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The world of education is constantly changing and in order to allow the curriculum and content we teach our students to be relevant, research is needed. Through out the time in grad school I have come to learn that action research is great way to do this. According to Nolen & Putten (2007), action research is “viewed as a practical yet systematic research method that enables teachers to investigate their own teaching and their students’ learning (p. 401). Although action research is beneficial, due to the teacher being the researcher there are ethical issues that may arise. This article addresses concerns of ethical gaps in action research and calls for a conversation and education for teachers on the ethical gaps. I found this article to be insightful and it left me thinking about the different breaches of ethics we as teachers may break when conducting action research in the classroom.
One of the most important elements when conducting research with subjects is to give respect to the people involved. Although as teachers we are committed to giving respect to our students, the article articulates that it could be the case that when conducting action research in the classroom we may not be. Nolen & Putten (2007), discuss that idea that when a teacher is conducting action research not only is he or she the instructor and the researcher, but also the change agent. This could cause conflicting roles and due to being invested in the study it could take away from the teacher’s primary job: teaching the students. As we have learned throughout the course Research I it is vital that when conducting research there is consent given. The authors address that it could be difficult for the students to freely consent to participate in the study due to having a prior relationship with the researcher. Furthermore, typically action research does not change the daily routine of the students thus, it would be hard for the students to recognize and understand that they do not have to participate in the research. Confidentiality is also important when a study takes place. This could become an issue in action research because usually the researcher is associated with a specific class. Someone who is familiar with the class and the researcher, such as a parent, could easily identify whom the researcher is describing. Finally, the article explains that relationships prior to beginning the study could not only alter with the consent, but it could affect the validity of the study. This is because the researcher has prior knowledge and data of the subjects before the research begins due to already being in the classroom. It is possible that it would be hard to stay objective when conducting the study.
The authors offer different recommendations about the ethical gaps addressed, but what stood out to me the most is that teachers need to be trained and have an understanding of what is expected. After reviewing the breaches I feel that if I were to conduct action research in the classroom all of these violations to ethics are very possible, but after being educated on them I feel that I am more aware of the gaps. Some believe that the ethical risks in action research may out way the benefits and a researcher should not be an insider, however I think action research offers strong and valuable information to the field of education. If teachers are educated and are held to high standards, then I believe that the teachers can try to avoid creating ethical gaps!
This article was written to address the ethical issues that arise in action research. Nolen and Putten began with a brief history of action research, as well as a discussion of its significance. They pointed out that although action research has become more and more common, the ethical issues have not been sufficiently addressed. In addition, they noted that the Belmont Report is really the only guidance for action researchers in addressing ethical issues. The Belmont Report was created by the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research in 1979. It outlines three ethical principles for all human subject research: respect for persons, beneficence, and justice. However, the authors argue that this report and these principles offer little guidance for action researchers.
The authors then go on to point out one of the biggest ethical issues that arises in action research relates to the principle of respect for persons. They say this is because the teacher-researcher’s roles are in conflict Another ethical issue is that participants could feel more pressured to participate or not participate because of their relationship/connection with the researcher. This can be the case prior to, during, and after the actual study takes place. Action research is unique in the existence of relationships between researchers and participants prior to, during, and after the research. Furthermore, there can be many obstacles to obtaining informed consent or assent of participants. “At issue is the extent to which participants can give truly informed consent, when the nature of the proposed change is unknown and will be determined by an emerging research protocol (402).” When it comes to protecting the confidentiality of participants, many teacher researchers may be unaware of the risk in data collection and storage. In addition, a specific group of students are likely to be associated with the teacher-researcher and thus their confidentiality is adversely affected. In conclusion, the National teacher organization has not developed clear language or ethical principles and policies for the roles and responsibilities of the teacher researcher.
Nolen and Putten end with some recommendations for both the IRB and for educators. They suggest that IRBs increase their knowledge of action research and make changes to their regulations so that they are more applicable to action research, as well as revise their protocol submission forms for research, establish a minimum participant age level below which informed assent documents are required, and allowing teacher researchers to sit as members on the IRB. Meanwhile, the authors recommended that educators take efforts to ensure that potential participants do not feel pressured in any way. They also recommended to establish the most democratic relationships possible between the researcher and participants, make a better effort to prepare educators to be researchers from the beginning, establish and support districtwide IRBs and making formal training in research ethics a requirement to teach.
As an educator myself who is interested in action research, the potential for all of these ethical issues can be intimidating. However, great information can be gained, and growth can happen from action research. Therefore, I agree that the ethical issues facing the field of action research needs to be addressed. As I begin to deal with the IRB I can appreciate the authors’ recommendation for more applicable regulations. Finally, I strongly agree with the authors’ recommendation to better prepare educators to be researchers. I feel that action research is something that is increasingly expected in today’s society and yet perspective teachers are largely left to figure it out on their own unless they choose to take additional classes. I would personally feel more confident in my abilities to plan and conduct action research if I were better prepared in my undergraduate coursework.
Madeline and Lindsey, I enjoyed both of your posts, and thought the article was well summarized. It seems clear that you both are strong proponents of action research, but also recognize the potential ethical issues that come with it. I would think that a big part of addressing the problems is simply the recognition of the risks. Clearly, like you both said, we need to be educated on how to properly carry out action research, either in our university teaching programs or through some form of ongoing teacher formation.
I fully agree with Maddy’s conclusion on action research in education, being that the benefits are undeniable, and the practice should be pursued with stringent ethical training through teacher preparation programs and professional development options. Furthermore, Maddy highlights many ethical issues for training, two of which I see relating most to my personal practice. First, students must be free to consent to research. In my small, all-girls classroom, I believe that I have really strong relationships with almost all of my students, therefore most would consent to participate in my research without actually giving the task much thought. I think I would need to be extra explicit about explaining the research objectives and expectations, otherwise the students would all just sign immediately on the dotted line. Second, I would be entering the study with preconceived notions about my research question, and it would be very hard to remain objective about my expectations for results. To help with this ethical issue, I really like the article’s suggestion to ask a third-party, teacher-researcher to also perform or review the study.
Madeline and Lindsey, I enjoyed reading both of your posts, and agree with both of your overall positions that the benefits if action research outweigh the risks. That being said, Lindsey I appreciated how you highlighted that the authors of this article seem concerned about the little amount of attention that has been placed on the ethical issues surrounding action research. When preparing for our post on the differences between formal and action research, I remember feeling surprised by how short Mertler’s section on ethical considerations for action research was. Based on the current “fanfare” surrounding action research, I agree that ethical issues need more attention. Madeline, I also agree with your idea that the best way to address all the potential concerns presented in the article is through education and training. Even though the list of ethical issues may seem long, it is not reason enough to undermine the tremendously positive potential of action research.