Ebook: Ethical Dilemmas in Education: Considering Challenges and Risks in Practice

Book excerpt: “Ethical Dilemmas in Educational Research is a valuable resource for both researchers and supervisors. Having myself sat on a university ethics committee, I appreciate not only the considerations needed when approving applications but also the controversy around what could be viewed as undue restrictions on research. The real-life and hypothetical dilemmas presented in this book should help guide researchers towards effective but ethically sensitive designs." Dr Katy Smart CPsychol AFBPsS, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK Ethical Dilemmas in Educational Research is an invaluable guide for educational researchers around the world, helping to develop best practices and make informed decisions. This book demonstrates how a careful balance must be struck between the needs of participants, increasing regulatory guidelines and the academic freedom of the educational researcher. The authors discuss an array of issues arising in the field of educational research, including: ethical dilemmas in action, issues of agency and privacy, and researcher reflexivity. With a foreword by Professor Ian Menter, this book goes beyond the guidelines and focuses on the specific dilemmas that educational researchers face, illustrated with real-life and inclusive examples. The book: ● Focuses on the resolution of ethical dilemmas in educational research, and not just the dilemmas themselves ● Highlights the role of committees and guidelines, with an emphasis on misunderstandings and common purposes ● Is written by academics from differing theoretical and methodological perspectives and disciplines across the spectrum of educational research ● Presents specific dilemmas encountered during research in the early years, schools and universities The authors use these ideas to build on the foundations of an ethical approach and find new ways of working together and learning from one another, to ensure best practice in the educational research field and forge a more united forward path. Carol Brown is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Education Faculty Research Ethics Officer at Oxford Brookes University, UK. Mary Wild is Professor in Education and former Head of the School of Education at Oxford Brookes University, UK.