Seeking the elusive ethical base of teacher professionalism in Canadian codes of ethics

Two studies were conducted to explore codes of ethics as a source of insight into the ethical base of teacher professionalism. Using the 13 codes of ethics overseeing teachers' work in Canada as a sample, Study 1 applied content analysis to assess whether an overlapping consensus on teachers' professional obligations could be observed. Study 2 deployed interpretive analysis techniques to determine whether a set of dominant core values of teacher professionalism would emerge. The results point to specific limitations in using codes of ethics as a pedagogical resource in ethics education for future teachers.