Week 3

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course develops critical thinking and problem-solving skills through qualitative research.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
1. define what ethics is;
2. explain what constitutes ethics in research; and
3. discuss the importance of ethics in qualitative research
4. describe the different areas of interest in research, 
5. identify the research process,

PRACTICAL RESEARCH 1
CONTEN
NATURE OF INQUIRY & RESEARCH – PART 3
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Introduction

Ethics comes the Greek word ethos which means the science of morals or morality. Aristotle, one of the great Greek
philosophers, understood ethics as good action or a life well-lived. In common language, ethics refers to norms for conduct
that distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behavior. It can also mean a method, procedure or perspective for
deciding how to act and for analyzing complex problems and issues. For instance, in considering a complex issue like global
warming, one may take an economic, ecological, political or ethical perspective on the matter. While an economist might
examine the cost and benefits of various policies related to global warming, an environmental ethicist could examine the
ethical values and principles at stake. 

Preparatory Activity

Direction: Write five words that you can relate with the picture below.

1. ______________________

2. ______________________

3. ______________________

4. ______________________

5. ______________________

Learn about it

Ethics and Research

To be ethical, a research project needs to be designed to create valid outcomes if it is believed to be pursuing truth.
Research that is not trustworthy is unethical because it is no benefit in developing the society’s knowledge base and wastes
the resources of researchers and other participants. Ethical principles emerge frequently around the relationship of the
researchers to the participants or data-providers for permission to carry out research and to the public who want to know the
outcomes.
Researchers have a duty to ensure that they do not deliberately mislead participants as to the nature of the research.
Researchers have a duty to avoid causing both physical and psychological difficulties to participants and to the socio-political
environments in which and with which they work. Researchers are ethically bound to maintain the privacy of the subjects or
participants or anonymity of their identity and confidentiality of any information they provide (Baez, 2002). 
 Ethics in research involves the application of fundamental ethical principles to a varietySJVTT of topics. The academic
research enterprise is built on a foundation of trust – trust that the results reported are heard or known, and the research results
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reflect an honest attempt to describe the problem accurately and without bias.  
Research informants participating in individual or group interviews are required to sign and informed consent form
which outlines the nature of the project. They are assured of anonymity and will be referred to using pseudonyms although
there is a need to negotiate and dialogue. It is the researchers’ ethical responsibility not to harm the persons they are studying.
They also have a responsibility to the academic community and the public. 

Functions of Ethics
Ethics as important component in research writing shows the following functions:
1. Norms promote the aims of research such as knowledge, truth and evidence of error.
2. Ethical standards promote the values that are essential to collaborative work such as trust, accountability, mutual
respect and fairness.
3. Ethical norms ensure that researchers can be held accountable to the public.
4. Ethical norms in research, is research that helps build public support quality and integrity of research.

Ethical Considerations in Qualitative Research

When doing a qualitative inquiry, certain issues may arise. Let us consider ethical issues that may be inherent in
qualitative research.
1. The kind of information obtained because of the length and personal interaction that ensues when doing a
qualitative inquiry may give rise to an issue or issues. The researcher may uncover or get hold of practices that
may not be acceptable. One rule that must always be followed is that the person is obliged to report practice such
as child abuse, drug use, abusive teachers and the like.
2. With regard to the researcher’s relationship to the participants, the researcher is expected to act professionally,
maintaining respect towards them. The issues of anonymity and confidentiality are to be observed. In field notes
particularly, when conducting a sensitive research, code numbers or false names are used to keep track of what
information came from whom without revealing their identities.
3. The researcher is expected to give back to the subjects/participants of the research and to show appreciation for
their commitment of time, effort and cooperation. These acts may be to provide a written report, present findings
in an assembly, give assistance or advice on other research projects at their workplace and others.
4. The researcher writes a letter and seeks to be allowed to conduct a study. If changes happen in the course of the
investigation, s/he needs to get an approval for the continuance of the study.

Reflect
Identify Your Research Interests
As an undergraduate student, you are not expected to know exactly what your area of focus will be. Most likely, you
are still discovering and developing your interests and that's okay. However, without having some ideas about what
you're interested in, you'll quickly find that searching for opportunities can be overwhelming.
Map Out Your Interests
To figure out what your interests are, take some time and write down 3-5 responses to each of these questions:
 What subjects covered in my field(s) of study interest me the most?
 Which class or classes have been the most interesting, what specifically made them interesting, and what questions
did I still have after the class finished? 
 What questions or problems am I most interested in exploring and/or solving?
 What other topics, areas, or fields am I interested in?

 What research topics relate to that field or sector I want to end up in and/or what interests me in that field?
 What (if any) research topics relate to my hobbies, personal interests, or extracurricular activities? 
Now, look over all of your responses and see if there are any common themes. Did the same topic come up more than
once? Are any of the topics closely related or linked? Make a note these to help focus your search for a research opportunity.
Lastly, think a little bit about the things you know you don't want to do or are not interested in and make a note of them,
to help you identify opportunities that won't be a good fit.

Think About How You Want To Get Involved

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The next thing you'll want to think about is how you might want to get involved in research. Below are some
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questions to help guide you:
 What kind of experience do you want: do you want to work in a lab or do you want to work in the field? 
 Are you ok working on a team as part of a larger research topic/question or do you want to do your own original
research?
 Do you want to be part of a big team, do you want to work on a smaller project, or would you prefer to work one-on-
one with a faculty member / graduate student? 
 Do you want to do research related to your field(s) of study and deepen your understanding / experience or do you
want to do research outside your field of study and broaden your understanding / experience?
 With this information, you should have a better idea of what you're looking for which will make searching for and
finding a research opportunity a bit easier. 

Post Activity
Activity 1
Direction: Encircle three words that best describe what ethics is for you.

Activity 2:

Direction: Provide brief answer for each of the question below.

1. Using Aristotle’s definition of ethics as reference (see introduction), explain in your own words what ethics
is all about, why it is necessary in life, and how you can concretely practice it.
2. Give 2 specific examples on how ethics is applied in research.
3. Cite an example of a particular topic that involves an ethical issue. 

References:

 Research, Innovation & Impact, University of Arizona ( https://ur.arizona.edu/content/identify-your-research-interests )

 https://researchwriting.unl.edu/overview-research-process
 https://www.xavier.edu/library/students/documents/qualitative_quantitative.pdf
 https://www.govtgirlsekbalpur.com/Study_Materials/Sociology/Sociology_GE_Sem-
IV_Quantitative_and_Qualitative_Research.pdf
 Wolf, Dennie Palmer. "The Art of Questioning," ACADEMIC CONNECTIONS (Winter 1987): 1-7.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/resources/workshops/artofquestioning.html
 https://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/inquiry/index.html

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