Ethical dilemmas in education: a case study of challenges faced by secondary school leaders in Kenya
| Pages | 601-614 |
| Date | 04 November 2019 |
| Published date | 04 November 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-05-2017-0060 |
| Author | Truphena Oduol,Sue Cornforth |
| Subject Matter | Education,Administration & policy in education,School administration/policy,Educational administration,Leadership in education |
Ethical dilemmas in education: a
case study of challenges faced by
secondary school leaders in Kenya
Truphena Oduol and Sue Cornforth
Faculty of Education, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to question the usefulness of Euro-Western concepts of principled
ethical behaviour for school leaders in non-Euro-Western countries by examining the dilemmas faced by
Kenyan educational leaders.
Design/methodology/approach –A single, multi-site case study methodological approach was used, and
data gathered by means of semi-structured interviews with stakeholders: school principals, boards of
governors, heads of department, school bursars and parents.
Findings –Findings highlighted the importance of contextual variables in influencing leaders’decisions,
indicative of the tension between liberal and communitarian ethical approaches. Although similar dilemmas
were encountered to those working in euro-western contexts, Kenyan educational leaders faced the additional
challenge of working with cultural values of Ubuntu: care for the whole community, harmonious working
relationships, loyalty to one’s kin and respect of seniority. Furthermore, the problems they encountered were
often life-threatening resulting from poverty, and HIV/Aids.
Originality/value –This paper contributes to the literatureon ethics in educational leadership by proposing
that the adoption of euro-western ethical standards and perspectives in non-Euro-Western countries is
problematic, unless mitigated by a dialogic approach.
Keywords Kenya, Ethical dilemmas, Educational leadership, Participatory ethics, Ubuntu
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
In this paper we report on the ethical dilemmas faced by school leaders in Kenya and
suggest that Euro-Western ethical codes are limited in their usefulness in African settings.
We aim to contribute to a growing body of literature that is concerned with good
governance in public institutions, in particular, the ethics of school management (Greenfield,
2004; Sergiovanni, 1996; Shapiro and Stefkovich, 2016) and the centrality of ethical
leadership in schools (Ehrich et al., 2015; Frick, 2009; Zubay and Soltis, 2005). Literature
indicates that the role of educational leaders, and the social context within which ethical
decisions are made, have changed (Dempster and Berry, 2003; Payne, 2005; Samad and Nor,
2007), and that moral and ethical problems are more complicated and difficult to address
(Norberg and Johansson, 2007). Consequently, schools have had to adjust to meet new
demands such as those for accountability, professionalism, and stakeholder involvement
(Payne, 2005). Furthermore, these demands are not always in alignment with cultural
expectations (Hallinger and Leithwood, 1996).
In Africa, some studies have indicated that conflicting cultural practices, ethical beliefs
and workplace expectations are problematic (Abdion and Oyeniyi, 2014). In Kenya itself,
ethical leadership in secondary schools is defined by the Teachers’Service Commissions’
Professional Code of Ethics, Kenyan law and the Teachers’Code of Regulations. All
frameworks are underpinned by Euro-Western-derived principles inherited from the British
at independence. The conduct of Kenyan school leaders is thus judged with little regard for Journal of Educational
Administration
Vol. 57 No. 6, 2019
pp. 601-614
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0957-8234
DOI 10.1108/JEA-05-2017-0060
Received 21 May 2017
Revised 30 September 2018
3 October 2018
28 January 2019
12 February 2019
28 February 2019
10 March 2019
17 March 2019
Accepted 19 March 2019
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0957-8234.htm
The authors would like to show their gratitude to Associate Professor Liz Jones of Victoria University
of Wellington for sharing her pearls of wisdom with them during this research.
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Ethical
dilemmas in
education
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