A Causal Model for Moral Competencies of High School Teachers

Given the important role of ethics in organizations such as educational centers and the mission of educators for training of next generations, this study was conducted with the aim of presenting a causal model of moral competencies for high school teachers in Shiraz, Iran. In this descriptive-correlational study, 330 high school teachers were selected using Cochran's formula and stratified random sampling method in academic year of 2015-2016. Gregory's Occupational Work Ethic Inventory (1990), Ghahramani's Professional, Organizational and Individual Ethics (2010), Smith's Job Satisfaction (1969), Salzman & Anderkolk's Management Style (1982), Sedaghati Fard's Organizational Alienation (2007), Niehoff & Moorman's Organizational Justice (1993) questionnaires were used to collect data. Data analysis was done using Path analysis method by SPSS and Lisrel soft wares. The variables of job satisfaction, organizational justice, leadership style and organizational alienation, interest in work, participation in work, perseverance and seriousness, healthy human relations and individual factors had a significant effect on teachers’ moral competences (p=0.01). 38% of the variance for moral competences was explained by exogenous variables and. The causal model of the teacher's moral competencies was well suited. The findings showed that the exogenous variables had a significant positive effect on the teacher's moral competencies with mediating role of individual factors. Since observance of moral behaviors in an organization depends first and foremost on the value of moral values in its general policies and management practices, school managers are advised to take appropriate measures to ensure the background to moral norms and competencies.