The centrality of care ethics in narratives of primary school homeroom teachers

This qualitative study explored ethical perceptions in primary school homeroom teaching, focusing on ethical caring. Forty semi-structured interviews were conducted with Israeli homeroom teachers (grades 1–2) in Arab (n = 20) and Jewish (n = 20) state primary schools (39 women). Thematic analysis identified four themes that represent various facets of emotional and instrumental caring of these educators in the professional context, encompassing both in-role and extra-role commitments. The first theme, ‘care without limits,’ shows teachers’ deep emotional connections beyond formal duties. The second, ‘emotional care,’ reflects empathy integrated into assigned tasks. The third, ‘care for promoting academic success or socialization,’ describes caring as a tool to enhance learning and socialization. The fourth, ‘contractual care,’ portrays a task-oriented, minimal approach. The study suggests teachers could benefit from training on ethical dimensions, schools should support navigating ethical dilemmas, and policymakers can use these findings to enhance teacher evaluation and professional development, ultimately improving education quality.