Using case studies of ethical dilemmas for the development of moral literacy. Towards educating for social justice
| Published date | 10 July 2007 |
| Pages | 451-470 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/09578230710762454 |
| Date | 10 July 2007 |
| Author | Joan Poliner Shapiro,Robert E. Hassinger |
| Subject Matter | Education |
Using case studies of ethical
dilemmas for the development of
moral literacy
Towards educating for social justice
Joan Poliner Shapiro and Robert E. Hassinger
Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on a case study, framed as an ethical dilemma. It
serves as an illustration for the teaching of moral literacy, with a special emphasis on social justice.
Design/methodology/approach – Initially, the paper provides a rationale for the inclusion of case
studies, emphasizing moral problems in university teaching. It discusses briefly the strengths and
weaknesses of using these types of case studies in the classroom. In particular, it explains how both
the rational and emotional minds can be addressed, through the use of these moral dilemmas, by
introducing two concepts: Multiple Ethical Paradigms and Turbulence Theory. Following an
explanation of the two concepts, an illustrative case is provided. This case deals with aspects of No
Child Left Behind legislation that narrows the curriculum for some students. The underlying social
justice issue of this case is raised. The dilemma is followed by a discussion of how to resolve or solve it
by raising questions that relate to the Multiple Ethical Paradigms and Turbulence Theory.
Findings – It is hoped that university teachers will find that case study analysis, through the use of
the two concepts of the Multiple Ethical Paradigms and Turbulence Theory, provides a meaningful
and helpful way to promote moral literacy.
Originality/value – It is recommended that this kind of case study, framed through the use of a
paradox, should be taught not only in educational ethics, but it can also be infused in many other
courses in the university curriculum.
Keywords Ethics, Teaching,Social justice, Case studies
Paper type Case study
Introduction
Social justice should always be at the forefront of the minds of the educational community
(Brown, 2004; Larson and Murtadha, 2002; Marshall, 2004; Shields, 2004). Unfortunately,
that is not always the case. All too often, students who have been raised in deprived
environments continue to be shortchanged in their education, despite the best of intentions.
In this article, a case will be discussed that focuses on the narrowing of the curriculum for
students to enable a school to attain Adequate Yearly Progress under the No Child Left
Behind (NCLB) (2002) legislation in the USA. Adequate Yearly Progress means that
students must meet acceptable standards in reading/language arts and mathematics, and
schools need to meet certain attendance or graduation rates. This piece of legislation has
led to a tightening of the curriculum for some children, particularly for those who have
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
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Portions of this paper were presented at the 11th Annual Values and Leadership Conference,
Victoria, British Columbia, October 5-7, 2006.
Case studies
of ethical
dilemmas
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Journal of Educational
Administration
Vol. 45 No. 4, 2007
pp. 451-470
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0957-8234
DOI 10.1108/09578230710762454
trouble passing standardized tests. Frequently, these same young people come from poor
families with little social capital.
Thus, instead of providing these students with the broad-based education that they
need to become productive citizens and excel as creative adults, they receive intensive
skill-based learning in English and mathematics as well as constant test preparation.
Moreover, these students do not receive the training they need to attain moral literacy. All
too often, they are not given the necessary concepts and tools necessary for them to solve
challenging and meaningful ethical dilemmas that they will face throughout their lives.
This kind of preparation goes well beyond recall and repetition; it asks young people to
think deeply, using diverse ethical frameworks, to discover how to make wise and
intelligent decisions.
The use of a case study, framed as an ethical dilemma, can be especially effective to
help students of education understand a concept, such as social justice, as well as
extend their moral literacy in general. Nash (1996, p. 64), in his book on professional
ethics, pointed out that: “A good case can be a provocative, almost indispensable tool
for teaching the relevant moral concepts ...” According to Vanderbilt’s Center for
Teaching (2006, p. 1), “Good cases generally have the following features: They tell a
good story, are recent, include dialogue, create empathy with the main characters, are
relevant to the reader, serve a teaching function, require a dilemma to be solved, and
have generality.” Good cases can also address different ways of knowing including
reflective thinking, critical thinking, and moral thinking.
While many kinds of problem-solving can be addressed by students utilizing an
ethical dilemma, a criticism of the use of case studies in classrooms, however, is that
they are not able to replicate the emotions elicited through actual situations. To
surmount this critique, two theoretical concepts can be used to assist the student to
evaluate case studies that are framed as ethical dilemmas. One theoretical concept
helps the students to work through a case study using rational problem-solving, and
the other theoretical concept helps to evaluate an ethical dilemma using an
emotional perspective. The rational approach is addressed through the use of the
Multiple Ethical Paradigms of the ethics of justice, critique, care, and the profession
(Shapiro and Stefkovich, 2001, 2005), and the emotional concept is dealt with
through the utilization of Turbulence Theory (Gross, 1998, 2004). These combined
ideas form the theoretical framework that is meant to help students solve ethical
dilemmas. It brings together, what Goleman (1995) calls, the rational and the
emotional minds.
In university classrooms, the formal presentations of these ethical cases can lead to
probing questions and answers by both students and faculty members. Breaking down
silence by opening up university classrooms for honest and forthright discussions is a
way to begin to prepare aspiring and practicing educational leaders to cross the
borders of the academic classroom into their school communities to deal with hard
issues and even previously taboo topics. Using practitioner-written ethical dilemmas
that describe authentic situations can also be an effective approach to expose students
to a number of current difficult and emotionally-charged issues prior to actually
confronting them in their work or even in their private lives.
In an era of high-stakes testing and school accountability systems that are
transforming the lives of k-12 students and teachers in the USA and in some other
countries (Leithwood, 2001; Normore, 2004), it seems important that university classrooms
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