Professional Ethics in Teaching from the Perspectives of Professors and Graduate Students of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Background: Teaching and training require ethical considerations.Objectives: The present study aimed at evaluating teaching ethics from the perspectives of professors and postgraduate students of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences based on a comparative approach.Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on all postgraduate students and their professors in the academic year of 2019-2020. A total of 284 postgraduate students and 42 professors were selected using a stratified random sampling method, according to the size of each stratum. The data collection instrument was the standard teacher's professional ethics scale including six subscales and 48 items, scored based on a five-point Likert scale from 1 to 5. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 21 using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, and one-way analysis of variance.Results: The total mean score of professional ethics for professors was 3.67±0.63 and 4.29± 0.59 from the students' and professors’ perspectives, respectively. There was a significant difference between the students' and professors’ perspectives in each of the subscales (P<0.0001). There was a significant difference among schools in the teaching techniques mastery and observation of rules subscales.Conclusion: From the perspective of students, the status of teaching ethics is still far from the standard, and it needs more educational plans to improve.

Keywords

• professional ethics
• teaching
• professors
• students