Pre-service teachers’ ethical evaluations of research cases: implications for teaching research and research ethics

Ethical reasoning is a critical yet often overlooked aspect of teacher education. This study examines how pre-service teachers (PSTs) enrolled in a Science and Research Ethics course evaluate ethical dilemmas in research. Using purposive sampling, nine PSTs analysed two types of research materials: peer-reviewed articles of their choice and historical cases such as the Kitty Genovese incident and the Bystander Effect. A qualitative case study with thematic analysis was conducted to explore how PSTs identified ethical violations, justified their reasoning, and proposed alternative designs. Findings indicate that while participants recognised ethical issues when explicitly stated, their reasoning lacked depth and none proposed ethically sound alternatives. These results highlight the need for ethics education to go beyond procedural compliance and cultivate critical ethical reasoning. The study contributes to teacher education by showing how case-based learning and authentic ethical discussions enhance PSTs’ capacity to navigate ethical challenges in research and practice.