Ethical issues in research of children and young people
Option 2 Introduction A research plan is a detailed description of the procedures that will be used to investigate your topic or problem. It includes justification for hypotheses, a detailed presentation of the research steps that will be followed in collecting, choosing, and analysing data, and an estimated time schedule for each major step. The decision to undertake research rests upon a considered judgement by the individual researcher about how best to contribute to science and human welfare. Having made the decision to conduct research, the researcher considers alternative directions in which research energies and resources might be invested. On the basis of this consideration, the researcher carries out his or her investigation with respect and concern for the dignity and welfare of the people who participate. All researchers must be aware of and attend to the ethical considerations related to their studies. This need is important for all forms and methods of research. The ends does not justify the means in research, and the researchers must not put their need to carry out studies above their responsibility to maintain the well-being of the study participants; researchers have a responsibility to maintain that trust, just as they expect participants to maintain it in the data they provide. There are many dimensions to the ethical conduct of research. ... Respect and concern for your own integrity and for your participants’ dignity and welfare are the bottom lines of ethical research. Children are particularly vulnerable and we should always be careful about whether and how they should be involved in research, and whose permission it is important to obtain. Research must adhere to the same principles as the rest of the educational system: for example codes of practice in relation to gender, race or special need should be strictly adhered to. Meeting ethical criteria leads not only to relatively clear research conscience but also to better research. It also means that the research door is more likely to be opened to us (and to other researchers) the next time. There are a number of key phrases that describe the system of ethical protections that the contemporary social and medical research establishment have created to try to protect better the rights of their research participants. The principle of voluntary participation requires that people not be coerced into participating in research. This is especially relevant where researchers had previously relied on ‘captive audiences’ for their subjects such as children in schools or persons in communities. ... Essentially, this means that prospective research participants must be fully informed about the procedures and risks involved in research and must give their consent to participate. Ethical standards also require that researchers not put participants in a situation where they might be at risk of harm as a result of their participation. ... There are two standards that are applied in order to help protect the privacy of research participants. Almost all research guarantees the participants confidentiality. ... Perhaps the most basic and important ethical issues in research are concerned with participants’ informed consent and freedom from harm. Informed consent focuses on ensuring that research participants enter the research of their free will and with understanding of the nature of the study and any possible obligations or dangers that may arise.