Protecting Human Rights Research 1

Protecting Human Rights Research

Ellyn N. Foster

University of Florida
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Ellyn Foster
9/5/2015
Educational Psych.
Protecting Human Rights Research
Research is something that is conducted for the betterment of society. Currently

we have laws ensuring that this ideal is held according to certain rules and regulations. In

the past a multitude of horrific and negligent experiments occurred under the misguided

idea of research. A series of ethic codes have been created after a specific incident dubbed

the Syphilis Study of Tuscany. This negligent experiment recruited 600 African

Americans, some of which had not contracted the illness, and were either provided with

placebos or penicillin. Some of the subjects were even subjects to procedures such as

spinal-taps, and were misled to believe that these were for their own benefit. The 3 largest

National Research Act of 1974, HSS protection of human research subjects and

National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and

Behavioral Research. These organizations were designed to upkeep three key principles.

These principles are respect for persons, beneficence, and justice.

In regards to the first key is titled respect of persons. According to the HHS

regulations some of the practices that are required by the HHS include informed consent,

assent from children, permission from parents and etc. Relating these ethical practices to

the educator in the classroom instead of the scientist in the lab is not as different as one

might think. An example of these practices at work can be found in the public school

systems way of handling sex education. Parents and students are disclosed information of
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what the material that student will be learning. The parents have the right to voluntarily

pull them out of that lesson and has the option of completing an alternate assignment. As

the educator we are respecting our student by disclosing what will be taught and giving

both the parents and students to voluntarily have the option to not participate.

Beneficence is simply defined by prioritizing the subjects wellbeing above all

else. Once the patient has been fully informed of what tasks will be conducted and the

equipoises it is up to both the researcher and the patient whether the risk is worth the end

goal. Risks do not solely contain physical harm to the subject. Harm to the subject

including psychological, social, legal or economic are all risks that should be taken

seriously. Convincing the subject to participate such as therapeutic misconception or

undue inducements can even skew the researchers results. In a classroom context we as

teachers use evidence-based knowledge when making decisions for which tasks we

assign our students. The risks have previously been measured and we have tested that the

benefits are greater than the risk in any way. In any and every situation where we want

our students to complete any task it must always be for the good of our student body and

staff. When asking a student to complete a task, we clearly state that the reward is not the

benefit, instead, the benefit is the lesson gained from the experience. Just as how benefits

do not include any compensation a research subject may receive.

Justice includes equality of treatment in regards to diversity as well as fairness in

benefits and burdens. Justice has two sub categories. The first of category is titled

individual justice. Individual justice regarding research does not allow subjects who may

be seen as undesirable to be excluded due to the subjects race, gender, culture, etc. Social

justice is on a larger scale. Social justice is deemed as not discriminating a certain group
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of people from participation but also clearly defines who cannot participate in any

experiment to the detriment of the patients wellbeing. An example of this would be

asking a leg disabled person to participate in an experiment that requires leg activity. One

of the most valuable lesson that is transferable to the classroom is identifying the

differences between equality and equity. Equality means to treat everyone in the same

way. Equity means to treat everyone fairly. Giving a dyslexic student the same amount of

time to read a passage an average student is simply not fair practice.

Fairness does not mean everyone gets the same. Fairness means everyone gets what they

need. Is a quote by Rick Riordan. This concept has a name in education and is dubbed

leveling. An example of leveling in a classroom would be providing an ESE with extra

resources or tools that can compensate for their disability.

Both in the world of research and in the world of education ethical practice are

something that we strive to achieve. By upholding respect for persons we are able to open

up communicate between the teacher, student and, their parents. By ensuring that our

tasks are always in the hope of benefitting our students and the staff around us we can

model selflessness. Keeping justice alive in our classrooms we allow our students to

succeed by giving them the tools that they need. In applying these key principles in our

classrooms we can enrich our students experience.

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