Virtue Ethics in Teaching: An Executive Interview Analysis
This paper presents an analysis of an executive interview conducted with a high school teacher regarding his personal ethical beliefs and practices. Using a semi-structured interview format, the subject articulated an ethical framework rooted primarily in virtue ethics, emphasizing character traits such as honesty, integrity, respect, and diligence as essential guides for both personal conduct and professional teaching. The analysis reveals that the teacher's ethical formulation also incorporates elements of deontology and utilitarianism, creating a hybrid moral framework. The paper evaluates the strengths and potential inconsistencies of this combined approach, ultimately arguing that balancing all three ethical theories provides a more comprehensive and objective foundation for moral decision-making in educational settings.
- Introduction and Interview Method: Semi-structured interview with a high school teacher
- The Subject's Ethical Beliefs: Virtue Ethics in Education: Teacher's virtue-based ethics and classroom challenges
- Analysis of the Teacher's Moral Framework: Moral development and multiple ethics theories identified
- Comparing Virtue Ethics, Deontology, and Utilitarianism: Distinctions among three major ethical frameworks
- Synthesis and Evaluation of the Combined Ethical Approach: Strengths of blending virtue, duty, and utility ethics
- Conclusion: Virtue Ethics as a Universal Moral Foundation: Virtue ethics as objective, universal moral guide
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- The paper grounds its theoretical discussion in a concrete, real-world subject — a practicing high school teacher — which keeps abstract ethical concepts anchored to practical application.
- It moves logically from description (what the teacher believes) through analysis (what theories underlie those beliefs) to synthesis (evaluating the combined framework), giving the argument clear momentum.
- The comparison of virtue ethics against ethical egoism in the synthesis section sharpens the paper's central claim about the value of objectivity in moral reasoning.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of a semi-structured interview as a qualitative data source, combined with theoretical triangulation — cross-referencing multiple ethical frameworks (virtue ethics, deontology, utilitarianism) to analyze a single subject's moral worldview. This technique allows the writer to surface nuance and internal tensions within the subject's beliefs rather than simply accepting them at face value.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a methodological framing of the interview, then describes the subject's self-reported ethical beliefs in detail. An analysis section examines the theoretical underpinnings of those beliefs, identifying the implicit presence of deontology and utilitarianism alongside virtue ethics. A synthesis and evaluation section then weighs the strengths and limitations of the teacher's hybrid ethical framework, culminating in an argument for the superiority of virtue ethics as an objective, universal moral system.
Introduction and Interview Method
For this paper, a high school teacher was interviewed about his personal ethical beliefs. The interview was conducted in his classroom and recorded on video for future reference. The interview was semi-structured, which allowed for a more reflective and immersive yet guided process (Dearnley, 2005). The analysis presented here is drawn from that interview recording.
References
Dearnley, C. (2005). A reflection on the use of semi-structured interviews. Nurse Researcher, 13(1).
Froming, W. J. (1978). The relationship of moral judgment, self-awareness, and sex to compliance behavior. Journal of Research in Personality, 12(4), 396–409.
Morrell, K., & Dahlmann, F. (2022). Aristotle in the Anthropocene: The comparative benefits of Aristotelian virtue ethics over utilitarianism and deontology. The Anthropocene Review. 20530196221105093.
Trianosky, G. (1990). What is virtue ethics all about? American Philosophical Quarterly, 27(4), 335–344.
Van Staveren, I. (2007). Beyond utilitarianism and deontology: Ethics in economics. Review of Political Economy, 19(1), 21–35.
Create your account
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.