Tertium Comparationis: Issue 1/2026, 32. Volume

While teacher shortages in the Nordic countries are commonly framed as an educational policy challenge, this article approaches them as a problem of professional ethics and analyses ethical references within two major Nordic policy discourses. The analysis shows that the democratic Bildung discourse foregrounds the relational dimension of pedagogical practice as an ethical concern, while leaving its status as a dimension of teacher quality largely implicit. In contrast, the learning outcomes discourse defines pedagogical quality primarily in subject-specific terms, leaving the relational dimension of pedagogical practice weakly articulated. Overall, the analysis indicates that current reference frameworks inadequately capture the relational aspects of teacher quality. Building on this analysis, the article employs a care-ethical perspective to make the relational dimension of pedagogical work explicit. Drawing on this perspective, this article offers a care-ethical reading of four factors that have been associated with teacher retention: (1) the development of a professional self, (2) care for the professional self, (3) a supportive work environment, and (4) relative autonomy and trust-based practice.

Keywords
teacher shortage, teacher attrition, profession, professional ethics, care ethics