An ‘ethic’ is
a moral principle or a code of conduct which … governs what people do. It is concerned with the way people act or
behave. The term ‘ethics’ usually refers
to the moral principles, guiding conduct, which are held by a group or even
a profession (though there is no logical reason why individuals should not have
their own ethical code)” (Wellington, 2000: 54)
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Research
ethics
‘Research ethics’ refers to the
moral principles guiding research from its beginning to its completion and
publication of results and beyond
Why be
concerned with research ethics in the School of Education?
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Professional responsibility – avoidance of
exploitation of research participants
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Research can be harmful:
–
to research participants
–
to individual researchers
–
to the School / University
–
to our relations with schools
–
to the research community
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Ethical malpractice exists
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Reducing
risks to participants
(Cohen et al, 2000:51)
(Cohen et al, 2000:51)
Protecting the rights of the
participants:
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maintaining
privacy,
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guaranteeing
privacy,
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guaranteeing
confidentiality,
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avoiding
harm, betrayal, deception.
l Good practice in Research
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Confidentiality
of information
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Voluntary
participation
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Reducing
risks to participants
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Informed
consent
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Protection of data
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Confidentiality
of information (ESRC, 2005)
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The
confidentiality of information supplied by research subjects must be respected
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The
unrecognizability of respondents must be respected
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Refer
to participants by number, e.g. T1, T2 etc.
l Refer to participants and
institutions by stage names e.g. “Mr. Shakespeare”
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(false name), e.g. “University of Stratford”
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Voluntary
participation
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Research
participants must participate in a voluntary way, free from any pressure.
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They
should be informed of their right to refuse to participate or withdraw from an
investigation.
Informed consent
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Participants
must be in a position or old enough to understand the choice that they are
making
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Disclosure
of purposes of research
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A
provision allowing participants to withdraw at any time
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Disclosure
of any risks to participants
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Signed
consent form (optional)
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Protection
of data
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Data
must not be released to third parties
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Data
must be kept in a secure environment
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Data
may be destroyed after the research project is completed
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Data
Protection Act
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Standard
ethical principles
Fully
informed consent of prospective participants & Researcher should
provide information about:
–
the
aims and nature of the research
–
identity
and contact details of researchers
–
likely
duration of research & their involvement
–
who
will have access to data
–
how
data will be stored
–
possible
consequences of participation and of the research
–
whether
participants would have right to see/amend transcripts, comment on provisional
data analyses etc.
–
how
results are likely to be disseminated
–
the
extent to which confidentiality and anonymity will be protected
–
.
l Participants’
right to withdraw from study
l Confidentiality
– while researchers know who has provided data, they should not make this known
to others
l Anonymity
l Non-traceability
l Protection of participants’welfare – attempt to ensure that
participants are not harmed or affected by the research
l Respect for pparticipants’ right
to privacy
l Respect
for knowledge – ‘pursuit of truth’
l Sensitivity
to differences relating (for example) to age, culture, disability
l Destroy confidential data after
project is complete
l Keep confidential data secure
