A Qualitative Study on the Moral Dilemmas of Elementary and High School Principals

Abstract

This study, designed as a case study, aims to reveal the ethical dilemmas that school principals face during decision-making processes and how they cope with these dilemmas. Eight school principals who work in Istanbul and encounter ethical dilemmas participated in the study and were selected in accordance with the criterion-based sampling method. A semi-structured interview form consisting of open-ended questions has been used in this study, and data has been analyzed through content analysis. The findings have been presented under three themes: the dilemmas principals face between senior management and conscience, between one teacher and other teachers, and between teachers and students. According to the findings of the study, school principals operate from different perspectives such as the ethics of critiquing, the ethics of justice, and the ethics of caring for different ethical dilemmas.