Abstract
The purpose of the current study was to determine the science and classroom teachers’ ethical sensitivities towards the issues of technology and the environment. Thus, the current study was conducted on 239 science and classroom teachers. The study employed the mixed method, in which qualitative and quantitative methods are used together. The quantitative dimension of the study is comprised of a survey, which was developed by the researchers. The qualitative dimension of the study comprised of three scenarios created by the researchers. Two of these scenarios are related to the environment and the other one is related to biotechnology. As a result of the study, the teachers’ ethical sensitivities towards technology and environmental issues were found to be high. For some items in the questionnaire significant differences in gender-based, branch-based, and professional experience were found. The results obtained from the scenarios revealed that while science teachers adapt more realistic approaches to the events, the classroom teachers make decisions for the future. It would be useful to organize in-service training and ethical awareness training for teachers who are in the beginning of their professional lives.
Highlights
Children begin to develop moral consciousness during the period known as the second childhood stage and become respectful to others’ moral conceptions [1]
The sampling of the quantitative part of the study comprised of science teachers working in elementary and middle schools and classroom teachers teaching elementary school in 3rd and 4th graders in the 2016–2017 school year (N = 239)
The sampling of the qualitative part of the study on the other hand comprised of science teachers working in elementary and middle schools affiliated to Muğla provincial Directorate of National Education and classroom teachers teaching elementary school in 3rd and 4th grades (N = 30)
Summary
Children begin to develop moral consciousness during the period known as the second childhood stage and become respectful to others’ moral conceptions [1] This is a time for them to model the behaviors of their parents, teachers, and the people around them and to determine individuals who can be role models for them. With their ethical consciousness and sensitivities, teachers are polite in their interactions with their students, recognize their individual learning needs and behave in a tolerant and responsible manner Teachers who have this ethical consciousness create a pedagogical environment which makes students feel safer, contributes to their developing a better personality, makes them understand the importance of conscience and prepares them to be sociable. The ethical dimension of education in an individual sense is defined as the activity of questioning one’s own behaviors during the process of education [4]
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