Actitud docente frente al desarrollo moral de sus estudiantes

Moral development is a fundamental axis of comprehensive education in contemporary educational systems. This study analyzed the attitudes of lower secondary school teachers regarding the moral development of their students in two educational institutions located in southern Quito, Ecuador: one public and one private catholic. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining a hermeneutic-descriptive paradigm with quantitative analysis through a Likert scale. The sample consisted of 18 purposively selected teachers who completed a structured questionnaire with 33 items distributed across three components: cognitive, affective, and motivational. The results revealed differentiated trends between institutions, along with shared patterns. Overall, a predominant tendency toward neutral responses was observed, particularly in scenarios requiring clear ethical positioning. This may reflect weaknesses in teacher preparation concerning moral education. Nonetheless, favorable attitudes were identified regarding core values such as solidarity, empathy, justice, and participation, with greater emphasis within the religious private school context. The study underscores the urgent need to strengthen the ethical dimension of teaching practice through comprehensive professional development programs that address morality from critical, reflective, and context-sensitive perspectives. The results emphasize the crucial role of teachers in shaping a citizenry committed to social justice and highlight the importance of implementing institutional strategies that foster and evaluate moral development among both educators and learners