Moral imagination in student teachers’ written stories on an ethical dilemma

ABSTRACT

This article explores how student teachers use moral imagination when writing about an ethical dilemma. Moral imagination refers to the ability to consider a situation from a distance and to understand different perspectives through imagination. An ethical dilemma was presented in the form of a framing story, which the participating Austrian and Finnish student teachers continued writing as they chose. Through positioning and narrative analyses, we uncovered how the students’ moral imagination on the ethical dilemma centred on one or more of the following foci: (1) the pupil, (2) themselves as teachers or (3) other actors. This moral imagination manifested through different storylines. The implications of these results and the relevance of the method for teacher education are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Ethical dilemma
• moral imagination
• narrative research
• student teachers
• teacher education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Academy of Finland under grant number [265974] (Disentangling the Emotional Dimension in Beginning Teachers’ Work) and Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation.

Notes on contributors

Eeva Kaisa Hyry-Beihammer

Eeva Kaisa Hyry-Beihammer, is a professor of school pedagogics in the Department of Secondary Education at the University of Education Upper Austria, Austria.

Erkki T. Lassila

Erkki T. Lassila, PhD, is a post-doctoral researcher in the Faculty of Education at the University of Oulu, Finland. His research interests include teachers’ work in different socio-cultural contexts, gifted education and narrative methodologies.

Eila Estola

Eila Estola, PhD, is a professor emerita in the Faculty of Education at the University of Oulu, Finland. Her research interests include teachers’ work, identity, ethics and early childhood education.

Minna Uitto

Minna Uitto, PhD, is an adjunct professor and post-doctoral researcher in the Faculty of Education at the University of Oulu, Finland. Her research interests focus on the relationships and emotions involved in teachers’ work.