Ethical Conflicts and Moral Dilemmas Experienced by Physical Education Teachers in Tanzania

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the ethical conflicts and moral dilemmas (ECMD) experienced by Physical Education (PE) teachers. The study also thought to explore the influence of demographic and institutional characteristics on the ECMD experienced by PE teachers. The experience of PE teachers is unique because of the nature of their duties in and outside the classroom and school environments where there are a lot of interactions. The study utilized descriptive survey design and was conducted in secondary schools and teachers’ colleges that had PE and sport programs. Purposive sampling was adopted to select PE teachers, students and heads of institutions and data were collected through questionnaire. Results revealed that PE teachers faced ethical conflicts and moral dilemmas in their duties (M =3.4, SD = .79). ECD facing PE teachers differed significantly across institutional location [t (411.33) = 2.453, p =.015)], institutional ownership [F (3, 788) = 5.01, p =.002)] and type of institution [(t (50) = -2.45, p = .019)]. There were no significant differences across age categories [F (4, 47) = .500, p = .736)], educational levels [F (3, 48) = 1.648, p = .191)], gender [t (50) = .383, p = .703], marital status [t (50) = .439, p = .663] and teaching experience [F (3, 48 =.638, p =.594]. It was concluded that ECD are prevalent in secondary schools and teachers colleges. PE teachers whose institutions are located in urban areas face more ECD than those located in rural areas. Religious and military-owned institutions face less ECD than government and privately-owned institutions. Moreover, PE teachers in secondary schools face more ECD than those in teachers’ colleges. It was recommended that there is a need to strengthen professional development courses for teachers and emphasize the teaching of moral and professional ethics in the teacher education programs; and improve the teaching and learning environment.