Tracing Second Language Teachers Experiences of Moralities of Teaching through Narratives

Morality in teaching has been recognized as an elusive term affecting teaching practices and quality of education. In this study, using a narrative inquiry, we attempted to capture the moralities in ELT teaching and the challenges that they might experience when making moral decisions. For this purpose, we interviewed four ELT teachers working at Shiraz University language learning center to describe moralities in teaching and used narrative frames to elicit their personal stories and understandings of the challenges in making moral decisions and their justifications. We conducted theme analyses to analyze the data. Results of this study showed that, ELT teachers defined moralities in teaching as having a balanced relationship with the learners, being on time, and effective teaching. Moreover, they stated that mismatches between their ideologies and external codes are the biggest challenge they might experience while they make moral decisions. To resolve this challenge, they mostly referred to their family backgrounds and cultural values cultivated by their religion to justify their decisions.