Teachers’ critical incidents: Ethical dilemmas in teaching practice

The aim of this study is to explore ethical dilemmas in critical incidents and the emerged responses that these incidents elicit. Most teachers try to suppress these incidences because of the unpleasant feelings they evoke. Fifty teachers participated in the study. A three-stage coding process derived from grounded theory was utilized. A taxonomy of critical incidents by means of the ATLAS.ti 5.0 revealed a multifaceted model of ethical dilemmas, among them clashing with rules, standards, or norms in school, as well as a multitude of derived responses. The results encourage the development of educational programmes based on teachers’ critical incidents.

Research highlights
► The aim of this study is to explore ethical dilemmas in critical incidents.
► Fifty teachers participated in the study.
► A three-stage coding process derived from grounded theory was utilized.
► The critical incidents revealed a multitude of derived responses.
► The results encourage the development of educational programmes based on critical incidents.