Analysis of decision-making on ethical dilemmas encountered by principals of selected private secondary schools in Paranaque, Las Pinas and Muntinlupa

• Main Author: Mendoza, Rebecca L.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2004
• Subjects: Decision-making (Ethics); High school principals; Education; Secondary; High schools; Ethical problems; Secondary Education
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_doctoral/49; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etd_doctoral/article/1048/viewcontent/CDTG003778_P.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study analyzed the decision-making on ethical dilemmas confronted by private secondary school principals based on Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development, Starratt's paradigms of the ethic of justice and critique, Gilligan's ethic of care, Shapiro and Stefkovich's ethic of the profession, and other personal variables. These variables are civil status, educational attainment, length of administrative experience, self-efficacy, brain hemisphericity and spiritual intelligence. Eighteen principals from the cities of Parañaque, Las Piñas and Muntinlupa were interviewed and were asked to complete Jerusalem and Schwarzer's General Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale, Wolman's PsychoMatrix Spirituality Inventory and Wonder and Donovan's Brain Preference Indicator Test. Quantitative treatment of data obtained from these instruments was done with the use of analysis of variance and t-test while analysis and triangulation were performed on transcribed data, the research being primarily an educational qualitative case study. The findings revealed that principals encountered dilemmas related to students, change, teachers and to themselves as individuals. The decisions made on these dilemmas converged around stage 4 of Kohlberg's stages of moral development, social-order maintaining orientation. Extensive was their use of the ethics of justice, profession and care. Least utilized was the ethic of critique. The variables civil status, educational attainment, length of administrative experience, self-efficacy and brain hemisphericity were found not to be significantly associated with the stage of moral development corresponding to the decisions made. High scores on spirituality made decisions at a higher stage of moral development. However, the small sample size and the number of variables limit the generalizability of the findings. It is therefore recommended that the study be replicated with a bigger sample on specifically identified dilemmas as revealed in this study.