The ethics of care : a narrative inquiry with teachers of Ethics

Abstract

This qualitative study explores teachers’ concepts and practices of care and the means by which they seek to teach care to their students in the Ethics class. It draws on literature about the ethics of care, mostly that established by feminists’ critique of the conventional theories of moral development and the political and social devaluation of caring. This was used to look into six Ethics teachers’ insights about caring relations within the Ethics classroom and their challenges in teaching students how to care. Reflecting the relational politics and ethics of care, a narrative methodology was followed to gather the narratives of the teachers, shedding light on limitations of the current methods as well as external factors which hinder the ability to care in today’s society. The data was collected through conversations with the teachers. Their narratives included issues such as the effects of neoliberal demands, the virtual isolation of youngsters and the emphasis that these factors place on the autonomy of individuals. Through these conversations about the significance of caring relations within the existing framework of the teaching of Ethics, a number of suggestions were made: such as the intricacies and embodiment of care and the relevance of providing students more opportunities to physically encounter and engage with others in order to contextually experience moral situations discussed in class. The teachers’ pedagogies all point to a practical extension of feminist ethics grounded on the relational aspects of teaching. This dissertation therefore provides added dimensions to the present methods to take into consideration in the teaching of Ethics.