Background:  Ethical sensitivity is an important competency for teaching and it aims to nurture students both ethically and cognitively. According to the importance of ethical sensitivity in teaching, this paper examines the relationship between ethical sensitivity and caring teaching in order to build and fit a model that explains the relationship between these variables.

Methods: The research approach of this study was quantitative. The population was the entire elementary, secondary and high school’s teachers (female and male) in Kamyaran, Kurdistan, Iran in 2013. The sample size was 242 teachers (54% male and 46% female). We sued random stratified sampling in order to select participants. Data was collected with a questionnaire including two scales: Ethical Sensitivity Scale and Caring Teaching Scale. We used confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling for analyzing data.

Results: Results showed that all dimensions of both ethical sensitivity and caring teaching had reliable psychometric properties. According to the relationship between two variables, we found that caring through communication had no statistical significant effect on caring teaching. However, acceptance opinions of others, understanding ethical Issues, and identifying the consequences of action and options demonstrate significant effects on caring teaching.

Conclusion: Ethical sensitivity and caring teaching are important elements for developing teachers’ moral competency. In this way, teachers can develop theoretical and empirical insights into the moral foundation of teaching.