Examining the ethical behavior of teachers in their responsibilities towards their students

The purpose of this study is to determine teachers' thoughts regarding their responsibilities, both ethical and unethical behaviours they should fulfil towards their students, and their moral judgments concerning these behaviours. In line with this objective, the study was designed using a mixed-methods approach. The sample of the research comprised 20 teachers, 12 females and 8 males, working in different levels and branches, and in various service regions in Bartın province for qualitative data, and a total of 350 teachers, with 209 females and 141 males, for quantitative data during the 2022-2023 academic year. This study utilized three data collection instruments, including a 7-item personal form to determine demographic characteristics, an 8-question interview form to ascertain teachers' opinions on ethical values, and the 'Teacher Ethical Behaviour Scale' developed by Çelebi and Akbağ (2012), consisting of 26 questions. Qualitative data obtained through interviews were analysed using descriptive analysis. According to the research results, teachers attribute the highest value to the sense of duty dimension and the least value to the professional obligation dimension. There was no significant difference in the dimensions of the scale between teachers in terms of age, gender, branch, and institution type. However, there was a statistically significant difference in the marital status of participating teachers in the dimensions of morality, human sensitivity, and professional obligation. Teachers with children scored higher in the human sensitivity dimension, while teachers with postgraduate education scored higher in the sense of duty dimension. It was also observed that as teachers' total service duration and professional seniority increased, their perceptions of professional obligations also increased. Additionally, qualitative findings indicated that teachers have unethical thoughts and behaviours in the sub-questions related to receiving material gifts, providing private lessons, and working with special needs children.