Experimental Research Methods in Language

Learning

Chapter 6

Ethical Considerations in Experimental Research

Leading Questions

• What do you think can be an impact of a study on research participants?

• What do you think are research ethics?

• Why do we need to think about ethics when we conduct research?

Ethical Considerations in Experimental Research

• Experimental research requires research participants.

• Researchers need to consider any potential risks.

• Researchers need to follow some ethical protocols to safeguard their research participants in terms of confidentiality and their right to privacy.

• They are related to researchers’ professional integrity.

The APA Code of Ethical Conduct

The five general principles are:

• Beneficence and Non-Malfeasance: benefits, physical and/or psychological dangers welfare and rights of the researcher participants.

• Fidelity and Responsibility: trust, professional responsibilities, avoidance of conflicts of interest.

• Integrity: research accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness of scientific knowledge and educational advancement, avoid deception.

The APA Code of Ethical Conduct

• Justice: issues related to bias, fairness and justice in research, professional limitations and expertise in the field.

• Respect for People’s Right and Dignity: participants’ right to privacy, confidentiality, and welfare.

The AERA Ethical Standards

Considers participants’ or their guardians’ right to:

• knowledge of the likely risk and potential consequences from being involved in a study;

• confidentiality, whereby information will not be disclosed to the public without participants’ or their guardians’ permission.

• researchers’ honesty about the research aim and processes.

• a withdrawal from the study and of any data provided earlier in the study.

Informed Consent

• Researchers need to provide detailed information about what will be involved for the participants prior to their consent.

• Parents/legal guardians need to give their consent on behalf of their young children.

• A translation of the participant information statements and the consent form into participants first language

• A debriefing session to explain elements of the research project and allow questions to be asked.

Anonymity

• Anonymity (i.e., unidentifiability) promotes participants to be truthful in expressing their thoughts and attitudes.

• Complete anonymity is difficult to achieve in experimental research because participants need to take part in the study within a period of time.

• Anonymity can be achieved to the extent that the researchers are the only ones who know the identities of the participants.

Confidentiality

• Confidentiality can be achieved through the use of pseudonyms (unreal names) to refer to research participants and the name of the research site (e.g., school, college, university or company).

• It is linked to the concept of participants’ privacy of personal information.

Institutional Research Ethics Approval

• Researchers should submit their research ethics application forms to the relevant institutional research ethics review committees for approvals prior to data collection.

• An institutional ethics committee’s mission is to safeguard research participants, researchers, and the institute(s).

Experimental Researchers’ Key Responsibilities and Obligations

Responsibilities and Obligation to Research Participants

• Provide adequate information to research participants.

• Consider all potential physical and psychological harm that may occur in an experimental study and constantly monitor them throughout the study.

• Reward their cooperation and efforts to take part in the study.

Experimental Researchers’ Key Responsibilities and Obligations

Responsibilities and Obligations to the Profession

• Plan an experimental study carefully.

• Do not abuse any colleagues or research students by asking them to collect the data for the study they are not involved in.

• Always submit an ethics application to the institute’s research ethics committee for approval.

• Write your research report clearly and honestly.

Discussion

• How would you describe ethics in research?

• Why are ethical considerations for human participants important in experimental research?

• What should you do to make sure that your experimental research is ethical?

• Do you consider ‘deception’ good or bad in experimental research? Why or why not?