Ethical Responsibilities of the Researcher

Ethics are the simplest things the world; do what’s right and treat people nicely.  That’s really the whole entirety of the discussion.  Questions only arise when the researcher lacks the knowledge of what is right and what treating people nicely mean.

I’m struck by Jeanette in the video not wanting to share her research with those around her.  It is more than likely if you need to be sneaky and secretive about your research, you probably on thin ice regarding ethics.  Jeanette hesitation regarding her research had nothing to do with influencing the research, but instead had to do with her personal fears of her colleagues’ responses.  Her research on gender bias of reading material didn’t require any type of experimental blind that would required hiding some elements of the research from those participating in the study.  Mills states “There is no room for deception in action research.”

I do think that there is a place in research for testing people based on unknowns.  These are situations where informing the participants of the study about key elements would have an influence in the study.  I think these can be more complex than what we typically see in action research.  Nevertheless, you have a responsibility to allow for informed consent.  You have to ensure that you give as much information as possible to those in the study.   Once the study is complete, you can then inform the individuals about the details of the study and offer a no pressure opt out.

Doug’s video, while lacking detail about his individual study, showed the lengths that a researcher must go towards to ensure they avoid ethical dilemmas.  The primary way Doug did this is by simply informing everyone involved.  He sent consent letters to the parents explaining the who’s, why’s and how’s of his action research.  It’s also important that he included the students on the information loop.  His openness with them probably led toward a more trusting and open environment.  In all likelihood, it probably led to higher quality action research project.

I’ll restate the ethical responsibilities of the researcher: do what’s right and treat people nicely.  If you ever have a decision to make, always choose the path of disclosure and openness.

Curtis Elementary Case Study

The following is my critique of the Curtis Elementary Case Study:

1.       Area of focus-Does the area of focus involve teaching and learning?

Without question, the area of focus involves learning and teaching.  Jonathan is questioning his teaching methods and the impact of those methods on student learning.

2.       Research questions-Does the researcher state questions that were answerable given the researcher’s expertise, time and resources?

By limiting himself to one question, Jonathan’s study was able to make sure that his question was answerable given his expertise, time and resources.

3.       Locus of control-Was the area of focus within the researcher’s locus of control?

Given the school wide involvement in action research, it would be easy for a researcher to have an area of focus that was to wide, but Jonathan limited himself to just his students and his curriculum changes.

4.       Data collection-Did the researcher use appropriate data collection techniques to answer the study’s research questions?

Jonathan used appropriate data collection techniques to answer his study’s research questions?  He included both qualitative (interviews, observations) and quantitative (assessment scores) techniques, that provided a well-rounded data set.

5.       Ethics-Did the research face any ethical challenges?  If so, how were they resolved?

The research does not appear to have faced any ethical challenges.

6.       Reflective stance-In what ways has the action research effort contributed to the researcher’s reflective stance on the ways teaching and learning are viewed?

Jonathan appears to be continuing his action research process the following year.  This shows me that he has truly embraced a reflective stance.

7.       Action-Did the outcomes of the study lead to action?

Jonathon’s vocabulary reinforcement will be extended throughout the following areas of reading and written expression with his students: group novels, published poetry, current events, magazines, storytelling collections, student-created stories, narratives, opinion papers, descriptions, research papers and oral presentations.

He also plans to use various techniques to monitor, modify and evaluate the impact and effectiveness of his vocabulary intensification efforts.

8.       Action-data connection-How is the proposed action connected to the study’s data analysis and interpretation?

There appears to be a strong action-data connection based on the information provided by Jonathon.   His proposed plan of action is clearly based on the data he collected, analyzed and interpreted.

Potential researcher biases

It’s impossible for a researcher not to carry biases into their work.  An effective researcher will be aware of these biases.  This awareness allows researchers to monitor the effects of these biases on their work and adjust accordingly.

With my research topic, does increased technology in classrooms improve test scores; I am carrying several biases into the study.  First and foremost, I have witnessed the marginalization of teachers.  The respect for the profession has decreased a great deal of the recent past.  I think a growing number of people feel that the teacher’s job is simply administrative and that the education of students can be effectively out sources to technology.  I believe that, and I have to be careful about this beliefs influence on my study.  

Another bias that piggy-backs on the previous one is the reallocation of funds away from education professional and towards electronic gadgetry.  I am constantly hearing stories of increased classroom sizes, because of under staffing, but at the same school, students will be provided ipods and/or laptops.  The clear implication is that technology, not education professionals are the key to a successful education.

Research Design and Data Collection

The literature review reinforced my ideas about technology in the classroom.  It is being heavily used and studied as a method to increase test scores.  It is well know that scores have not been increasing.  I think I found enough research to indicate that others are beginning to consider if technology in the classroom helps and not blindly asking “What type of technology works best to increase scores?”

I don’t think standardized test scores do a very good job of measuring student understanding, but improving those scores is the objective of much of the technology integration we’ve seen it the past few years.  It would be, in my opinion, fool hardy to not consider these scores as a type of artifact.  These scores are the measure of success for everyone outside the classroom and it has to be used by those inside also.

Student interviews are invaluable for understanding students’ interaction with the technology.  I believe that a survey form might be the best way to gather truthful information.  Focus groups are also a good way to gather the group perspective.  A group dynamic may offer opportunities to share that might not occur while individually filling out a survey.  The final leg of triangulation, observation, is less of a quantitative measure and more qualitative.  I think observing the students interaction with the technology could be a value measure of effectiveness.  The “on task”/”off task” approach might be appropriate.

To bring about solid triangulation, I would need to develop data sets that were group by lesson and/or unit.  Setting it up in those increments would allow for better tracking.  It would also be easier to draw correlations on micro and macro levels.

Topic brainstorming

I’ve had question that I was hoping to do for this project and through the readings, I think it’s a good potential subject.  Since I had an idea already, brain storming just kept bringing me back around to the same topic.  I hope my bubble diagram above shows what I am thinking.  

I have had concerns about the over use of technology in the classroom for several years.  I understand the reasons its use has increased.  For the teacher, I think it easier.  For the schools, I think it’s cheaper.  A good example to both would be dissection.   It’s both easier and cheaper to have students perform multiple dissections virtually than to perform them on actual cadavers.   You could look at most labs in a similar way.

I also understand that the world is increasingly tech heavy and that we need to prepare our student for that reality.  I wonder though, are students becoming numb to images and information received from a computer.  Ten to fifteen years ago, I understood the need to bring students up to speed on computers and the new thing called the Internet, but do kids today really need that?  Anecdotally, I know many elementary students who are absolutely comfortable with the digital realm.  If they are getting that at home, should the schools maybe look towards providing something they aren’t getting there?

Students often complain about the practicality and the application of science and other subjects.  Are we missing a chance to bring the abstract lesson into the real world?  Fundamentally, we need to improve students understanding of basic concepts.  I don’t think we need to improve students understanding of technology.  Most of our students will have a better understanding than us.

I don’t think we should abolish technology in the class room.  I’m just curious if there is a better, more measured approach that could lead to actually improving students understanding of the material.