Ethical policies and issues for educational research

1
Ethical policies and issues for educational
research

• Tim Bond
• SSL Faculty Research Ethics Officer

2
Overview

• Distinctive characteristics of educational
  research
• Current procedures
• Questions for today

3
Features of educational research

• Contested field of study with different research
  purposes and corresponding approaches to
  knowledge
• Contextually sensitive and diverse
• Typical research subjects are disempowered by
  immaturity and institutional context or skilled
  in protecting own power and authority? Conformist
  or resistant?

4
Features of educational research

• Gatekeepers may have vested interests in methods
  and outcomes of research. Can skew or frustrate
  inclusivity of potential participants
• Risks to participants are usually reputational,
  social, multifaceted and some are hard to predict
  and evaluate in advance systemic reflexivity
• Just another lesson blurring between research
  and everyday activities

5
Current research ethics procedures

• Another gatekeeper or opportunity for
  clarification and problem-solving in ways that
  support respect, rigour and responsibility?
• Departmental processes
• Faculty processes

6
Questions for today

• What are the ethical dilemmas and issues?
• How are the tensions between knowledge generation
  and respect for persons best resolved?
• At what point in the research process do ethical
  issues become apparent?
• What can independent review contribute in
  comparison to fostering ethically minded
  researchers?