Shifting Higher Vocational Education Teachers' Response Toward Inward Affective Involvement in Ethical Dilemmas: Perspectives on the Design of Affective Learning Experiences to Inform Students’ Attitude Toward an Ethical Dilemma

Abstract

Higher vocational education teachers often encounter students who are inclined to view ethical dilemmas with an inner distance. If teachers’ input comes solely from the cognitive rather than the affective component, the interaction about the ethical dilemma between teacher and students will never progress beyond that level of inner distance. In our qualitative study, a total of 31 higher vocational education teachers from 6 educational programs were placed in an experiential position by presenting them with an ethical dilemma. This study aims to inform the analysis and exploration of the problem of our overall design-based research project. By asking them about this dilemma in teams, they were stimulated to respond to the ethical dilemma and to view it affectively. The results show that most teachers kept their distance from the ethical dilemma. Only when their fundamental beliefs were being challenged they seemed to assume some degree of inward affective involvement. This study contributes to theoretical and practical knowledge about stimulating inward affective involvement with ethical dilemmas so that students can develop a conscious value-expressive attitude.