Designing an Ethical Online - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Designing an Ethical Online Study

Janet Salmons, PhD

Chapter

4

Objectives

After reading and reflecting on Chapter 4, you will understand design considerations

for:Knowing the foundations for research ethics found in ethics theories and codes.Comprehending the historical events that lead to the development of ethics codes and policies.Understanding accepted and contested issues in Internet

Research

Ethics.

Research ethics & social responsibility

At its simplest,

research ethics can be defined as the responsibility of the researcher toward others, including society broadly, other scholars, and most importantly, those whose attitudes, behaviors, and experiences we are studying.

How do we decide what research designs and practices represent responsible and ethical behavior

?

Why are ethics theories important for researchers?

Each of us needs a moral compass that helps us determine an ethical path in life … and in research. Ethics theories help us understand diverse ways of approaching a dilemma. They provide us with language we can use to explain our choices.

A High-level look at Four ethical theories & research implications

Ethical Theory

Implications for Researchers

Deontology

: The

priority for ethical behavior is in adhering to principles and duties, based on the premise that some choices are morally wrong, no matter how good the consequences (

Baggini

&

Fosi

, 2007

).  

Researchers should follow the rules where codes are set by governing bodies and/or institutions.

Individuals are respected,

not seen merely as a means to an end.

Consequentialism:

This view holds that whether an act is morally right depends primarily on the consequences of the act, the motive behind the act, or a general rule requiring such acts (

Sinnott

-Armstrong, 2011

).

If the results of the research are positive and beneficial, then

taking a flexible approach to applying established guidelines or principles

used to achieve them is

ethically acceptable.

A High-level look at Four ethical theories & research implications

Ethical Theory

Implications for Researchers

Virtue Ethics:

Ideal v

irtues, or moral character, are the guiding force for ethical decisions (

Crisp, 2010)

.

The researcher is responsible for his or her own ethical decisions and the researcher should rely on ideal virtues and a personal moral compass.

Ethics of Care:

Ethics of care

focuses on relationships

and takes the view that i

f we really care about human beings in terms of moral theory, we should apply more principles in our moral decisions

(

Oruc

&

Sarikaya

, 2011

).

Researchers prioritize care and compassion over rules, and put participants’ preferences above their own,

acknowledging that the other may construct reality in a different way from oneself.

Ethics codes from professional associations

Guidelines from professional associations aim

to create baseline assumptions about what is expected of researchers in the society’s disciplines in order to maintain the integrity and credibility of the field as a

whole. Some guidelines focus on ethics in professional behaviors, while others focus specifically on research ethics.

Look at the ethics codes for associations in your field or discipline. What do they say about research ethics? What do they say about online research or use of online data? What are your unanswered questions?

Phronesis: developing practical wisdom

How do we cultivate the practical wisdom needed to develop an ethical approach appropriate to the study … given unknown contingencies?

‘

Phronesis

is

the ability to evaluate

circumstances

so that one can work out what should be done in a particular situation. Phronesis

relates

to working out how to act suitably in the face of ambiguity without preset formulae or highly detailed plans of action. In the face of contingency, phronesis combines knowledge, judgement, understanding, and intuition in appropriate ways in order to act

“aptly”

in a particular

circumstance’

(Macklin &

Whiteford

, 2012,

p.

92)

Phronesis: Bridging Ethical Theories

For researchers working in an academic environment or under the aegis of a funded project, consequentialism is not a realistic ethics theory to guide their decisions. There are typically some rules or regulations which must be followed, regardless of how beneficial the potential research outcome may be.

Deontological theories, together with virtue ethics and ethics of care, can provide some guidance to researchers.

Do you agree? Why or why not?

Ethics and the Qualitative eResearch

framework

Ethics is central to every stage of the research process. Chapter 4 presents ethics theories and codes. Chapter 5 will focus on applying these concepts.

References

Baggini, J. & Fosi, P. (2007)

The ethics toolkit: A compendium of ethical concepts and methods. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.Crisp, R. (2010) Virtue ethics and virtue epistemology. Metaphilosophy

, 41(1/2),

22–40

.

doi

: 10.1111/j.1467-9973.2009.01621.x

Macklin, R

.

&

Whiteford

, G. (2012

)

Phronesis as

professional knowledge

: Practical

wisdom

in the

professions

. In A. Pittman & E. A. Kinsella

(eds

.),

Phronesis as professional knowledge : Practical wisdom in the professions

.

Rotterdam:

Sense Publishers.

Oruc

, I

.

&

Sarikaya

, M. (2011

)

Normative stakeholder theory in relation to ethics of care.

Social Responsibility Journal

, 7(3), 381-392.

doi

: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17471111111154527

Sinnott

-Armstrong, W. (2011

)

Consequentialism. In

E.N

.

Zalta

(ed

.),

The Stanford Encyclopedia of

Philosophy

. Stanford, CA:

Stanford University.