Assessment of the attitudes of classroom teachers and preschool teachers towards students from different ethnic origins and socioeconomic segments in terms of occupational ethics

Abstract

In this study, it was aimed to examine the attitudes of classroom teachers and preschool teachers towards their students from different ethnic origins and socioeconomic segments in terms of the occupational ethics in detail. The participants of this study were working at the schools located in different regions of Samsun. Four of the teachers were preschool teachers, while eleven of the teachers were elementary school teachers. The occupational experience of teachers varies between 8 and 30 years; seven of them were working at village schools, while eighteen of them were working in schools located in city center. In the research, phenomenology, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. In order to determine the attitudes of teachers towards the students from different ethnic origins and socioeconomic segments, semi-structured interview method was employed. The interviews took approx. 30-50 minutes. The data obtained in this study were analyzed using descriptive analysis method. As a result of the study, it was concluded that, when considered from the aspect of the codes of occupational ethics, the teachers experience dilemma most frequently in terms of equality, objectivity, and fairness codes.