Experimental Research Methods in Language Learning Chapter 6

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 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?