week 5

Week 5 Discussion

A variety of ethical issues must be taken into consideration when conducting action research. It focuses on a collaboration between the action of a researcher and a client in diagnosing a problem and developing its solution. The process of identifying the impact of teaching keyboarding skills on sixth-grade students' word processing skills requires collaboration between the teacher and learners; in this case, they can be classified as the researcher and client, respectively. Notably, ethical issues may arise, leading to biased research outcomes, as discussed in subsequent sections of this paper.

Researchers in the case study faced several ethical issues related to the participation of students as co-researchers in multiple dimensions, including informed consent and the nature of participation. The researcher did not follow protocols for informed consent and autonomy to participate or withdraw from the study. According to Banegas and Villacanas de Castro (2015), participation and collaboration in action research should be voluntary, and the participants must be autonomous and free to withdraw without consequence. The researcher did not discuss coercion and co-option with the target collaborators to minimize or avoid their presence (Mills, 2000). Teachers in grades four through six are recognized as the collaborators, yet the research involved students as clients for whom a solution was being sought to solve the diagnosed issue. The involuntary nature of participation and lack of informed consent affects the study's outcomes by creating bias and generalizability restrictions. The results are only based on responses from one class, indicating that they may not represent the abilities and skills of other students in the school and across the region. The students should have been involved as co-researchers, and the researcher should have sought informed consent from the teachers to eliminate the noted ethical dilemmas.

I believe that researchers have a responsibility to conduct research in an ethical manner that involves cultural responsiveness, autonomy, and respect for participants when conducting research that involves human subjects. Researchers have a responsibility to act ethically in the course of their research. For instance, they should honor participants' autonomy to make informed decisions about participating in a study. Informed consent allows potential respondents to participate voluntarily without undue coaching or threats. This ethical principle allows participants to make an educated decision about whether or not to participate. It also promotes positive attitudes and perceptions regarding research objectives and processes before and after completing a study. Ethical researchers should provide suitable protection for vulnerable populations, such as child participants who are unable to protect their self-interest. Researchers should also ensure justice and the principle of beneficence is observed throughout the research process. Flinders (1992) contends that the benefits and risks of ethical research should be equitably distributed regardless of the participants' age and gender. Minimized and unjustified research risks should not outweigh potential benefits of any ethical inquiry.

Flinders' conceptual frameworks that reflect ethical beliefs include utilitarian, relational, and deontological perspectives. These frameworks form a basis for exploring and justifying the need for researchers to avoid harm and ensure informed consent and confidentiality when conducting research. Based on the utilitarian perspective, research decisions regarding human subjects should appraise moral logic based on positive and adverse outcomes (Flinders, 1992). Hence, the research methods used should not cause harm to the participants. Besides, the research design should conform to accepted codes of research behavior.

Had the case study researcher observed Flinders' deontological and utilitarian principles of ethical research, his study would have been free of ethical dilemmas, and the outcomes would be unbiased and generalizable. Notably, researchers should understand their role and responsibility to ensure that informed consent is prioritized, and the chosen research process causes no harm to participants.