Transforming Chinese teachers’ moral dilemmas into pedagogical materials for moral education

This study investigates how Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological systems theory can be applied as a theoretical framework to collect, identify, and analyze real-life moral dilemmas encountered by Chinese in-service teachers as pedagogical materials in moral education. Amid growing concerns that school-based moral education in China often prioritizes ideological conformity over contextual sensitivity, this research advocates a shift toward a more experiential and contextually grounded approach. Drawing on qualitative data from interviews with 13 in-service teachers, this study adopts a thematic analysis to categorize moral dilemmas using the multi-layered structure of bio-ecological systems theory, including individual, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem levels. Findings reveal that teachers’ moral experiences are deeply embedded in complex ecological contexts and broader societal expectations. By transforming these dilemmas into structured moral case studies, the research demonstrates the potential of such cases to enrich the moral reasoning skills of pre-service teachers. This pedagogical innovation encourages reflective thinking, moral dialogue, and the development of moral competence through real-world scenarios. This study proposes a new model of moral education grounded in lived experience and offers educators and policymakers an evidence-based approach to reforming moral education through ecological analysis and critical pedagogy.