On the Peculiarities of Students’ Perception of University Teachers’ Professional Ethics
Author(s)
Olga S. Andreeva, Candidate of Sciences (Psychology), Associate Professor at Department of General and Social Psychology, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3101-3122, AuthorID: 763603, SPIN-код: 6221-0234, Tyumen State University
6 Volodarsky St, Tyumen, Russia, 625003, tel: +7 (3452) 597429, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Natalia N. Vasyagina, Doctor of Sciences (Psychology), Professor, Head of the Department of Psychology of Education, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3899-3768, AuthorID: 502980, SPIN-код: 2704-0840, Ural State Pedagogical University
26 Kosmonavtov Pr, Ekaterinburg, Russia, 620091, tel: +7 (343) 2357614, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ksenia A. Volodina, Candidate of Sciences (Psychology), Associate Professor at Department of General and Social Psychology, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5570-8976, AuthorID: 757910, SPIN-код: 3316-5130, Tyumen State University
6 Volodarsky St, Tyumen, Russia, 625003, tel: +7 (3452) 597429, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Abstract. Introduction. The problem of professional ethics is discussed in various spheres of activity, in some spheres ethical codes that allow regulating the activities and behavior of an employee have been developed. Despite this, in the field of education, in particular higher education, such a code has not been developed for university teachers. However, professional ethics is a marker of the level of professionalism of a teacher. The main goal of the research was to ex- amine the peculiarities of students’ ideas about the professional ethics of a university teacher among students of pedagogical and psychological areas of training: to study the dynamics of these ideas from the first to the fourth course of study; determining differences in ideas about the professional ethics of a university teacher, taking into account their gender attribute (male teacher, female teacher).
Materials and Methods. The main method of studying students’ ideas about the professional ethics of the teacher was the questionnaire method. The questionnaire was compiled on the basis of a study conducted by David E. Barrett, J. Elizabeth Casey, Ryan D. Visser, Kathy N. Headley on teachers’ ethical and unethical behavior. During the modification phase of the questionnaire, the focus group method was used. Statistical processing of data was performed using factor analysis methods and the Mann-Whitney U-test. The study sample consisted of 28 people, divided into 4 focus groups (teachers and students of various areas of training of Tyumen State University) at the stage of modification of the questionnaire and 80 people (students of the 1st and 4th years majoring in Pedagogical Education and Psychology of Tyumen State University) at the main research stage.
Study results. As a result of the study, it was revealed that students have general ideas about the professional ethics of the teacher: when comparing two groups of students of pedagogical and psychological directions, minimal differences were revealed. The views on the most unacceptable behavior are grouped around the following topics: “Discrimination by the teacher for any characteristics”, “Humiliation and coercion, including sexually colored”, “Socially taboo behavior (profanity, intoxication, etc.)”, “Violations of ethics in relation to colleagues”. The most lenient students perceive the non-standard appearance of the teacher, informal behavior and violation of the rigid boundaries of the “student-teacher”. Students are generally more loyal to the teacher’s actions on social networks (less often they are marked as unacceptable). Students of the pedagogical direction are more strict, critical of the unethical behavior of the teacher, and students of the psychological direction are more tolerant. Students are more loyal to the behavior of a male teacher than to the behavior of a female teacher: if a male teacher is allowed to exhibit unethical behavior after hours, then it is strictly unacceptable for a female teacher to use behavior incompatible with teaching activities, both in the classroom and after hours (including in the space of social networks).
Conclusion. The results support the hypothesis that students’ perceptions of different areas of training about professional ethics share a number of common characteristics based on basic (general social) ethical values; at the same time, the views of students formed as a result of training in various fields differ from each other in accordance with the peculiarities of the profession and ethical principles formed in this particular direction.
The research has practical value for higher education educators, allowing them to better understand their students’ expectations and build professional communication around those expectations. The results of the study can be used to develop professional development programs for teachers, including elements of professional ethics.
Keywords: professional ethics, teacher, pedagogical activity, students, views, behavior
For citation: Andreeva O.S., Vasyagina N.N., Volodina K.A. On the Peculiarities of Students’ Perception of University Teachers’ Professional Ethics. Pedagogicheskiy IMIDZH = Pedagogical IMAGE. 2024; 18 (4). Pp. 479-498. (In Russ.). DOI: https://doi.org/10.32343/2409-5052-2024-18-4-479-498
DOI: https://doi.org/10.32343/2409-5052-2024-18-4-479-498
UDС: 37.015.3
The article was submitted to the editorial office on 23.10.2024, approved after review on 24.11.2024, and accepted for publication on 30.11.2024.