NAPLAN Professional Ethics in Education 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A teacher discovers a colleague is falsifying student assessment records. What is the most appropriate first step?
- Ignore it to avoid conflict
- Report the concern to the school principal or relevant authority (Correct answer)
- Confront the colleague publicly
- Tell students what is happening
Correct answer: Report the concern to the school principal or relevant authority
Teachers have a professional obligation to report unethical conduct, including falsification of records, to the appropriate authority.
Question 2: Which principle best describes a teacher's duty to treat all students equitably regardless of background?
- Utilitarianism
- Non-maleficence
- Justice (Correct answer)
- Autonomy
Correct answer: Justice
The principle of justice requires educators to provide fair and equitable treatment to all students.
Question 3: A student shares personal family struggles with a teacher in confidence. The teacher should:
- Share the information with other teachers as a cautionary story
- Post about it anonymously on social media
- Keep it confidential unless there is a risk of harm (Correct answer)
- Discuss it openly in a parent-teacher meeting
Correct answer: Keep it confidential unless there is a risk of harm
Student confidentiality must be maintained except when disclosure is required to prevent harm.
Question 4: A teacher accepts an expensive gift from a parent during exam week. This raises concerns about:
- Teacher workload
- Conflict of interest and impartiality (Correct answer)
- School funding policies
- Parent involvement levels
Correct answer: Conflict of interest and impartiality
Accepting significant gifts can compromise a teacher's impartiality and create a conflict of interest.
Question 5: What does 'informed consent' mean in the context of educational research involving students?
- Students must pass a test before participating
- Parents and guardians agree after being fully informed about the research (Correct answer)
- The principal approves the research topic
- Students receive payment for participation
Correct answer: Parents and guardians agree after being fully informed about the research
Informed consent requires that parents or guardians be given complete information about the research before agreeing to participation.
Question 6: A teacher uses social media to mock a struggling student using a pseudonym. This behavior is:
- Acceptable if the student cannot be identified
- A breach of professional ethics and duty of care (Correct answer)
- Permitted during non-school hours
- Only problematic if reported by parents
Correct answer: A breach of professional ethics and duty of care
Mocking students online, even anonymously, violates the professional duty of care and respect owed to all students.
Question 7: Which ethical framework emphasizes the importance of following rules and duties regardless of outcomes?
- Consequentialism
- Virtue ethics
- Deontology (Correct answer)
- Pragmatism
Correct answer: Deontology
Deontology focuses on adherence to rules and duties as the foundation of ethical behavior, independent of consequences.
NAPLAN Professional Ethics in Education 2
A teacher discovers a colleague is falsifying student assessment records.
What is the most appropriate first step?