Considering Ethics

This is a reading response for the Research Colloquium course for week 8 where we are focusing on the ethics of method in relation to findings.

Any discussion about ethics relating to research tends to err on the side of caution, imposing rules and strict guidelines to ensure human subjects, and the researchers who study them, are cared, respected, and trusted. Despite the tendency of a ‘DO NOT’ focus in most ethics related literature, there are researchers who focus on a ‘DO THIS’ ethos and modus operandi. The Australian Code of Ethics, as outlined by McTaggart (2014) focus on the enhancement of general welfare, human good/goods, no risk of harm, and respect for individual dignity and welfare of persons.  The ethical standards for the teaching profession, as outlined in the Ontario College of Teachers Standards hold some insights for research driven ethics. The OCT standards break down into four categories, that, when examined through a research lens, hold evident truths and actions to ensure the safety, security, privacy, and rights of participants in the research design. These four standards include 1) care which includes elements of compassion, acceptance, commitment to well-being, empathic practice; 2) respect which highlights fair-mindedness, honouring human dignity, honoring spiritual and cultural values, confidentiality, and freedom of expression; 3) trust which focuses on openness, honesty, fairness; and 4) integrity which encompasses honesty, reliability, moral action, and continual reflection (OCT, n.d.).

As I was reading and preparing for this week’s discussion, I focused on the word “complexity” since “complexity raises ethical dilemmas” (McTaggart, 2014) and mirrored in the writing by Zimmer and Kinder-Kurlanda (2017). The support provided by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) with their Code of Ethics (AERA, 2011) can inform researchers beyond the Research Ethics Boards application processes of their institutions. Yet, weaving through the ethics considerations, conceptual challenges, data management issues, and applicable contextual challenges, requires additional support when designing a research plan to manage that complexity, particularly for novice researchers. For those using internet related tools and resources, and applying internet related research strategies, the information from the Association of Internet Research document on ethical decision-making (Markham & Buchanan, 2012) can help. McTaggart (2014) lays our specific ethical dilemmas which ask more questions, which only adds to this complexity. Ethical dilemmas in public spheres, which could impact my intended research in open educational practices, include attendance (shallow vs meaningful), decision-making (agency or blind conformity), knowledge building (surface participation vs deeper engagement), psychological engagement (real identification, self-interest, or value laden influence), reformation of practices (personal and institutional), and changing theoretically informed practices (McTaggart, 2014).

As evidenced in the doctoral dissertation readings from this week, ethical considerations are contextual (Guiney Yollop, 2008), theoretical and methodological (Cameron, 2010; Delicata, 2016), and relate to dissemination (Brant, 2011). Each researcher explains and justifies their ethical decisions for the sake of their participants first, and their research second. They establish their role as researchers by illuminating their decision-making processes and establishing their positionality, grounding themselves in the research, and explicitly outlining and modelling care, respect, trust, and integrity.  

References

AERA Code of Ethics: American Educational Research Association. Approved by the AERA Council February 2011. (2011). Educational Researcher, 40(3), 145–156. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X11410403

Brant, J. (2017). Journeying toward praxis of Indigenous maternal pedagogy: Lessons from our sweetgrass baskets (PhD). Brock University, St. Catherine’s, Ontario.

Cameron, E. (2014). Throwing their weight around: A critical examination of faculty experiences with challenging dominant obesity discourse in post-secondary education (Doctoral dissertation). Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Delicata, K. N. (2016). Women, abelism and schooling: Exploring the experiences of women with physical disabilities and women with learning challenges in a postsecondary school context (Doctoral dissertation). University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario. Retrieved from https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/5727

Markham, A., & Buchanan, E. (2012). Ethical decision-making and internet research: Recommendations from the AoIR ethics working committee (Version 2.0) (AOIR Ethics Working Committee). Retrieved from http://aoir.org/reports/ethics2.pdf

McTaggart, R. (2014). Evolving ethics of educational research. In A. Reid, P. Hart, & M. Peters (Eds.), A companion guide to research in education. New York, NY: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6809-3

Ontario College of Teachers. (n.d.). Standards of care for the teaching practice: Ethical standards and standards of practice. Ontario College of Teachers. Retrieved from https://www.oct.ca/-/media/PDF/Standards%20Poster/standards_flyer_e.pdf

Zimmer, M., & Kinder-Kurlanda, K. (Eds.). (2017). Internet research ethics for the social age: New challenges, cases, and contexts. New York: Peter Lang.