Amanda Williams, Chair of SoE Research Ethics Committee

Nuts & Bolts of Research Ethics at the School of

Education
Ethics
• A set of rules by which individuals and societies
maintain moral standards

• Social and moral values in research

• BPS Code of Human Research Ethics

– http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/docume
nts/code_of_human_research_ethics.pdf
• BERA
– https://www.bera.ac.uk/researchers-resources/resources-
for-researchers
Research ethics

• An application of ethics to research that addresses

the balance between:
– good and harm arising from developing
knowledge and understanding through
systematic inquiry
and
– the good and harm experienced by the people
affected.
A definition of ethics

• Ethics is ‘a matter of principled sensitivity to the

rights of others. Being ethical limits the choices we
can make in pursuit of truth. Ethics say that while
truth is good, respect for human dignity is better,
even if, in the extreme case, the respect of human
nature leaves one ignorant of human nature.’

Cavan, S. (1977) Review of J.D. Douglas’s (1976) Investigative Social Review: Individual

and Team Field Research. American Journal of Sociology 83(3): 809-11

Ethical theories

• Virtue ethics (Aristotle, agent-centred, pays

attention to the ethical agent, motives, intentions
and moral quality)
• Deontology (Kant, non-consequentialist, duty
ethics or doing what is right, act oriented)
• Consequentialism/Utilitarianism (outcomes-based,
JS Mill)
Do we need a code of conduct – or are our
own moral practices enough?

• From trust to scandals:

Tuskegee Syphilis Studies 1932-72

Willowbrook Hepatitis Studies 1950s - 72

Milgram: Obedience to authority experiment 1963

• Funders and/or regulators demand it

• Legislation requires it
• Possibility of complaints and litigation
What do these ethics processes aim to
do?
• Ensure researchers think about the research they are about to
undertake in a much more structured way – and what the likely
impact will be on participants;

• Seek to ensure that participants will be fully aware of what they are
being asked to do as part of the research process and that they are
aware that they are neither compelled to participate;

• Seek to question whether is it appropriate to research these people

– potential gain/harm;

• Seek to ensure that the safety of the researcher as well as the

participants have been addressed.
Question for discussion

• What are the distinctive ethical challenges of

conducting research about education (in its widest
sense about formal and informal learning)?

• What can we do to address these challenges?

Social science research ethics

• The goal of research is the ethical production of

generalisable knowledge – but does not entail the
curtailment of ethically-complicated research. The
point is that there is an ethical discussion to be had
about whether and how such research should be
done and that conversation should be part and
parcel of conceiving, designing and carrying out
the research.
Sean LM Jennings in Research Ethics Review (2010) Vol 6, No 3, 86-90
Educational Research: BERA principles
 Educational Research: BERA principles

• Responsibilities to:
– Participants
– Sponsors of Research
– Community of Educational Researchers
– Educational Professionals, Policy Makers, & General
Public
Ethics procedures and codes of
professional conduct

• Ethical procedures (approval from an ethics

committee/institutional body) in order to undertake
research
• At your own institution but also from the institution in
which you wish to conduct research
• Procedures will be different across contexts
• Professional codes of conduct
 Ethical review processes & resources

• Faculty

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/fssl/current-staff/researchethics/

• SoE

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/education/research/networks/ethicnet

• All projects must receive ethical approval before the

research takes place.
• All projects approved at the School level (by supervisor)
• SoE Ethics Committee does quality control
SoE Research Ethics Procedure
 You are invited to consider the issues
highlighted below and note any decisions
made.
• Researcher access/ exit
• Information given to participants
• Participants right of withdrawal
• Informed consent
• Complaints procedure
• Safety and well-being of participants/ researchers
• Anonymity/ confidentiality
• Data collection
• Data analysis
• Data storage
• Data Protection Act
• Feedback
• Responsibilities to colleagues/ academic community
• Reporting of research
Be aware that ethical responsibility continues throughout the research process…
Main Ethical Considerations (BPS)

• Informed Consent/Assent
– PPT Information letter
• What they will do & why
• Risks/benefits
• Voluntary
• Right to withdraw w/o penalty
• What do with data (Data Protection Act 1998)
• Contact information of researcher(s)
Main Ethical Considerations (BPS)

• Protection from harm (PPT & Researcher)

– Physical
– Psychological
– Risk management
• must outweigh by benefit
• Assessed by PPT (disclosed)
– Confidentiality
• Identity protected
• What data used for
Main Ethical Considerations (BPS)

• Honesty
– Necessary deception (Hawthorne effect)
– Needs of research well justified
• Respect for PPT time
Main Ethical Considerations (BPS)

• Data Protection
– Data Protection Act 1998
• Use for purpose collected
• Not excessive for purpose
• Not kept longer than necessary
• Kept in safe place, limited access
Main Ethical Considerations (BPS)
• Vulnerable Groups

• Data Ownership

• Authorship

• Illegal behaviour (duty to report)

• Culture & Diversity

• Power relations & coercion

Role of the Discussant

1) Think about research from participant’s

perspective
2) Think about consistency of information across the
proposal (including information/debriefing info)
3) Think about safety concerns
4) Think about the methods – are these appropriate
to address the research question?

Provide evidence of this conversation in your

application
Evidence of Discussion
Summary of Ethics Process
1) Complete form (http://www.bristol.ac.uk/education/research/networks/ethicscommittee/procedures/)
2) Talk to supervisor, amend form
3) Talk to Discussant, amend form (track changes)
4) Send form to supervisor for final approval
5) Upload form to RED site
6) Supervisor will approve form
7) [Start data collection]
8) SoE Ethics Committee will approve form. Keep
email confirmation & ethics application – these
need to be a dissertation appendix
 Ethical mindfulness: An ongoing process

• From the initial conception of the research -

methodological positioning and choices - ethics is
embedded within the research process

• Thinking about ethics and reflecting on the

complexities of ethical issues is part of all research

• “ethical dilemmas and concerns are part of the every

day practice of doing research - all kinds of
research” (Guillemin & Gillam 2004: 262)
Ethical moments

• Involves both the anticipated but also the

unanticipated aspects of the research process;
• “There can be all sorts of ethically important
moments: when participants indicate discomfort
with their answer, or reveal a vulnerability; when a
research participant states that he or she does not
want to be assigned a pseudonym in the writing up
of the research but wants to have his or her real
name reported.” (Guillemin & Gillam 2004: 265)
 Still Early Days But…

• Any ethical “red flags” in your research projects?

• How might you deal with these?

- Discuss in small groups, then feedback to larger group

Scenario 1

• You are conducting an in-depth interview with a

participant who – despite appearing to be OK at
the outset - becomes very distressed in the course
of the interview. Even though they may state that
they are very keen for that interview to continue, is
it ethical to continue?
Scenario 2

• You are at the home of a research participant

investigating learning practices when she makes a
series of disparaging comments about other
groups. These opinions strongly conflict with your
own views. You feel dismayed, especially as you
may be conducting a follow up interview in due
course. What are your options?
Scenario 3

• During a focus group with parents at a primary

school, two of the parents express their strong
dissatisfaction with their children’s class teacher.
They do not want to make a complaint for fear their
children would be victimised and ask the
researcher to represent family issues to the school.
What are your options?
 Scenario 4

• Scheper-Hughes (1979) studied social relations in a village in rural

Ireland, arguing that these generated mental illness on the part of some
family members. After publishing a book documenting his findings,
Scheper-Hughes returned to the village for further data collection and
was forced to leave.

1. Do researchers have a responsibility to produce an account that is

appealing, or at least acceptable, to those whose behaviour they
describe?

2. How far does the responsibility of the researcher extend when

anonymization procedures fail to 31
protect participants’ privacy?
 Scenario 5

• Sikes (2006) researched consensual romantic and sexual relationships

between male teachers and women (over the legal age of consent) who
had been their students. Her research findings challenged stereotypical
views that such relations always involve the abuse of power. A
journalist read her work and reported that Sikes was promoting sexual
relationships between teachers and students.

1. Do researchers have a right to research “taboo” topics?

2. What are the responsibilities of researchers as regards the

dissemination of their findings via mass media?
32
 Useful references
BERA (2004) Revised Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research
www.bera.ac.uk/guidelines.html
Brooks, R., te Riele, K. & Maquire, M. (2014): Ethics and Education Research . Sage
Hammersley, M. & Trianou, A. (2012) Ethics and Educational Research. Available at
http://www.bera.ac.uk/resources/ethics-and-educational-research
Israel, Mark & Hay, I (2006).: Research ethics for social scientists :between ethical
conduct and regulatory compliance. Sage: London.
Josselson, Ruthellen (1996) (Ed) Ethics and process in the narrative study of lives.
Sage: Thousand Oaks CA.
Kimmel, Allan J (2007) Ethical issues in behavioural research: basic and applied
perspectives (2nd ed). Blackwell: Oxford.
McNamee, Mike & Bridges, D (2002) The Ethics of Educational Research. Blackwell:
Oxford.
Oliver, Paul (2003) The Student’s Guide to Research Ethics. Open University Press:
Maidenhead.
Sikes, P., Nixon, J & Carr, W (2003) Moral Foundations of Educational Research.
Open University Press: Maidenhead.
Simons, Helen and Usher, Robin (Eds) (2000) Situated ethics in educational
research: knowledge, inquiry and values. Routledge: London.
Zeni, Jane (Ed) (2001) Ethical issues in practitioner research. Teachers College
Press, New York.

With thanks to Prof Tim Bond & Wan Yee for the use of some slides in this presentation