Week 26: Research Ethics

• Your research must be respectful of the participants and avoid causing them harm, distress, anxiety or disadvantage.
• 3 important principles: -protection from harm, -confidentiality, -minimise deception, 

The key principles of research ethics

Here are some key principles summarised from New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE) (2010) Ethical Guidelines:

• Seek at all times to avoid harm and do good.
• The rights and welfare of learners, research participants and the public should take precedence over the researcher's self-interest.
• Have a specific duty of care to research participants: to avoid unnecessary anxiety or harm to participants, groups or communities by the research procedures that are used, by the details in the research reports, or as a consequence of participating in the research.
• Give participants a clear description of why the research is being undertaken, what it involves, how it will be reported, and the extent of public availability before participants make a decision about their involvement in a project. Their consent to being involved should then be sought without undue pressure or persuasion and they should have the right to withdraw at any time.
• Consider the capacity of each potential participant to give consent or assent to participate. In research that involves young children, parents or caregivers also need to be asked for their consent.
• Store confidential information securely and de-identify whenever practicable. Keep individual information or private matters strictly confidential.
• Make sure that the participants’ educational progress is not hindered when research projects take time away from regular teaching and learning activities.
• Give a report of research findings to participants to enable them to benefit, directly or indirectly, from their willingness to facilitate the research exercise (NZARE, 2010).