Teachers’ Ethical Professional Practices in Higher Education Institutions: An Instrumental Case Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore teachers’ ethical professional practices in the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences in Haramaya University. Instrumental case study design was employed because such design is used when the researcher focuses on one case to understand other similar cases. Fifteen, information-rich study participants were selected purposively. In-depth interviews, FGD, and document analyses were used for collecting data. Data were analyzed thematically. The study revealed that ethical professional practices of teachers are important for upholding respect and prestige in the teaching profession. Despite this, however, the ethical professional practices in the College were deteriorating and deserve attention. The study showed particularly that many unethical professional practices of teachers were exhibited in the college such as lack of transparency in relation to the assessment of students’ achievements, coming late and absence from class, threatening students for the teacher’s own fault, lack of communication with students, and ignoring students’ problems. It is concluded that the status of ethical professional practices in the College deserves close attention. It is recommended that there should be close supervision, professional support, and training on ethical professional practice by the College and other concerned entities of the university.