A case study approach to study one teacher's moral reflection

In this paper, we present a case study approach to study one teacher's moral reflection. The theoretical framework is built on three philosophical and ethical reference points that the teacher uses in her reflection. We focus on the ethic of purpose, ethic of rules and principles, and ethic of probability together with their philosophical perspectives. Our data includes one narrative of a moral dilemma experienced by a female secondary school teacher. We have applied a qualitative reading guide to analyze this case regarding smoking from different ethical reference points. Our goal is to show how abstract philosophical theories can be translated into real-world ethics in education and how these reference points can help teachers in their practical ethical reflection. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.