‘I’m aware of that, but … ’: breaking the silence on moral distress among language teachers

ABSTRACT

Moral distress (MD) is defined as knowing what to do in an ethical situation but being unable to do it. Although this definition was originally meant for healthcare practitioners, it is instantly recognised by those in the teaching profession. This study adopted Q methodology to identify and characterise foreign language teachers’ viewpoints regarding morally distressing situations. Thirty-three teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) performed a card-sorting task. The sources of MD were characterised into three categories: limited control, violation of personal values and lack of voice. Teachers may be reluctant to pathologise MD because it can arise within everyday scenarios. The findings contribute to the development of supportive strategies for EFL teachers in response to various sources of MD.

KEYWORDS:

• Moral distress
• ethics‌
• language teaching
• English as a foreign language
• Q methodology

Acknowledgements

I wish to express my profound gratitude to the editor and anonymous reviewers for their insightful and constructive feedback on earlier drafts of this paper. My thanks are also due to the research participants for their immense contribution despite their busy schedules. Lastly, I would like to express my deep appreciation to the Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia, Mahidol University, for providing necessary resources which were instrumental in the successful completion of this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).