Promoting Ethical Practice in Adult Education

In today's society, everywhere we turn--from medicine and politics to business and journalism--we face questions of ethical behavior. While adult educators are not likely to face the life and death situations sometimes found in medicine or law, or the financial ruin brought about by business scandals, ethics can impact greatly those we serve. Therefore, it is important to put ethical issues in adult education on the "front burner" of discussions related to professional development for educators of adults. In this article, we describe a process for making ethical decisions, and we consider three strategies that can be helpful in promoting a climate for ethical practice in adult education. Making Ethical Decisions: A Process Recently, we described an ethical decision-malting model and discussed strategies for promoting ethical practice in the education of adults (Brockett & Hiemstra, 2004). In this process, which we call the Ethical Decision Making (EDM) model, we suggest that responding to ethical dilemmas includes a consideration of three factors: values, obligations, and consequences. Values Values encompass our personal beliefs and how these beliefs drive our actions. Pojman (1995) says that values are, quite simply, "the quest for the good" (p. 82). When we consider values in the context of ethical decision making, we need to ask two key questions: * What do I believe? * How committed am I to the beliefs I hold? In terms of personal beliefs, it is important to understand what we believe about human nature (e.g., Is human nature inherently good, evil, or neutral?), our assumptions about the education of adults (e.g., To what extent should adult education emphasize personal growth, social change, or worker productivity?), and beliefs about ethics and moral obligation (e.g., Is the "right thing to do" that which produces the greatest good or that which fulfills duty regardless of consequences?). A second question related to values involves level of commitment to a particular set of beliefs. Educators are more likely to place greater emphasis on those values to which they are most deeply committed. For example, while we may basically agree with some values, there are other values for which we are willing to be identified and, in some cases, to even place our reputations and careers on the line. Practically speaking, when we find ourselves at odds with the policies and practices in our organizations, the problem may lie within a difference of values. Often, we are able to resolve these discrepancies in a way that allows us to serve the organization while being true to ourselves. However, sometimes this is not possible and it is in these situations where educators may find great struggle and distress in their work situation. Obligations As educators, we typically find that our obligations he in many directions. We have obligations to our learners, our employers, the profession, society, and ourselves, to name a few examples. When these obligations are not in conflict, ethical problems are not likely to be at issue. However, when fulfilling one obligation means not fulfilling another obligation, then an ethical dilemma is likely to exist. Take, for example, an ABE teacher who is working to help her students develop skills that will help them eventually be able to pursue higher education. However, the focus of the program is on helping students gain sufficient skills to prepare them for immediate employment in an entry-level job, most likely in a service industry. In such a case, the instructor may feel conflicting obligations between her commitment to how she serves her learners and meeting the primary goals of the program. Consequences When faced with an ethical dilemma, we will almost always have some degree of choice about the possible solutions to the dilemma. Of course, some options are more attractive or viable than others, and some will have more serious and long-range consequences than others. …