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ETHICS & RESEARCH

Objectives:
At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
• Describe briefly three important ethical principles recommended for researchers to follow.
• State the basic question with regard to ethics that researchers need to ask before beginning a
study.
• State the three questions researchers need to address to protect research participants from harm.

Ethics refers to questions of right and wrong.

EXAMPLES OF UNETHICAL PRACTICE


• requires a group of high school sophomores to sign a form in which they agree to participate in a
research study.
• asks first-graders sensitive questions without obtaining the consent of their parents to question
them.
• deletes data that do not support the hypothesis.
• requires university students to fill out a questionnaire about their sexual practices.
• involves a group of eighth-graders in a research study that may harm them psychologically without
informing them or their parents of this fact.

BASIC ETHICAL PRINCIPLES


• The basic ethical question for all researchers to consider is whether any physical or psychological
harm could come to anyone as a result of the research.
• All subjects in a research study should be assured that any data collected from or about them will
be held in confidence.
• The term deception, as used in research, refers to intentionally misinforming the subjects of a study
as to some or all aspects of the research topic.
• Plagiarism is the act of misrepresenting someone else’s work as one’s own.
• Unintentional plagiarism can be avoided through the proper use and citation of published and
unlisted sources.

RESEARCH WITH CHILDREN


• Children as research subjects present problems for researchers that are different from those of
adult subjects. Children are more vulnerable, have fewer legal rights, and often do not understand
the meaning of informed consent.

THREE EXAMPLES INVOLVING ETHICAL CONCERNS

Study 1
The researcher plans to observe (unobtrusively) students in each of 40 classrooms—eight visits
each of 40 minutes’ duration. The purpose of these observations is to look for relationships between the
behavior of students and certain teacher behavior patterns.
Possibility of Harm to the Participants. Neither teachers nor students are placed under any
risk, and observation is an accepted part of school practice.
Confidentiality of the Research Data. The only issue that is likely to arise in this regard is the
possible but unlikely observation of a teacher behaving in an illegal or unethical way (e.g., physically or
verbally abusing a student). If the teacher is abusing the students physically, the researcher is legally
required to report the incident. If the teacher is verbally abusing the students, the researcher must weigh
the ethical dilemma involved in not reporting the incident against that of violating assurances of
confidentiality.

Study 2
The researcher wishes to study the value of a workshop on suicide prevention for high school
students. The workshop is to consist of three two-hour meetings in which danger signals, causes of suicide,
and community resources that provide counseling will be discussed. Students will volunteer, and half will
be assigned to a comparison group that will not participate in the workshop. Outcomes will be assessed by
comparing the information learned and attitudes of those attending the meetings with those who do not
attend.
Possibility of Harm to the Participants. Whether this study fits the exempt category with
regard to any possibility of risk for the participants depends on the extent to which it is atypical for the
school in question. We think that in most schools, this study would probably be considered atypical. In
addition, it is conceivable that the material presented could place a student at risk by stirring up emotional
reactions. In any case, the researcher should inform parents as to the nature of the study and the possible
risks involved and obtain their consent for their children to participate.
Confidentiality of the Research Data. No problems are foreseen in this regard, although
confidentiality as to what will occur during the workshop cannot, of course, be guaranteed.

Study 3
The researcher wishes to study the effects of “failure” versus “success” by teaching junior high
students a motor skill during a series of six 10-minute instructional periods. After each training period, the
students will be given feedback on their performance as compared with that of other students. To control
extraneous variables (such as coordination), the researcher plans to randomly divide the students into two
groups—half will be told that their performance was “relatively poor” and the other half will be told that
they are “doing well.” Their actual performance will be ignored.
Possibility of Harm to the Participants. This study presents several problems. Some students
in the “failure” group may well suffer emotional distress. Although students are normally given similar
feedback on their performance in most schools, feedback in this study (being arbitrary) may conflict
dramatically with their prior experience. The researcher cannot properly inform students, or their parents,
about the deceptive nature of the study, since to do so would in effect destroy the study.
Confidentiality of the Research Data. Confidentiality does not appear to be an issue in this
study.
Problem Sheet #4
ETHICS AND RESEARCH

Restate the research question you developed in Problem Sheet #3. Identify any possible ethical problems
in carrying out such a study. How might such problems be remedied?

Members: (Last Name, First Name, MI)


(1) _____________________________________ (4) _____________________________________
(2) _____________________________________ (5) _____________________________________
(3) _____________________________________

1. My research question is:

2. The possibilities of harm to participants (if any) are as follows:

I would handle these problems as follows:

3. The possibilities of problems of confidentiality (if any) are as follows:

I would handle these problems as follows:

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