Evolution: The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation's Code of Ethics 1935-Present

Abstract

Despite the large body of research on professions in general, professionalism, and the professionalization of the teaching profession in particular, little research has been completed, and fewer studies conducted which specifically target codes of ethics for teachers and how their ethical codes intersect with social ideologies and legislation. Noticeably absent from current Canadian research are historic inquiries into the evolution and interpretation of codes of ethics of the teaching profession nationally or provincially. This dissertation uses an ethnographic history of ideas methodology to provide a historical view of how and why the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation’s (STF) Code of Ethics evolved from 1935 to the present. A critical analysis of primary and secondary sources is used to explain the development and evolution of the STF Code of Ethics, particularly regarding the social and economic ideologies and legislative policies that influenced it over time. This dissertation is constructed as a traditional thesis including a literature review, a background informational chapter, findings chapters, and conclusion.

Findings include the following: Ethical codes are responsive to changing ideologies and code evolution is inherently embedded with changing contexts. Codes spawn predominantly from legislative policies which are themselves influenced by social ideology, economy, and government. Ethical codes are political because the affiliation of government policy and educational matters is interchangeable and inseparable. As both legislation and the relationship between government and the STF changed, so too did STF ethical codes. The connection between changing legislation leading to revised codes is dependent on the ideology of the government in power. Finally, ethical codes of the STF are at times both regulatory and aspirational, making them difficult to enforce.