Let right be done: trying to put ethical standards into practice

The development of ethical standards by professional associations, boards, councils and colleges of teachers, responds in part to a moral imperative that teachers and school leaders be accountable to the wider community, and in part to a desire to enhance the overall professionalism of educators' behaviour. This article explores the conceptual and practical complexities inherent in defining ethical standards for the teaching profession with a particular focus on their questionable capacity for implementation. In combining empirical evidence from previously reported research studies with newly fabricated first person narrative responses to the evidence, the article seeks to illustrate the difficulty, if not the impossibility, of applying ethical standards to actual situations in any professionally and ethically satisfying way. It argues further that moral dilemmas facing teachers are potentially resolvable only by communities of educators internalizing and applying principles of ethics, not formalized codes or standards.     

The relevance of Foucauldian art-of-living for ethics education in a military context: Theory and practice

How can ethical decision-making in organizations be further reinforced? This article explores the relevance of Michel Foucault’s ideas on art-of-living for ethics education in organizations. First, we present a theoretical analysis of art-of-living in the work of Foucault as well as in the work of two philosophers who greatly influenced his work, Friedrich Nietzsche and Pierre Hadot. Next, we illustrate how art-of-living can be applied in ethics education. In order to examine some of the benefits and challenges of applying the art-of-living in the practice of ethics education, we discuss an example of how the art-of-living concept has been used in a train-the-trainer course on military ethics. We suggest that Foucauldian art-of-living may foster awareness of power dynamics which are in play when military personnel face moral dilemmas.     

Ethics of care in participatory health research: mutual responsibility in collaboration with co-researchers

In the field of participatory health research (PHR) and related action research paradigms, limitations of standard ethical codes and institutional review processes have been identified. PHR is highly situational and relational, part of a hierarchical health care context and therefore ethics of care has been suggested as a helpful theoretical approach that emphasises responsibilities and relationships. The purpose of this article is to explore the value of Tronto’s second-generation ethics of care for reflection on ethical challenges experienced by academic researchers. Using the design of a collaborative auto-ethnography, this article starts from a story of a researcher who deals with dilemmas in responsibility to care for co-researchers with lived experiences during a PHR study in the field of acute psychiatric care. By analysing the challenges together with all co-researchers, using a framework of ethics of care, we discovered the importance of self-care and existential safety for an ethical PHR practice. The reflexive meta-narrative shows that the ethics of care lens is useful to untangle moral dilemmas in all participatory research-related paradigms for all engaged.     

ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDIES

This article describes the process by which new community college presidents acclimate to their new role. The entire population of new community college CEOs (chief executive officers) was surveyed using a questionnaire. Answers to 10 research questions provided answers on topics ranging from how the new CEOs wish to be perceived to what advice they have for future CEOs. Conclusions and implications for improved practice include recommended (and not recommended) actions and suggestions for current CEOs, future CEOs, and boards of trustees.     

Moral Dilemmas and Worst-Case Scenarios: Using Post-Apocalyptic Fiction to Teach Criminal Justice Ethics

Criminal justice courses offer ideal opportunities to present students with contemporary issues that ideally will encourage reflection on moral dilemmas. In a criminal justice ethics course, students encounter complex aspects of the topic, such as the application of theories of ethical reasoning beyond merely an understanding of the malfeasance, nonfeasance, and misfeasance of practitioners in the system. A supplemental book, whether fiction or nonfiction, assigned in addition to a criminal justice ethics textbook may facilitate deeper understanding of theories of ethics. The ideal supplemental reading should reflect the range of ethical theories detailed in the main text. In the present article, the authors discuss and evaluate the use of post-apocalyptic fiction, a popular contemporary genre, as supplemental reading in criminal justice ethics courses. A sample criminal justice ethics course writing assignment, a grading rubric, and a discussion of the multiple assessment measures are provided. Assessment results suggest that the supplemental reading helps students meet the course learning objective, which requires students to identify and apply theoretical models of ethics to specific ethical and moral situations.     

A model for making decisions about ethical dilemmas in student assessment

In this mixed-methods study we investigated the development of a generalized ethics decision-making model that can be applied in considering ethical dilemmas related to student assessment. For the study, we developed five scenarios that describe ethical dilemmas associated with student assessment. Survey participants (i.e., educators) completed an online survey to express their decision-making process when faced with ethical dilemmas relating to student assessment. Based on the literature and the educators’ written responses to the scenarios, elements to consider in an ethics decision-making model related to student assessment include the following: (1) the critical incident giving rise to the ethical dilemma; (2) identification of the conflict elements; (3) decisions about the ethicality of the elements; (4) justification of the decisions; (5) implications; and (6) alternative suggestions. This model offers guidance to educators in considering the dimensions of an ethical dilemma in assessment prior to making a decision.     

Teachers' Ethical Choices in Sociomoral Settings

This article discusses ethical dilemmas in early childhood education as identified by kindergarten and elementary school teachers (N = 26). Ethical dilemmas are investigated in the theoretical framework of moral relevance and moral conflict (Wallace 1988). Professional ethics challenges teachers to collaborate with colleagues and parents. The empirical findings present conflicts between teachers and parents, collegial conflicts between teachers, and cultural conflicts in the community. The method used in the study is a relational reading of teachers' narratives. Interpretative accounts are created to give room to different voices in teachers' written reports. The analysis of the data reveals that the ethical dilemmas in early childhood education are relational and deal with competing interpretations of "the best interest of the child". Relevance and conflict problems arise when people have to co-ordinate their actions with others. Most of the time, discussions have not produced the desired results. Ethical conflicts in teaching invite teachers to consider the moral relevance of each dilemma by taking the perspective of each party involved.     

Ethical issues in consulting

Should NSPI establish on Ethics Committee? What is ethics, what are the ethical issues that confront consultants and how do they presently deal with them? This article is based on a year long research effort to identify common ethical dilemmas that arise in consultant-client relationships and the difficulties both parties have in resolving them.     

论道德结构

道德由道德规范和道德价值构成：道德规范是形式，道德价值是内容。道德价值亦即所谓行为应该如何，它是行为事实如何对于道德目的(亦即社会创造道德的目的、社会的道德需要、社会的道德要求)的效用，因而又由道德目的与行为事实两因素构成：行为事实是道德价值实体；道德目的是道德价值标准。     

Impact of an Ethics Programme in a Life Sciences Curriculum

Choices in science--allocation of research funds, selection of research topics, interaction with research subjects (animals, environment, other humans), etc.--often, if not always, include some ethical considerations. Future scientists need skills to deal with and discuss ethical problems, and for that reason we have developed and evaluated one approach to including ethics in a life science curriculum. Our aim has been to support the development of students' ethical sensitivity. The key element in our teaching choices has been the importance of nurturing students' personal moral agency, i.e. their individual skills and responsibilities in moral decision-making, with an interactive teaching approach. The ethics programme was evaluated by extensive course evaluation and using three moral development measures: TESS, DIT and Perry questionnaire. The short ethics programme of three discussions was found to support the development of students' ethical sensitivity.     

Good Faith and Trustworthiness in University Governance

Since the mid-1980s, universities have been faced with the rising prominence of the economic mandate in relation to the university's academic mission. In large measure, this has resulted from governments using universities to promote national competitiveness, economic development and employment readiness. To some, universities, themselves, now appear increasingly to behave like business corporations. Many in academe abhor the corporatisation of universities and mistrust their boards of governors for promoting this. Against this background, I ask two questions about the ethics of governors in relation to trust. First, what is the basis of the moral obligation of the board of governors to the university? Second, what are the grounds for the university community determining the board of governors to be trustworthy? Philosophers of education have had much to say about universities, but little about the ethics of governance. In this article, I attempt to address the ethical foundations of governance, and to set out the conditions for the trustworthiness of a board of governors.     

THE WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA TECHNOLOGY CONSORTIUM: A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

Community college presidents face an uphill struggle in preparing their institutions for the rapidly changing technological learning environment. Visionary presidents in rural community colleges are presented with yet another challenge: that of finding themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide. This article describes how presidents of 12 rural community colleges in the mountains of western North Carolina formed a technology consortium to collaboratively address critical technology issues. Integral steps in the joint venture were a combined assessment and planning process authorized by the presidents, formation of the Western North Carolina Technology Consortium, and an e-commerce project designed to meet the needs of small busi-nesses and entrepreneurs in the region. Lessons learned and implications for practice are presented for community college presidents seeking ways to collaborate.     

The Order of Things: Ethical Foundations for Community College Leaders

This article calls attention to the need for community college leaders to develop a deeper understanding of ethics in preparation for addressing ethical issues that arise in the administration of their institutions. It discusses briefly the nature of ethics and the ethical theories of some modern and postmodern authors. The article is concerned with how students in a doctoral program of study in community college leadership can incorporate ethics into their study of leadership, and it describes briefly the manner in which this is done at Mississippi State University.     

Transferring Leadership Skills: When Community College Presidents Become University Professors

University graduate-level programs are striving to address needs for community college leaders. One way they are doing this is by strengthening their graduate programs with relevant community college courses. Increasingly, however, community college presidents are being invited to join universities in professorial roles. These new graduate faculty leaders are bringing valuable transferable skills and experiences, but they are also experiencing transitional challenges. Studies have been conducted about other university executive administrators transitioning to university professor roles, but no studies have been conducted about community college presidents making this transition. This article represents an initial effort to explore a distinct class of leaders within academe—community college presidents-turned-professor. The findings of this exploratory study of 12 former community college presidents who transitioned to graduate university professors are reported along with stories, lessons learned, and advice for successfully crossing over from the community college sector to the university one.     

Action researchers encountering ethical review: a literature synthesis on challenges and strategies

Action research (AR) comprises a diverse family of methodologies. Common amongst most types of AR are both an emergent design – leading to action or change – and participation or community involvement. While this type of research has expanded considerably since the early 2000s, the criteria used for ethical review have apparently been slow to adapt to the emergent and participatory nature of this research. This has resulted in researchers reporting negative attitudes towards, and experiences with, review boards and ethics review processes; painting ethical review committees, at times, as insufficient or unnecessary. A review of the literature was undertaken to assess the state of play in this regard. Few articles disclose the side of the ethical review boards or committee members and the issues they face in undertaking ethical review of studies with an emergent, action, or participatory focus. A larger number of peer-reviewed journal articles report on the views of the researchers, but mainly through specific case examples where ethical review processes presented challenges to researchers and communities employing a participatory approach to research. The focus of this article will be on both the generic challenges researchers report in managing ethical review and of strategies utilized or recommended to conduct participatory research in an ethical manner. The contrasting experiences of researchers and ethical review committee members will be considered where available.     

Messy Ethics: Conducting Moral Participatory Action Research in the Crucible of University–School Relations

In this article we argue that when university researchers engage in democratic participatory action research with schools the process requires a special type of attention to the ethical difficulties which can arise. We note how current professional standards of ethics are inadequate to fully address many of the dilemmas faced in collaborative research. We then share examples of ethical dilemmas that have arisen in our work with schools and demonstrate how each has contributed to the (developing) framework we have created to avoid or manage the kinds of messy ethical issues we describe. We argue that this framework reflects a continuous commitment to an ethics of practice. We believe that those engaged in this type of work must assume an ethical stance and view all decisions in the research process as ethical ones that potentially affect the lives of all of those involved.     

Ethically challenging situations reported by school psychologists: Implications for training

Practitioner‐members of the National Association of School Psychologists (N = 208) completed questionnaires regarding their ethics training, preparedness, the types of ethical transgressions and dilemmas encountered in the previous year, and the strategies used to solve problems. Respondents who received multilevel training in ethics (ethics coursework, ethics instruction in multiple classes, ethics addressed in practicum/internship) perceived themselves to be better prepared to tackle difficult challenges and were more likely to use a systematic problem‐solving strategy when faced with an ethical dilemma than respondents who did not receive multilevel training. Assessment‐related ethical transgressions and failure to follow up on interventions were the two most commonly witnessed types of ethics code violations; troublesome dilemmas included whether to suspect child abuse, whether to tell parents about their child's risky behavior, and how to handle administrative pressure to engage in unethical actions. Implications for ethics training are discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

科技时代背景下的大学生德育研究

德育作为大学教育的一项重要内容,一直以来都被各大高校所重视。在科技大发展的时代背景下,新的科技和社会伦理道德问题不断凸现,不仅仅是社会大众,甚至是当代大学生群体也存在着种种困惑。传统的大学生德育方式在新的时代背景下已有所欠缺。如何通过有效的大学德育途径避免和克服科学技术带来的负面影响,使当代大学生成为拥有现代科技伦理道德思想的主体,是当代大学德育的关键性内容。     

伦理理论在“思想道德教育与法律基础”课教学中的作用

所有人类行为都具有伦理含义,而且在所有时代与地点,都会提出有关道德行为与道德原则的问题,并尝试解答它们。对道德进行系统反思的伦理理论,可以为实施道德教育的"思想道德教育与法律基础"课教学提供理论基础。如何将伦理理论对道德的理性反思融入到"思想道德教育与法律基础"课的教学中成为摆在每一位任课教师面前的一个迫切需要解决的现实问题。     

Crisis Management in the Community College

This study examined the decision-making processes of community college presidents when confronted with unexpected and major challenges. During the day-to-day operations of community colleges, presidents typically rely on their best judgment when making routine decisions. However, this decision-making process needs to change when the unexpected occurs and causes a threat to the well-being of the college or the continued tenure of the president. The authors were interested in learning how presidents manage a challenge in order to prevent it from becoming a crisis. Using a multiple-case-study methodology, the authors selected 13 cases for in-depth study. The authors provide recommendations for best practices.