Research And Design Essay

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Confidence/Confidentiality: A Comparison of Methodological Approaches Used in

a Field Study of Children's Political Attitudes in Bogota, Colombia, and

Educational Evaluation.

Bailey, Susan McGee; Hunter, William J.

19 pp.

N/A

1976

Classroom Observation Techniques, Confidential Records, Confidentiality,

Credibility, Educational Research, Elementary Secondary Education, Evaluation

Methods, Interpersonal Relationship, Moral Values, Program Evaluation,

Research Design, Research Methodology, Research Problems, Responsibility,

Elementary Secondary Education

This paper examines how potential conflicts produced by ethical issues such as

confidence and confidentiality can affect the research methodology of

educational research and evaluation projects. Despite the differences in site

selection, clientele, and relationship to treatment, both evaluators and

researchers must make adjustments in method to accommodate ethical

concerns. Based on a research study of the political socialization process of

Colombian children and several educational program evaluation projects in New

England, participant observation systems are considered for methodological

modification for ethical reasons. In both the research and evaluation studies, the

investigators felt that the risk of the Hawthorne effect or other biasing effects

must be subordinated to the observed subjects' right to know the nature of the

observations. In addition, honoring assurances of confidentiality to one group of

subjects enhances the confidence that other groups will have in the

investigators' promises. Examples of ethical conflicts that arise uniquely in

muliclientele program evlauations are also described. (Author/DE)

Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research

Association (San Francisco, California, April 19-23, 19760

19

Speeches/Meeting Papers

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1976

ED124458

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