Pedagogical Ethos of Primary School Teachers: An Empirical Exploration

The research project at the University College of Teacher Education Tyrol, “Pedagogical Ethos of Primary School Teachers: An Empirical Exploration,” led by Barbara Saxer, focuses on the pedagogical ethos of primary school teachers. The epistemological foundations and research design of the study are based on a body-phenomenological approach that draws on the works of Husserl, Merleau-Ponty, and Waldenfels. The aim of the project is to empirically investigate whether and in what ways the ethical attitudes of elementary school teachers manifest themselves in their everyday actions. To this end, field research is being conducted at ten public elementary schools in Tyrol, where pedagogical ethos is made visible and tangible to third- and fourth-grade students through phenomenological vignettes. The empirical findings obtained in this way will serve to define the concept of ethos in greater detail. Furthermore, they are intended to raise awareness among (prospective) elementary school teachers regarding ethical-pedagogical issues and to promote reflection on and the development of ethical attitudes. Since there have been only a few empirical studies on pedagogical ethos in elementary education to date, this project makes an important contribution to closing this research gap.