Ethical dilemmas and well-being in teachers’ work: A three-wave, two-year longitudinal study

Abstract

The aim of the present longitudinal study was two-fold: First, to explore what kinds of ethical dilemma groups can be identified among Finnish teachers (n = 310) and second, to examine how these groups differ from each other with respect to occupational well-being and recovery from job strain over the two-year follow-up. Using Latent Profile Analysis, three ethical dilemma prevalence groups were identified: rare (27%), occasional (51%), and frequent dilemmas (22%). Teachers in frequent dilemmas group reported highest burnout, however, their recovery from job strain improved and their burnout (exhaustion) diminished over time. To reduce teachers’ ethical dilemmas different approaches are proposed.