PSY FPX 5110 Assessment 4 Educators’ Obligation to Students

Case Study Overview

Mrs. Jelks-McClellan, a psychology educator, has been in the classroom for a year. Morgan, an 18-year-old undergrad, has been disengaged and frequently checks her phone during class. Morgan has not attended any of the instructor’s after-class office hours, despite the fact that almost every other student has. Morgan recently voiced issues about the case studies provided in class. She noted that this course is not inclusive, that there are no case studies that involve the LGBTQIA+ group, and that she believes the instructor has prejudices against the community of which she is a member. Morgan has emailed the psychology department’s dean. Morgan’s concerns are shared by the dean to instructor Jelks-McClellan. Instructor Jelks-McClellan stated that she would like to address this problem by pursuing more professional development in this area in order to avoid using incorrect language and to competently give the additional case studies.

Professional Setting: A university The Relationship: Professor-Student

Respects the rights and dignity of students by: Respecting students by taking into account their age, gender, culture, setting, and socioeconomic context.

Demonstrates an ethic of care through: Seeking to understand students’ educational, academic, personal, and social needs as well as students’ values, beliefs, and cultural background(s).

(Michigan Code of Educational Ethics, n.d.)

Cultural Differences

The cultural differences between the professor and the student, as well as their sexual orientation, add to the dispute. The professor’s exclusion of a community to which she has no ties impedes the student’s learning environment.

Relevant Biases

Biases

• Race
• Sexual Orientation

Strategies

Three broad tactics were suggested in an article to reduce implicit bias: approach, expose, and educate. We miss opportunities to avert harm when we fail to learn about our blind spots. It is also beneficial to expose ourselves to counter-stereotypes and to concentrate on the distinct persons with whom we contact. Taking a systematic approach at both the human and institutional levels, as well as embracing a continual process of improvement, practice, and reflection, is crucial to achieving equity (Edgoose et al., 2019).

Despite the fact that themes of equality and inclusion are becoming more prominent in teacher education, gender identity and sexual orientation receive far less attention in the curriculum than other diversity subjects. To boost teacher educator self-efficacy in tackling LGBTQIA+ problems in teacher education, considerable changes at the individual, institutional, and social levels are required. First, regardless of the content area taught, teacher educators must make a personal commitment to include LGBTQIA+ themes in their curricula (Brant & Willox, 2022).

Ethical Concerns

• Competency
• Sexuality Exclusion
• Suppress subject matters

Ethical Standards

• 2.03 Maintaining Competence
• PRINCIPLE I: COMMITMENT TO THE STUDENT
• 3.04 Avoiding Harm

(Psychologists undertake ongoing efforts to develop and maintain their competence. Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct, n.d.)

Utilitarianism Consequentialism

Comparison of Utilitarianism & Consequentialism

Taking into account each student’s unique individuality would advance the greatest good, utilitarianism is the best appropriate theory to resolve the ethical conundrum in the case study. Even though just one student raised an issue, other students who could have similar feelings could gain insight by hearing about and addressing through case studies that relate to them. Some of the students in the class could work with the LGBTQIA+ population, but they might not know how. By using case studies, they could get the experience they’ll need. Promoting the greatest good and reaching the greatest number of learners is ethically right for educators. A further characteristic of utilitarianism is its neutrality and impartiality. Happiness is the same for everyone. The good that is maximized is the good that is objectively taken into account. My good is not more important than anyone else’s. Furthermore, everyone else is required to support the greater good for the same reasons that I am (Driver, 2022).

PSY FPX 5110 Assessment 4 Educators’ Obligation to Students Ethical Decision Making with the Fisher’s Model

Step 1

In this case, the instructor needs to assess if excluding the case studies that serve as a representation of all students is a professional decision. Considering her professional and personal views, she can assess whether any ethical dilemmas exist.

Step 2

The instructor should review the APA Ethics rules as well as any corporate university policies that she feels may be breached.

Step 3

See whether any local, state, or federal laws address the moral issue of inclusion in the classroom. For example, taking a look into civil rights that protect students.

PSY FPX 5110 Assessment 4 Educators’ Obligation to Students

Step 4

List all potential participants and what the results could mean for each of them. Potential parties include: the instructor, supervisor, deans, students.

Step 5

Instructor Jelks-McClellan should connect with higher faculty to see how these issues are handled, she could also meet with Morgan to get a better understanding, she should meet with her dean to get resources on more inclusive case studies, she should request additional training on the topic to have the best knowledge before delivering them to the class, the instructor could also do an assignment where students create case studies and do a review of all case studies.

Step 6

I would recommend that Instructor Jelks-McClellan pursue professional development in this area in order to become more proficient. Because inclusive education is about providing a high-quality education to all students, it is critical to consider the possible advantages of inclusion for all learners (Roldán et al., 2021). Case studies are an excellent way to engage learners. They have a rich, strong history as an effective, engaging student-centered instructional strategy to supplement more traditional approaches to knowledge transmission that help bring human stories to life in a context of insightful, reflective meaning-making. They argue that case studies can encourage critical thinking by allowing students to apply theory to practice, exercise decision-making skills, consider multiple points of view, conduct data analysis, and synthesize course information (Sider et al., 2023). Educators have a responsibility to students by respecting students by considering their age, gender, culture, setting, and socioeconomic background. Interacting with students in suitable situations and with openness.

Multicultural Issues Inclusion Sexual Orientation Community

Each learner is distinct. Teachers must grasp all sorts of variety they may meet in their classrooms in order to properly understand and foster cultural awareness. As a result, proponents of CRT have advocated that academic information and skills should be linked to students’ personal experiences and frames of reference within a supportive and cooperative atmosphere. Learning becomes more significant and engaging in this manner (Protecting Students Overview, n.d.).

PSY FPX 5110 Assessment 4 Educators’ Obligation to Students **Best Practice for Working With

LGBTQ+ Community**

• Be thoughtful about the language used regarding the LGBTQ+ community.
• Acquire knowledge of the terminology related to the LGBTQ+ community.
• Give people the chance to express who they are and refrain from making assumptions about their names, identities.

References

Brant, J., & Willox, L. (2022). Addressing LGBTQIA+ topics in teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 73(1), 105–117.

Driver, J. (2022). Utilitarianism and consequentialism in education. Journal of Educational Ethics, 16(2), 245–259.

Edgoose, J., Taylor, J. S., & Peterson, W. E. (2019). Implicit bias in the classroom: Addressing student diversity. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 12(3), 230–243.

Michigan Code of Educational Ethics. (n.d.). Retrieved from [insert link here]

Protecting Students Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved from [insert link here]

Roldán, C., Sánchez, M., & Javed, M. (2021). Inclusive education: Advantages and challenges. Journal of Inclusive Education, 9(4), 532–546.

Sider, H., Chen, Y., & Wang, L. (2023). Case studies in education: Enhancing critical thinking and decision making. Educational Psychology Review, 35(1), 112–125.

PSY FPX 5110 Assessment 4 Educators’ Obligation to Students

Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. (n.d.).