Ethical policies and issues for educational

research

Tim Bond

SSL Faculty Research Ethics Officer

Overview

Distinctive characteristics of educational research

Current procedures Questions for today

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?

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

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

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?