The purposes of this study were to examine how teachers responded to ethical issues in the workplace and to prepare materials for use in teacher training and staff development programs.

To determine teacher responses to certain ethical situations, twenty open-ended scenarios describing ethical situations were developed. Twenty social studies teachers from school divisions with 25,000 students or more and twenty social studies teachers from school divisions with 3,500 students or less were selected and on-site interviews were conducted with each teacher responding to four randomly selected scenarios. Responses were transcribed, analyzed, and distilled. The twenty scenarios and the teachers' responses were then used as a basis for the development of materials for teacher preparation programs for one college and staff development programs for one school division.

All but two scenarios reflected a difference between what teachers perceived to be the action most taken by teachers and the action perceived to be the most ethical. Responses by teachers to ethical situations revealed that potential and practicing teachers would benefit by the study of professional ethics in their professional preparation program.