Determining Educator Ethical Decision-Making Factors Using the Jones Model

Despite the presence of codes and laws, ethical decision-making by educators continues to elude understanding. The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore factors in education ethical decision-making that may influence teacher behaviors in order to develop training materials for future teachers. Previously vetted scenarios based on actual educator misconduct were presented online to preservice teachers to identify agreement with constructs and intensity of moral concern as proposed in the Jones Model of Ethical Decision-Making (1991). Codes and laws focused on the results of decision-making do not probe the reasons behind immoral actions. Based on current survey data, educators can identify situations of differing moral intensity, determine moral intensity quickly, and make decisions about moral intensity based on various factors from personal experience and backgrounds.