Onderwijsethiek: een literatuurstudie over professioneel handelen van docenten in het hoger onderwijs

Abstract

Summary (Ethics of teaching: a study of literature on teacher professionalism in higher education) This study is on academic ethics: guidelines on the professional responsibilities and aspirations of teachers in higher education. Recent North-American and British literature in this area formed the basis of this research. Furthermore it draws on existing ethical codes of other professional groups, such as psychologists and primary and secondary school teachers. The goal of the study is to identify and to develop (general) ethical principles and (more specific) ethical rules of thumb for teachers in Dutch and Belgian universities, professional schools, and other higher education institutions. Recently an ethical code for Dutch university teachers and researchers has been proposed (NGW 2004), in which research ethics is strongly emphasized. This study is focused on teaching ethics. A meta-analysis was made of the ethical principles put forward in the existing literature. They pertain to four different teacher roles: instructor/coach for learning, examiner, counseling and guidance worker, and party to the study contract. Moreover, within these four teacher roles, ten role-aspects can be distinguished which give rise to ethical principles: subject matter expert, agent for controlling study costs, protector of 'special' students, group worker, partner in a 'community of learning' or 'community of practice', role model, educator/ socializator, employee, task-setting agent, and supervisory agent. Being a member of a (teaching) profession and complying with the study contract are two more role-aspects relevant to the four teacher roles. Each of these roles and role-aspects corresponds to one sub-set of ethical principles and rules of thumb. This role-oriented systematization of academic ethics is a significant contribution to the analysis of ethical problems in higher education. It may help teachers to clarify their own responsibilities, aspirations, and dilemmas. ERIC-descriptors: "teaching (occupation)"; ethics; "codes of ethics"; "teacher responsibility"; "teacher student relationship"; "higher education"; NOT "elementary education"; NOT "secondary education".