. G., & Ma, D. (2009). Sub-cultural differences in information ethics across China: Focus on Chinese management generation gaps. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 10(11), 816- 833. [Google Scholar]
  43. Maxwell, B., & Schwimmer, M. (2016). Professional ethics education for future teachers: A narrative review of the scholarly writings. Journal of Moral Education, 45(3), 354-371. [Google Scholar]
  44. Maxwell, B., Tremblay-Laprise, A. A., Filion, M., Boon, H., Daly, C., van den Hoven, M., ... & Walters, S. (2016). A five-country survey on ethics education in preservice teaching  programs. Journal of Teacher Education, 67(2), 135-151. [Google Scholar]
  45. National Education Association. (n.d.). Code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/home/30442.htm [Google Scholar]
  46. O’Flaherty, J., & McGarr, O. (2014). The use of case-based learning in the development of student teachers’ levels of moral reasoning. European Journal of Teacher Education, 37(3), 312-330. [Google Scholar]
  47. Pelit, E., & Güçer, E. (2006). Öğretmen adaylarının öğretmenlik mesleğiyle ilgili etik olmayan davranışlara ve öğretmenleri etik dışı davranışa yönelten faktörlere ilişkin algılamaları. Ticaret ve Turizm Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 2, 95-119. [Google Scholar]
  48. Prisacariu, A., & Shah, M. (2016). Defining the quality of higher education around ethics and moral values. Quality in Higher Education, 22(2), 152-166. [Google Scholar]
  49. Puhan, R. R., Malla, L., & Behera, S. K. (2014). Current ethical issues in teacher education: A critical analysis on pre-service and in-service emerging teachers. American Journal of Educational Research, 2(12), 1-7. [Google Scholar]
  50. Resnik, D. B. (2011). What is ethics in research & why is it important. National Institute ofEnvironmental Health Sciences, 1-10. [Google Scholar]
  51. Rodzalan, S. A., & Saat, M. M. (2016). Ethics of undergraduate students: A study in Malaysian public universities. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 6(9), 672-678. [Google Scholar]
  52. Saka, M., Sürmeli, H., & Öztuna, A. (2009). Which attitudes preservice teachers’ have towards environmental ethics. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 1(1), 2475-2479. [Google Scholar]
  53. Shapira‐Lishchinsky, O. (2009). Towards professionalism: Ethical perspectives of Israeli teachers. European Journal of Teacher Education, 32(4), 473-487. [Google Scholar]
  54. Shapira-Lishchinsky, O. (2010). Teachers’ critical incidents: Ethical dilemmas in teaching practice. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(3), 648-656. [Google Scholar]
  55. Sherpa, K. (2018). Importance of professional ethics for teachers. International Education and Research Journal, 4(3), 16-18. [Google Scholar]
  56. Strike, K., & Soltis, J. F. (2015). The ethics of teaching. Teachers College Press. [Google Scholar]
  57. Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2007). Using multivariate statistics (5th ed.). Boston:Pearson Education, Inc./Allyn & Bacon. [Google Scholar]
  58. Turkish Ministry of Education. (2015). Eğitim-öğretim hizmeti verenler için mesleki etik ilkeler. Retrieved from http://personel.meb.gov.tr/meb_iys_dosyalar/2016_06/02032141_mesleki_etik_ilkeler.pd [Google Scholar]
  59. Vauclair, C. M., & Fischer, R. (2011). Do cultural values predict individuals' moral attitudes? A cross‐cultural multilevel approach. European Journal of Social Psychology, 41(5), 645-657. [Google Scholar]
  60. Velasquez, M., Andre, C., Shanks, S. J. T. & Meyer, M. J. (2010). What is ethics? Retrieved from https://www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/ethical-decision-making/what-is-ethics/ [Google Scholar]
  61. Vittinghoff, E., Glidden, D. V., Shiboski, S. C., & McCulloch, C. E. (2005). Regression methods in biostatistics: linear, logistic, survival, and repeated measures models. Springer Science & Business Media. [Google Scholar]
  62. Vogt, F. (2002). A caring teacher: Explorations into primary school teachers' professional identity and ethic of care. Gender and Education, 14(3), 251-264. [Google Scholar]
  63. Walters, S., Heilbronn, R., & Daly, C. (2018). Ethics education in initial teacher education: Pre- service provision in England. Professional Development in Education, 44(3), 385-396. [Google Scholar]
  64. Warnick, B. R., & Silverman, S. K. (2011). A framework for professional ethics courses in teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education,  62(3), 273-285. [Google Scholar]
  65. Whipple, T. W., & Swords, D. F. (1992). Business ethics judgments: A cross-cultural comparison. Journal of Business Ethics, 11(9), 671-678. [Google Scholar]
  66. Yeazell, M. I., & Johnson, S. F. (1988). Levels of moral judgment of faculty and students in a teacher education program: A micro study of an institution. Teacher Education Quarterly, 15(1), 61-70.  [Google Scholar]
  67. Yeşilyurt, E. Kılıç, M. E. (2014). Ortaokul öğrencilerinin algılarına göre öğretmenlerin etik değerlere uyma düzeylerinin değerlendirilmesi. Ekev Akademi Dergisi, 60, 471-486. [Google Scholar]