Browsing by Author "Vähäaho, Sanna-Maria"

Although teacher’s work is guided by many norms, the practical choises and everyday decisions in school are the teacher’s responsibility. Teachers have to make many different decisions continuously and in most cases fast and intuitively. Because teachers are in a position of authority with their pupils it is crucial to consider the ethical aspect of teaching. The purposes and goals behind decision making have special significance in ethical analysis. That is why reflection, evaluation and contemplation are essential in teacher’s work. The aim of this study was to deepen understanding of teachers’ ethics and teachers as moral actors in the school system. In addition special attention was paid to ethical issues in teaching health education. The study was conducted as a qualitative study and the research data was collected using semi-structured interviews. The participants of the study were ten health education teachers who had taken part in training organized by MIELI Mental Health Finland (non-governmental mental health organization). The interviews were analyzed using data-driven content analysis methods. Teachers were asked to describe their own values and the values they wanted to impart to their pupils. Three larger categories were found in the values: common values, school-related values and values related to healthy life. The ideal of an ethical teacher was characterized by the combination of care and justice. Teachers also criticized teacher ideals and wished to highlight humanity as a part of ethicality. Teachers’ descriptions of moral conflicts were related to classroom management challenges and reflections on justice and fairness. Because health education deals with personal issues and sensitive matters, such as emotions and sexuality, teachers of the subject are expected to have special ethical sensitivity.