This contribution builds on an analytical approach using Dewey’s thoughts on morals and ethics to address how we acquire our morals, how we can reflect on moral situations, and how ethical reflections are visible in practice. In the study (Sund and Öhman, 2014) we investigate the variety of ethical reflections that emerge when a group of Swedish teachers participate in a study visit to Central America. Following Dewey, we investigated how a teacher, in interaction with others, finds a way to morally reason and co-ordinate with her or his surroundings. In this social co-construction things are literally made common—we socially construct the meaning of right and wrong and what works better in our lives, given the current problematic or situation. The study illustrates important possibilities for using Dewey’s perspective on morals and ethics in empirical studies. Firstly, ethical reflections are not hidden within humans’ minds but are available for empirical investigations of actions. Secondly, morality arises in relation to others and therefore needs to be investigated in relation to concrete and lived experiences. Thirdly, it demonstrates how ethical reflections can be investigated as processes of continuity and change. Lastly, the result underlines Dewey’s point that we need to move away from normative ethical theories and instead deepen the understanding of how humans try to co-ordinate their everyday actions with other people.

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