Ethik in einer zukunftsgerichteten Bildung.

Zwischen Emanzipation und Instrumentalisierung

Was bedeutet es, sich im Rahmen einer Bildung für eine lebenswerte Zukunft mit ethischen Fragen zu beschäftigen? Zweifellos kann die Beschäftigung mit ethischen Fragen unterschiedliche Formen annehmen. Das Spektrum reicht von wertepädagogischen Ansätzen, die bestimmte moralische Werte und Haltungen vermitteln wollen, über Formen der Förderung der moralischen Urteilskraft bis zu sozialwissenschaftlich geprägten Erkundungen ethischer Praktiken.

Der Vortrag setzt aus einer philosophiedidaktischen Perspektive an und wählt ein – wenn nicht das – paradigmatische zeitgenössische Verständnis der Aufgabe des Ethikunterrichts zum Ausgangspunkt. Diesem Verständnis gemäss zielt ethische Bildung vor allem auf die Schulung der ethischen Urteilskraft ab (vgl. z.B. Tiedemann 2017, 26). Es steht in der Tradition eines emanzipatorischen Bildungsverständnisses, das Selbstdenken, Offenheit und Kritikfähigkeit als zentrale Elemente aufweist (vgl. Helzel 2017).

Dieses paradigmatische Verständnis von Ethikunterricht sieht sich mit der Frage konfrontiert, ob es angesichts globaler Krisen und Herausforderungen noch zeitgemäss ist. So wichtig die Förderung der Urteilskraft ist: Sollte ethische Bildung nicht auch eine Transformation des Denkens und der Gesellschaft anstreben (Thomas 2023: 91)? Der Beitrag problematisiert diese Anfrage unter drei Gesichtspunkten.

a) Bildungstheoretisch stellt sich die Frage, wie sich die Grenzen und Aufgaben schulischer Bildung in der Bewältigung gesamtgesellschaftlicher Herausforderungen bestimmen lassen (vgl. Bertschy/Künzli David 2010). Der Aufsatztitel spielt direkt auf diesen Gesichtspunkt an: Wie lässt sich die Grenze zwischen einem emanzipatorischen Bildungsverständnis und einem Bildungsverständnis bestimmen, das in einem problematischen Sinne instrumentell ist?

b) Aus einer institutionellen, curricularen Perspektive gilt es zu klären, welche Bildungsaufgaben in den Fachbereich – etwa den Ethikunterricht – gehören, und welche Teil des schulischen Umgangs – der Schulkultur – sein müssten. In der Explikation dieses Gesichtspunkts greift das Referat auf die Diskussion um das Wertedilemma im Ethikunterricht zurück (vgl. Martens 1994).

c) Philosophisch lohnt es sich, die zentralen Begriffe ‘Vernunft’ und ‘Urteilskraft’ in den Blick zu nehmen, da sie nicht nur in den Auseinandersetzungen über die Ziele des Ethik- und Philosophieunterrichts eine zentrale Rolle spielen, sondern auch in allgemeinen zeitgenössischen Bildungsdiskussionen eine wichtige, wenn auch oft implizite Rolle spielen. Diesen Gesichtspunkt wird das Referat einführen, aber nicht vertieft diskutieren.

Der Beitrag erschliesst sich die Eingangsfrage so aus einer ethikdidaktischen Perspektive. Im Anschluss an eine kurze Konkretisierung des paradigmatischen Verständnisses von Ethikdidaktik und ausgehend von einer kritischen Diskussion der ersten beiden Gesichtspunkte rät der Beitrag zu einem zurückhaltenden Umgang mit Bildungskonzeptionen, die sich in einem emphatischen Sinne an einer lebenswerten Zukunft ausrichten, so wichtig ihre Anliegen auch sind.

Problem/Challenge
Higher education faces what Mishra (2025) calls the “GenAI and Expertise Paradox,” in which students’ fluent, AI-assisted responses can obscure gaps in deep understanding. This is particularly evident in lower-division literacy and critical thinking courses, where students may rely on AI-generated content without developing essential reasoning and analytical skills. Research also shows that undergraduates frequently skip assigned readings, limiting engagement with content (Bollinger et al., 2020). Addressing this challenge requires integrating AI in ways that promote reflection, ethical reasoning, and metacognitive development rather than superficial reliance on technology.

Theoretical Background
This project draws on Design Thinking (Brown, 2009), the AI Literacy Framework, and the ACRL Information Literacy Framework, integrating ethical reasoning, reflective inquiry, and metacognitive development (Long & Magerko, 2020; Lee et al., 2021; Herman, 2022). Central to the framework is emphasizing thinking with and about AI, rather than using it as a tool or a replacement for Google search. This approach fosters a culture of thinking, learning, and being (Mejia, forthcoming), cultivating students’ capacity for reflection, critical evaluation, and independent reasoning in an evolving information landscape (Hibbert et al., 2024). These activities also support the development of ethical awareness and reflective habits (Ng et al., 2021).

Research Question
How can AI be used in undergraduate literacy instruction to build ethical, reflective, and critically engaged learners?

Research Design and Methodology
The project uses an iterative, inquiry-based design. Students engage in scaffolded learning experiences that make thinking visible and promote reflection. Concept maps using MindMeister and Coggle support the organization of ideas, connections to prior knowledge, and monitoring of evolving understanding. AI platforms, including ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity, support peer review and critical analysis of human and AI-generated arguments, helping students detect reasoning flaws, evaluate credibility, and recognize bias.

Assignments integrate the SCAMPER framework (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Reverse; Eberle, 1996) to encourage creative remixing, flexible thinking, and deeper engagement with audience, purpose, and rhetoric. SCAMPER activities are explicitly linked to ethical AI literacy, requiring students to assess how AI-generated content can be adapted or repurposed responsibly.

Data collection includes reflection journals tracking iterative engagement with AI outputs, peer-review analyses comparing evaluations of human versus AI-generated content, and pre- and post-intervention surveys assessing student confidence, ethical awareness, and understanding of AI literacy concepts. Journals and assignments are analyzed qualitatively through coding for metacognitive awareness, critical reasoning, and ethical judgment. Survey data provide quantitative measures of growth in AI literacy and confidence. This iterative approach allows real-time instructional adjustments, ensuring responsive and inclusive learning experiences.

Results and Significance
Preliminary implementation shows that students are becoming more reflective, independent thinkers who can critically evaluate AI-generated content and understand its societal impact (Mezirow, 1990). Through scaffolded, sequential learning experiences, students are developing the skills to navigate digital spaces responsibly, analyze emerging technologies, and move beyond surface-level engagement to deeper, ethical reasoning. These experiences help students define what it means to be AI literate and position them as active participants in ongoing conversations about technology.

Students are also co-creating learning environments that affirm their identities, amplify their voices, and foster meaningful collaboration. Engagement with assigned readings has increased, comprehension has improved, and writing has strengthened through iterative, feedback-driven assignments. This type of engagement and learning cultivates a culture of thinking, learning, and being (Mejia, forthcoming), nurturing lifelong learners who approach complexity with ethical judgment, emotional intelligence, and civic responsibility (Huda et al., 2017). Students are equipped not just to succeed academically, but to navigate AI-rich environments thoughtfully, participate meaningfully in democratic life, and contribute to social change.

In an era characterized by escalating ecological crises, widening social inequalities, geopolitical instability, and rapidly evolving technologies, education is expected to contribute to the development of sustainable, democratic, and resilient societies. Teacher education holds a central role in this mission, as teachers are key actors in cultivating learners’ capacities for critical thinking, ethical judgment, social responsibility, and collective action. Within teacher education, the teaching practicum constitutes a crucial site where theoretical knowledge meets lived experience. Practicums enhance student teachers’ cognitive development by strengthening their ability to translate theory into practice, navigate diverse learning contexts, and cultivate reflective thinking.

Yet, professional identity formation is not a purely cognitive process. Emotional, motivational, and relational experiences deeply influence how student teachers understand their role, their commitment to teaching, and their sense of agency in addressing contemporary societal challenges. Existing literature has not sufficiently explored how these emotional processes interact with student teachers’ motives for entering the profession, their perceived preparedness, and their reflexive engagement with complex educational realities. Building on frameworks linking teacher identity to sustainability-oriented education, this study focuses on three interrelated dimensions—self-realization, voluntarism, and social self—as lenses through which student teachers construct an ethical, socially engaged professional identity aligned with the broader goals of a thriving and sustainable future.

The central research question is “How do student teachers construct and renegotiate their professional identities during practicums, and in what ways do the dimensions of self-realization, voluntarism, and social self influence their motives, perceived preparedness, and reflective practices in the context of sustainability-oriented education”?

An explanatory sequential research design was employed to capture both the depth and complexity of student teachers’ identity formation during their practicum. The first phase consisted of a structured quantitative survey administered to student teachers at the end of their practicum. The survey measured their sense of preparedness, motivational orientations, emotional engagement, and levels of reflexivity. Statistical analyses were used to identify patterns and relationships among the variables.

In the second phase, qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with a selected subsample of participants to explore, in greater depth, how they interpreted their practicum experiences and how these experiences contributed to the shaping of self-realization, voluntarism, and social self. Thematic analysis allowed us to examine how student teachers made sense of their emerging professional identities and their perceived responsibilities toward fostering equitable, sustainable, and inclusive classroom spaces. Triangulation across the two phases strengthened the validity of the findings.

The analysis revealed that practicums serve as transformative spaces for identity construction by prompting student teachers to confront authentic challenges, engage with diverse learners, and reflect critically on their role in promoting social and ecological responsibility.

Self-realization emerged as a dimension through which student teachers articulated personal meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in contributing to the common good. Voluntarism reflected a commitment to teaching grounded in ethical responsibility, particularly in relation to addressing inequalities and supporting student well-being. Social self captured the sense of belonging and relational engagement that encouraged student teachers to view teaching as a collaborative, socially impactful profession.

These dimensions were found to significantly reshape participants’ initial motivations, deepen their sense of preparedness, and enhance their capacity for reflective practice. Student teachers expressed a growing awareness of the role teachers play in building democratic, resilient, and sustainability-oriented societies.

The study demonstrates that practicum experiences not only develop professional competencies but also foster emotional and ethical capacities essential for navigating contemporary global challenges. Also, it contributes to rethinking teacher education as a vital lever for shaping educators capable of empowering learners and advancing a thriving, just, and sustainable future.