Research Ethics

Pre test

Directions: Read the following statements carefully. Decide

whether the action of the researcher is ethical or unethical. Write
your answer on the space provided.
 ___________ 1. The researcher used the findings of other
researchers and cited their names and research work as references.
___________ 2. The researcher informs the respondents of the
positive consequences of the study.
___________ 3. The researcher obtain the voluntary consent of the
participants with intervention or force.
___________ 4. The researcher used codes to protect the real
identities of the participants.
___________ 5. The researcher secure a written
approval from the participants to use their real names in
the research report.
___________ 6. The researcher get the consent of the
respondents after the data gathering.
___________ 7. The researcher reports to anyone the
data he/she gathered from the interview conducted.
___________ 8. The researcher disclosed information
from informant that could endanger the lives of the
majority.
 Ethical Guidelines and Consideration in Research

Basic Rules for Ethical Research

• The professional integrity of the researcher
becomes at stake when research is carried out
without considering moral issues on what
ought to be done and what not ought to be
done. Ethics in research calls for a moral
perspective rather than the practical or logical
perspective related to the research
methodology.
Brinkmann (2012), lists some ethical questions as guide for
the researcher at the start of the research project:
• What are the beneficial consequences of the study?
• How can informed consent of the participants be
obtained?
• How can confidentiality of the participants be
protected?
• What are the consequences of the study for the
participants?
• How will the researcher’s role affect the study?
The ethical theories of Murphy and Dingwall (2011) were
based on Four Principles
• Non-maleficence – researchers should avoid harming
participants.
• Beneficence – research on human subjects should
produce some positive and identifiable benefit rather
than simply be carried out for its own sake.
• Autonomy or self-determination – research
participants’ values and decisions should be respected.
• Justice – all people should be treated equally.
 Other Ethical Considerations
• Integrity of the researcher – researchers must act
professionally in the pursuit of truth. They should
be committed to discovering and reporting things
as honestly as possible. A very basic ethical rule is
to acknowledge the sources of information used
throughout the text. Knowledge or information
taken from another source must be acknowledged
by citing the name of the author/authors and the
reference materials where such ideas were taken.
• Informed consent is a principle that is fundamental to the
notion of human rights. This means that it is absolutely
essential to seek the voluntary consent of the human subject.
The person involved should have the legal capacity to give
consent; should be able to exercise free power of choice
without any intervention or force; and must have sufficient
knowledge and comprehension of the subject of the research
to enable him to make an enlightened decision. In the case of
children participants or other vulnerable members of the
society, consent must be given by the parents or legal guardian
or another person who has direct, formal responsibility to the
welfare of the child.
• Privacy, confidentiality and anonymity – the
researcher should take measures to safeguard
the confidentiality of information and ensure
the non-disclosure of identities of those
participating in research. In legal form, the
issue of privacy was originally framed as the
protection of individual citizens against
intrusion by others into their lives, and against
demands for the disclosure of information.
• Confidentiality serves to uphold the law that protects the
privacy of individuals. In research the information that is
given by the participants to the researcher during the data
gathering should be treated as confidential. It should not
be disclosed to anyone in any way that allows the
information to be traced back to the individual who
provided it as it could prove embarrassing to the
informant and would constitute a breach of confidence
against the researcher. However, in some sensitive cases
there are certain limitations to confidentiality according
to Denscombe (2002).
• The legal duty of the researcher or citizen to disclose
information that would redound to the protection of lives
of the majority, overrides other considerations about
ethical conduct of research and prior commitment to
confidentiality. For example, if an informant reveals a plot
to kill some members of a rival group, or minor
respondents would tell about being victims of physical or
sexual abuse, or threats to one’s safety made by members
of a drug syndicate, etc., under any of these situations, the
researcher may prioritize the disclosure of information
ahead of research-related commitments of confidentiality.
• On the issue of anonymity, being truthful about
the names of the participants might pose a
problem later on since not all participants may
be willing to have their names publicized. The
researcher can use codes in the research report.
But the researcher needs to record the true
identities in his/her own private file for purposes
of verification, clarification, and evaluating the
data to support the validity of the findings.
 Post Test
Directions: Read the following statements carefully. Decide whether the
statement is TRUE or FALSE. Write your answer on the space provided.

___________ 1. The researcher who used the findings of other researchers

but cited their names and works accordingly can be charged of plagiarism.
___________ 2. The researcher must discuss clearly to the respondents both
the positive and negative consequences of the study.
___________ 3. The participants of the research must exercise their free
power of choice with intervention in giving their consent to answer a
questionnaire.
___________ 4. There is no need for the researcher to keep a record of the
true identities of the participants.
___________ 5. The written approval of the participants to use their real
names in the research report is optional.
 Post Test
___________ 6. The researcher must obtain the informed consent of
the respondents prior to data gathering.
___________ 7. The action of the researcher who reported to
anyone the data he/she gathered from his/her study is ethical.
___________ 8. To protect the rights of the people, the researcher
has a legal duty to disclose information obtain from informants.
___________ 9. Children and vulnerable members of the society
have legal capacity to give their consent to participate in any
research project.
___________ 10. Non-disclosure of identities of research
participants constitutes an issue of confidentiality in research ethics.
 Performance Task 1
Write a narrative story of your past experience
wherein you, as a student was chosen to
participate in a research project. What do you
think are the ethical norms the researcher failed
to comply? Reflect on what the researcher
should have done to observe ethical protocol?
Use the Gibb’s reflection model as guide.
 Performance Task 2
Make an outline of the ethical norms that you
will observe and comply with in the given
research topic, “Study Habits of Selected Special
Children in Relation to their Academic
Performance”
 The Research Process

Identification and Definition of a Research Problem

Statement of Operational
Theoretical/Conceptual
Research Problem Definition of
Framework Formulation
&objectives variables

Hypothesis Formulation

Choosing Appropriate Research Design

Identification of Target Population and Sampling

DATA COLLECTION
Preparation of Research Instrument
Reliability Testing & Validation
Questionnaire Administration
Interview, Testing, Observation

Data Processing
Editing, coding, encoding, creation of data files
 Data Analysis and Interpretation
(Statistical Analysis, Interpretation and
Generalization)

Report Preparation and Information

Dissemination

The research process is not complete unless the findings

of a study are reported. Research becomes useful only when
the results are communicated to possible users in a form that
is understandable and usable. How can we disseminate
research findings?
 The Research Process

What is a research problem?

• conditions we want to improve; difficulties we want to
eliminate; information gaps we wish to fill; theories we
wish to validate.
A problem exists when:
• there is an absence of information resulting in gap in
our knowledge;
• there are contradictory results;
• a fact exists and you intend to make your study explain
it.
• A research problem could be an issue that
should be settled. It may be a question about
the unknown characteristics of a population or
about factors that explain the presence or
absence of a phenomenon.
 Sources of Problem

• experience and observation

• literature in your own field
• courses you have taken
• journals, books, magazines or abstracts
• theses or dissertations
 Characteristics of a Good Research Problem

• feasibility (availability of relevant data; limits

and constraints of time and resources; access
to necessary samples and records,
manageability of research methods;
competence of the researcher to carry out the
study; availability of tools for data gathering)
Ex. “The Effect of Computer-Assisted Instruction
on Students’ Achievement in Mathematics”
• relevance ( to the researcher’s interest;
contribute to knowledge and development)
Note: A research problem is relevant if the
answers to the three questions are all positive.
Ex. “The Effect of Computer-Assisted Instruction on
Students’ Achievement in Mathematics”

1. Will the answer to the research question advance in

knowledge?
2. Can answers to the research question help in
improving practices/behavior/performance?
3. Will the answers to the research problem improve
human condition?