ETHICAL GUIDELINES


 


  


Protection of Individuals in Educational Research


 


 


 


 


Abstract


            Ethical is considered as one of the most important aspects of any research, particularly in educational research. It pertains on the different personal, social and moral aspects that must be considered in the entire processes and stages in the research or study. It pertains on the relationship between the subjects and the researcher, which is very important factor that enables the subject to supply correct or valid data to be analyzed by the researcher. There are three important factors that must be considered by researcher in construction of ethical guidelines: protection of participants from harm; ensuring confidentiality of research data; and knowing deception of research subject.


 


 


Introduction


            The main principles of educational research do not only focus on the commitment to honesty (Sammons, 1989) and pursuit of truth (Berger & Patchner, 1988), but also pertains on the respect for the dignity and privacy of those people who are involved in the entire subject of research (Pring, 2000 cited in Busher, 2005). Due to that reason, ethics is considered as an integral aspect of any research, particularly those which focuses on educational field. Ethics is considered as standards set by profession and regulations of its member’s conduct, thus it can be considered as a method, procedure or perspective for deciding how to act and for analyzing complex problems and issues (Resnik, 2007).


Importance of Ethics in Educational Research


 


Ethical Guidelines


 


            The choice to start or carry out a given research rests on a careful and measured judgment by individual education regarding on the subject of how best to contribute to science and human welfare. Having made the decision to accomplish the research, the educator considers different options in directions where in research energies and resources might be invested. On the basis of this thought, the educator carries out the investigation with value and apprehension for the dignity and welfare of the people who participate and with connection of federal and state regulations and professional standards which govern the conduct of research with human participants (Wallen & Fraenkel, 2001, p. 22).


 


            Ethical guidelines cannot reduce the validity and reliability of the research, however, it highlight the contextual complexities within which it is carried out (Kelly, 1989 cited in Busher, 2005). In order to do so, a research project needs to be designed in a way that it will create a trustworthy outcomes if it is believe to the pursuing the truth (Busher, 2005).


            There are three important aspects that must be considered by researchers: protection of participants from harm; ensuring confidentiality of research data; and knowing deception of research subject.


 


Harm and Risk towards Participants


 


            The process of protecting participants is considered as the most vital ethical consideration of all. It is considered as the basic responsibility of every researcher to do all in his or her power or ability to ensure that the participant in a research study are protected from any physical or psychological harm or danger that may arise from different research procedure (Wallen & Fraenkel, 2001, p. 22).


 


            It is good to know that most of educational research involves activities that are within the customary procedures of schools and other agencies which involve little risk or no risk at all. However, educational research is not exempted from extensive review processes. Thus, researchers must be very careful in considering the likelihood of risk involved, thus, offer full disclosure and obtain consent from the participants and other involved parties (Wallen & Fraenkel, 2001, p. 23). Therefore, it include the process of fully informing the research staff and the subjects regarding the purpose, methods and uses of the research, together with the possible benefits and risks of the study. Furthermore, it will be important to focus on how to minimize or avoid, if there are some risks or threats to the subjects that might arise during and beyond the project. In this aspect enters the idea informed consent, where in researchers give the subjects with the choice, whether to join the project or not. Above all, it will be important to avoid harm to research participants, including wider family, kin and community (Busher, 2005).


 


 


 


            In general, this aspect of ethical guidelines enables the researchers to focus on the following questions:


 



  • Could people be harmed?

  • Can the study be conducted in another way and still find out what the researcher wants to know?

  • Is the information that may be obtained from the study so important that it warrants possible harm to the subjects?


(Wallen & Fraenkel, 2001, p. 23).


Confidentiality of Research Data


            Once the data in a study have been collected, the researcher must make sure that no one else has access to the data (Wallen & Fraenkel, 2001, p. 24). Confidentiality is considered as the central ingredients in the ethical guidelines of any research (Levine, n.d.). In connection, anonymity is considered as the only one aspect of ensuring confidentiality of data in a research (Campbell & Groundwater-Smith, 2007, p. 82). Thus, it focuses on protecting the profile and personal information of those individuals or subjects of the study, together with the data which was gathered during the study.


 


            If possible, it will be important to remove the names of the subject from all of the data collection forms. In order to preserve confidentiality, a number or letter can be assigned to each form or the subject can be asked to apply information in unsigned matter. It is also ideal if the researcher will not be able to retrieve or access data to a given subject. However, there are some cases where in it is vital for the researcher to identify individual subjects, but it will be important to have a carefully guarded linkage system. It will be important for the researcher to ensure the subjects of the study that any data that were colleted from and about them will be held in confidence. In addition, the names and other personal information regarding the subjects should never be used in any publications that describe the research. Above all, all of the subjects or participants in the study always have the right to withdraw from the study, or even request that the data regarding them will not be used (Wallen & Fraenkel, 2001, p. 24).


 


Deceiving Subjects


            The issue of deception is one of the main bothersome aspects as far as ethics is being concerned.  There are some studies that cannot be carried out unless some deception of subjects takes place (Wallen & Fraenkel, 2001, p. 24). Faced with the possibility that target subjects might reject to contribute in a study, or that subjects knowing the idea of a study might bias its outcome, some researchers have infrequently resorted the use of deception. Deception include deceptive or confusing information, or not informing the subjects at all, regarding the purpose and nature of a research study, or not informing the subjects that they are already part of a study (Bennett, Glatter, Levačić, 1994, p. 96).


 


            There are many human service researchers who state their strong opposition towards deception because it involved lying to subjects, which is considered as immoral, thus causes the subjects to have improper assumptions regarding a study, and disobeys the confidence and expectations that should be present between a researcher and the subject. On the other hand, there are some researchers who show strong support on deception because they feel that withholding information from the subjects may be reasonable if a study is valuable in advancing the scientific knowledge, and if outcomes would be put at risk if subjects knew the reason and nature of the study in advance, and if no other methods for conducting the study were available (Bennett  et al., 1994, p. 97).


 


            Suppose that the use of deception will be applicable in a study, it will be important for the researcher to debrief the subject as soon as possible after the deception, which can be done in two ways: dehoaxing and desensitization (Pei, n.d.).


 


             In dehoaxing, the subject must induce and prove to everyone who was deceived during the study, that the deception was in fact involved. The main purpose of the said action is to ensure that the false information will do future harm to any participant.  On the other hand, there are some situation where in by simple telling that deception was used, is not enough. As an alternative, it will be important to focus on desensitization, or the process of convincing the participants regarding the deception, and removing its unwanted impacts (Pei, n.d.).


 


Conclusion


            The entire ethical guidelines in educational studies are not that complicated compare to other field of social science, however, it is not exempted from any reviews. The main ethical aspects of educational research focus mainly on the emotional and social harm or risk that might be encountered by the subjects. Furthermore, the confidentiality is another most important or vital aspect in ethical guidelines in educational research which pertains on privacy of the subjects. Above all, application of deception is optional, based on the different aspects of the study.


 


 


References


 


Bennett, N., Glatter, R. & Levačić, R. (1994). Improving Educational Management Through Research and Consultancy: Through Research and Consultancy. SAGE.


Busher, H. (2005). Ethics of Educational Research: An Agenda for Discussion. Retrieved February 9, 2009, from University of Leicester website: http://wwwlb.aub.edu.lb/~websm ec/Ethics%20of%20Educational%20Research%20hcb%20nov%202005.ppt.


Campbell, A. & Groundwater-Smith, S. (2007). An Ethical Approach to Practitioner Research: Dealing with Issues and Dilemmas in Action Research. Routledge.


Levine, F. Protecting Participant Confidentiality in Social Science Research. Retrieved February 9, 2009, from AERA website: http://www.aera.net/humansubjects/courses/AERA/Confi dentiality.ppt.


Pei, L. Educational Research: An Introduction. Retrieved February 9, 2009, from China Conservatory website: http://jwc.ccmusic.edu.cn/%E7%BD%91%E7%BB%9C%E8%A F%BE%E7%A8%8B/%E6%95%99%E8%82%B2%E7%A0%94%E7%A9%B6%E5%AF%BC%E8%AE%BA%E7%BD%91%E7%BB%9C%E8%AF%BE%E7%A8%8B%E6%9D%90%E6%96%99%E5%8C%85/%E8%B5%84%E6%96%99/%E6%BC%94%E7%A4%BA%E6%96%87%E7%A8%BF/%E6%BC%94%E7%A4%BA%E6%96%87%E7%A8%BF/Chapter%203.ppt.


Resnik, D. (2007). What is Ethics in Research & Why is it Important? Retrieved February 9, 2009, from National Institute of Environment Health Sciences – National Institute of Health website: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/whatis.cfm.


Wallen, N. & Fraenkel, J. (2001). Educational Research: A Guide to the Process. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.


 


 



 



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