Turkish teachers’ accounts of moral dilemmas in early childhood settings

In all, 26 Turkish early childhood educators were asked to describe a moral dilemma they faced in their classroom, the circumstances that made the situation a dilemma, and why it was a moral dilemma. The dilemmas described arose from conflicts between teachers and children, teachers and parents, and teachers and administrators. Dilemmas described by experienced teachers did not differ from those of described by inexperienced teachers. Dilemmas between teachers and students reflected teachers’ caring for students, while dilemmas between teachers and parents, and teachers and administrators reflected power struggles. When asked why the dilemmas were moral in nature, the teachers’ responses were categorized into five areas of concern. These are a concern for children’s development, children’s needs, children’s feelings, fairness, and honesty. Results are compared with studies conducted in the West. Implications for future research are presented.