The way in which ethics are addressed in higher education is determined by the manner in which academics use their discretion when the rules of the institution allow for interpretation. This article presents a theoretical explanation of ethics internalization as the process of forming and consistently putting into practice professional standards that one personally endorses. By linking recent research on moral identity, moral self-regulation, and motivational internalization, it shows how university teachers convert external expectations into standards by which they assess their own behaviour. The mechanism proposed involves ethical self-monitoring, professional self-judgment, and corrective self-reaction. Over a number of cycles, teachers detect discrepancies that have a moral significance, justify their decisions on the grounds of their educational responsibilities, and adjust their behaviour in light of the consequences. Four propositions outline how reflective monitoring, autonomous endorsement, corrective action, and feedback that is consistent with the institution support this process. The framework makes a distinction between internalization and visible compliance as well as between internalization and the maintenance of a positive moral self-image. Its value lies in providing an account of how professional standards come to have a regulatory effect through ordinary teaching decisions, and in identifying practical ways in which universities can link ethical codes, professional deliberation, and accountable action.
References
[1] Krettenauer, T., Stichter, M. (2023) Moral identity and the acquisition of virtue: a self-regulation view. Review of General Psychology, 27(4), 396-409.
[2] Chu, I., Vu, M. C. (2022) The nature of the self, self-regulation and moral action: implications from the confucian relational self and Buddhist non-self. Journal of Business Ethics, 180(1), 245-262.
[3] Ryan, R. M., Deci, E. L., Vansteenkiste, M., Soenens, B. (2021) Building a science of motivated persons: Self-determination theory’s empirical approach to human experience and the regulation of behavior. Motivation Science, 7(2), 97.
[4] Van Petegem, S., Trinkner, R., van der Kaap-Deeder, J., Antonietti, J. P., Vansteenkiste, M. (2021) Police procedural justice and adolescents’ internalization of the law: Integrating self‐determination theory into legal socialization research. Journal of Social Issues, 77(2), 336-366.
[5] Goranson, A., O’Fallon, C., Gray, K. (2022) The moral identity picture scale (MIPS): Measuring the full scope of moral identity. Self and Identity, 21(6), 609-643.
[6] Sonnentag, T. L., Wadian, T. W., Wolfson, M. J. (2024) The role of moral identity in the salience of the prescriptive and proscriptive systems of moral self-regulation. Ethics and Behavior, 34(6), 425-437.
[7] Carminati, L., Gao Héliot, Y. (2023) Multilevel dynamics of moral identity conflict: professional and personal values in ethically-charged situations. Ethics and Behavior, 33(1), 37-54.
[8] Ronkainen, R., Kuusisto, E., Eisenschmidt, E., Tirri, K. (2023) Ethical sensitivity of Finnish and Estonian teachers. Journal of Moral Education, 52(2), 172-188.
[9] Tsega, T. W. (2024) Ethical dilemmas: experiences of secondary school teachers in Addis Ababa city, Ethiopia. Bahir Dar Journal of Education, 24(1), 6-24.
[10] Darga, H. (2023) Ethical Problems and Dilemmas Experienced by Preschool Teachers during the COVID-19 Epidemic. International e-Journal of Educational Studies, 7(14), 324-342.
[11] Rullo, M., Lalot, F., Heering, M. S. (2022) Moral identity, moral self-efficacy, and moral elevation: a sequential mediation model predicting moral intentions and behaviour. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 17(4), 545-560.
[12] Campbell, L. (2022) Teacher regulation and agency through the lens of Durkheim’s professional ethics. Ethics and Education, 17(1), 30-43.
[13] Bozalek, V. (2025) Diffracting posthuman/feminist new materialist and care ethics: Propositions for slow scholarship. Philosophy and Theory in Higher Education, 7(1), 121-141.
Share and Cite
Zheng, C. (2026) From External Norms to Internal Standards: A Self-regulation Perspective on Teacher Ethics Internalization in Higher Education. Global Education Bulletin, 3(5), 35-41. https://doi.org/10.71052/grb2025/PSGI3773