The Presence of Ethics in Initial Teacher Training: Reasons and Implications

Ethics has emerged as a central dimension of the teaching profession, although it is not always explicitly addressed in initial teacher training study plans. In this context, a quantitative study was conducted to examine, from a comparative perspective, the perceptions of undergraduate students in Elementary Education from two Portuguese higher education institutions regarding the treatment of the ethical dimension in their course study plans. Data was collected from 141 students using a questionnaire survey. The objectives were: (i) to determine whether the Elementary Education degree study plan adequately addresses ethical issues; (ii) to assess whether ethics should be taught as an integral part of the study plan; (iii) to gather possible suggestions and ways to improve the ethical approach in the Elementary Education degree. The results indicate that, while participants believe the study plan adequately addresses ethical issues, they also feel that ethics should be an integral component of the Elementary Education degree. Additionally, they suggested other ways to enhance the ethical approach in initial teacher training.