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Edirisingha ethics unisa2012_12_june2012
1. Ethical considerations
in researching online
learning and teaching
#unisa12
Palitha Edirisingha
University of Leicester
Palitha Edirisingha, 12 June 2012, Unisa, South Africa
2. Session objectives
• To be familiar with the ethical principles involved in
social research
• To consider possible links between research methods /
methodological approaches and specific ethical issues
• To raise awareness of the risks to participants,
researchers, institutions, profession (research field) by
not taking ethical codes seriously
• To consider how ethical issues relating to Internet
research might differ from research in traditional
settings.
3. To help you ‘leave the field [in such
as way] that future researchers
are not disadvantaged’
(Eynon et al, 2008: 31).
4. Before we begin…
• Debates on ethical issues – on going!
• Internet for social researchers –
opportunities!
• Link between ethical issues and research
methods and tools (e.g., social and
participatory media)
• Consequences of ignoring ethical codes!
5. Ethics?
“You owe a duty to yourself as a researcher, as well
as to other researchers and to the subjects of and
audiences for your research, to exercise
responsibility in the processes of data collection,
analysis and dissemination” (Blaxter et al, 1996: 146).
7. Ethical frameworks
Deontological Consequentialist
Doing good without Doing good with qualification
qualification
Not dependent on Dependent on consequences
consequences
Inner sense of duty based on Duty done in terms of
principles consequences
Categorical (imperatives Conditional or hypothetical
judgments judgments
Fig. 9.1 Deontological and consequentialist approaches to ethics (Hart, 2005: p. 280)
8. Ethical frameworks
Participant as a research Participant/poster as an
subject author
Medical sciences Humanities
Social sciences
Protection of the subject Copyrights, fair use
(anonymity, confidentiality,
informed consent
(Ess, 2007: pp. 490-91)
9. Ethics – Stake-holders
• Your institution
• Professional associations
• Research participants and the wider
population
• Profession
• The researcher
10. Ethics – professional associations
The association URL
Economic and Social Research Council, http://www.esrc.ac.uk/about-
‘Framework for research ethics esrc/information/research-ethics.aspx
British Sociological Association, Statement http://www.britsoc.co.uk/media/27107/Sta
of Ethical Practice tementofEthicalPractice.pdf
Social Research Association (SRA), Ethical http://www.the-
Guidelines sra.org.uk/documents/pdfs/ethics03.pdf
British Psychological Society (BPS), Ethics http://www.bps.org.uk/what-we-do/ethics-
and Standards standards/ethics-standards
British Educational Research Association, http://www.bera.ac.uk/category/keywords/ethic
Ethics and Educational Research
American Sociological Association, Code of http://www.asanet.org/about/ethics.cfm
Ethics
South African?
11. Activity 1
A review of main data collection methods,
distinguishing features, and their ethical
implications
[5 mins]
12. Methods (offline and online)
Researching
Questn’res Interviews Observations Documents Other?
Printed F2F in physical Paper ?
learning and settings
teaching (f2f, Online Q Skype Int. ? ? ?
correspondence)
Printed F2F -- Paper ?
online
learning and
teaching Online Q Skype Int. Virtual Web Learning
ethnography content Analytics
analysis
13. Internet in the context of online research
[2 mins]
In social science research Examples from
educational
research?
A major data resource
A lens through which to observe the subjects of research (and how
they construct their identities and communities online)
A tool for gathering and analysing social science data on a large scale MOOCs
A laboratory for the social sciences [a bit like astronomers using an i-Spot, Galaxy Zoo
observatory to study the sky]
Mechanism for communicating and collaborating with a distributed
community of peer researchers (e.g., Facebook Twitter [TB’s session]
(Eynon et al., 2008)
14. Three main approaches to gathering internet-based data
Approach Data collection methods used Examples
1. Online methods to gather surveys, interviews, focus groups, Pelicans, MOOSE
data directly from individuals documents (artefacts)
2. Analysing online Participant observation, logging and Media and Comm
interaction within virtual visualising interactions among dissertation
environments participants. project
3. Large-scale analysis of Emerging! Capture and analysis of Learning Analytics
online domains digital traces that people leave online MOOCs
(patterns of their search behaviour,
text analysis of emails, and hyperlinks)
(Eynon et al., 2008)
17. (1). Using online methods to gather data
directly from individuals
• Online versions of traditional methods. What
are they?
• Different ethical challenges to f2f
context(Mann, 2003)
• Ethical challenges?
– Difficult to assess the risk to participants, reactions to questions
– Confidentiality and anonymity
– Informed consent
– Words much stronger when written down, permanent records, [stuff
on episodic interviews [reference]
18. (2). Analysing online interactions on the Web
• Examples? discussion boards / forums, chat
rooms, 3D multi user virtual environments (eg.
Second Life), online gaming environments.
• Is online environment public, private or even a
‘third place’ (Oldenburg, 1989)
• How might we treat the interactions occur in a
VLE?
• [disclosing identity as a researcher]
19. (3). Large-scale analysis of the online
medium
– Possibilities for gathering ‘powerful data … from the
surveillance of online populations’ (Eynon et al, 2008:
31).
– ‘Recording, reproducing, and analyzing interactions,
especially covertly, are more powerful’ than it is the case
with off line world (ibid, p. 31).
– Learning Analytics, Google Analytics.
– Ethical issues:
• Methodological (e.g., discourse analysis)
20. Here is a question!
• You are the tutor / teacher / lecturer,
and you are researching your
students’ learning. Should you
disclose your identity as a
researcher?
21. And another one!
• If you are a blogger or tweeter, and you
observe some interesting stuff that fits into
your on-going research (and maybe your
book). And you might write about that
observation later on. Should you have
disclosed your identity as a ‘researcher’?
22. Activity 2
An activity (in pairs, 3s or groups) based on
four ethical principles [20 minutes]
23. Four main areas of ethical principles
(Diener and Crandall, 1978, in Bryman, 2008, p. 118)
25. What might be the source of ethical
concern?
the research question
the sample
the choice of methods (e.g., rationale for the
choice of methods not clear, appropriateness
of the method, how it is going to be
implemented)
Other
26. 1. Harm to participants
Potential problems Examples and implications
Physical harm
Harm to participants development
Loss of self-esteem
Stress
(Diener and Crandall (1978: 19)
27. 2. Informed consent
Potential problems Examples and implications
Making sure participants have
opportunity clarify their questions
Digital signatures?
Getting informed consent from
participants from an online
community (e.g., a MOOC)
28. 3. Invasion of privacy
Potential problems Examples and implications
Search and download history ?
Potential access to information
that can be harmful for peers
…
…
29. 4. Deception
Examples of harm to Could this be the case
participants
Revealing your identity as a ?
researcher
The duration of participation
(realistic!)
…
….
….
31. Next three slides
• Two brief descriptions of the research projects
to be reviewed by participants
– Project 1: Dissertation research and supervision
with technology [DiReSTe]
– Research Project 2: DUCKLING project
36. A checklist of information to be included in an
informed consent form
• Outline of the purpose of the project
• Notification to the participants that:
– Participation is voluntary
– Participants free to refuse to answer any of the questions (if interviews)
– They could withdraw from the study at any time
– They could withdraw their data within [specify the time] of the interview /
participation
– interview would be recorded
– nobody but the researcher and the supervisors would listen to the interview
– small sections might be heard by a few others
– transcribed but all identifying information would be removed
– parts of the interview might be used in the research publication(s)
– sign the form to confirm their consent
(Bryman, 2008: 123-24)
37. Concluding remarks
• Planning the research so that you can ‘leave
the field [in such as way] that future
researchers are not disadvantaged’ (Eynon et
al, 2008: 31)
• Other take-home messages from the session…
38. References
Ess, C. (2007) Internet Research Ethics. In Joinson, A. N. et al. (eds) The Oxford Handbook of Internet
Psychology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Eynon, R., Fry, J., & Schroeder, R. (2008) The Ethics of Internet Research. In Fielding, N. G., Lee, R. M. &
Blank, G. (eds) (2008) The Sage Handbook of Online Research Methods. London: Sage.
Fielding, N. G., Lee, R.M. & Blank, G. (eds) (2008) The Sage Handbook of Online Research Methods. London:
Sage.
Bryman, A. (2008) Social Research Methods. 3rd Edn. Oxford: OUP.
Blaxter, L., Hughes, C. & Tight, M. (1996) How to research. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Punch, K, F. (2008) Developing effective research proposals. 2nd Edn. London: Sage.
Mann, C. (2003) Generating data online: ethical concerns and challenges for the C21 researcher. In Thorseth,
M. (ed) Applied Ethics in Internet Research, pp.31-49. Trondheim: NTNU Publications Series No. 1.
Oldenburg, R. (1989) The Great Old Place, New York: Marlowe and Co.
Diener, E. & Crandall, R. (1978) Ethics in Social and Behavioural Research, Chicago: University of Chicago
Press.
Lee, R.M., Fielding, N. & Blank, G. (2008) The Internet as a Research Medium: An Editorial Introduction to The
Sage Handbook of Online Research Methods. In N. Fielding, R. M. Lee. & G. Blank (eds) (2008). The Sage
Handbook of Online Research Methods, pp. 3-20. London: Sage.
Editor's Notes
In this session, we consider researching online learning and teaching using both: off line method, and online methods We ask the question: should online research require additional considerations / treatment? Should ‘online research require separate or additional treatment?’ [welfare of animals – outside the scope of this session] We discuss how some research methods / methodological approaches give rise to specific ethical issues (e.g., virtual ethnography; participant, non-participant observations; and discourse analysis)
The overall objective is….
Debates about ethical issues of researching is ongoing. We are not going to be able to resolve them in our lifetime. We need to take precautionary actions, according to the context in which we work. Internet provides many opportunities for social researchers (see for example Fielding et al, 2008). At the same time, it brings up new ethical dilemmas, which we will consider in this session and follow up discussions. ‘ ethics and research methods are closely interrelated’ (Eynon et al., 2008: p. 23). … ‘consideration of ethical issues in a context-independent manner, divorced from matters of research design, methods, and conceptual frameworks, would be limited in scope and usefulness.’ (ibid, p. 23 – 24). For example, researching thru social and participatory media raise new ethical issues. More particularly in terms of internet-based research, ‘challenges to developing a coherent approach to ethical dilemmas in Internet research is as the Internet evolves as a space for social interaction and information dissemination, the methods necessary to capture and document such activities are also emergent and novel.’ (p. 23). ‘ considerable debate about the ethics of Internet research – not least because the Internet is still in a formative phase and new phenomena continue to emerge.’ (p. 23). ‘… you should be aware of the possible opprobrium that will be coming your way if you make certain kinds of choices’ (Bryman, 2008, p. 115).
Informed consent: about providing full information to the participant including why and how they have been chosen. Getting consent freely. How do you get consent if children are involved. Informed consent as not a straight forward issue in qualitative research (Steane 2004: 64). How about in online research? Confidentiality and anonymity: How are you going to safe guard information and the identity of people, institutions, places mentioned. Not only personal cofidentiality but also commercial confidentiality (Le Voi, 2002, 155) with commercial sponsorship. Same applies to professional organisations. Ownership of data and conclusion: Who owns the data and the conclusions. How will the research results be reported and disseminated? Use and misuse of results: As stressed by Miles and Hubermann (1994, 290-7, in Punch, 2008, p. 56): what obligations do I have to help my findings be used appropriately. Honesty and trust: What is my relationship with the people I am studying? What if you help / attempt to make any interventions as a result of your findings? Reciprocity: What do participants gain from my research Intervention and advocacy: What do I do if I see harmful, illegal, wrongful behaviour during my research? [slow feedback from tutors! Illegal downloading of music files!] Harm and risk: Will the research do anything to harm / hurt people involved? Health and safety issues? In all cases, the principle of non-malficence (no harm) takes place. Conflict of interest: Steane (2004: 66): questions of power and reliance, along with benefit and trust, are involved in some research situations, and need to be handled with care.
Here we consider who is interested in your ethical frameworks and who might be affected by how you follow ethical standards.
[with the whole group responding] [resource / tool to be used – the next slide]
What do online research methods offer to social scientists (Fielding et al, 2008, p. 5): offer ‘technological means to previously intractable problems of social science methods’ provide ‘a picture of overall contours of contemporary human knowledge (although very large, very unruly, and changing)’ Might this be the case for educational researchers too?
It is difficult not to talk about the internet in the context of online research and research into online teaching and learning. We can consider internet as: [input from GC, examples for the second column?]
1. Use of online tools to ask participants for responses to particular questions or issues. 2. Analysing online interaction within virtual environments 3. Techniques rely on indirect observation, with the data being de-contextualised from its sources and the analysis often combined with powerful visualisation tools. This is an emerging field. Eg., learning analytics conference. People like George Siemens. Examples: (Rita Kop, IRRODL, Frances Bell,
[note to the presenter]. A quick round of responses from participants for each of the three.
Question: So, what are the online versions of traditional methods? ….[online questionnaires, online interviews, online observations, online documents] Words much stronger when written down, permanent records, [stuff on episodic interviews [reference] Technology can influence bias the response? Self-selected sample?
If you do, will your students’ behaviour (to do with learning) change?
Ethical principles [person] or ethical procedures [process]? [Hawthorn effect if you disclose your identity as a researcher?
The ethics forms that can be used for this activity: Duckling project (3 types of technologies, distance learners) Tiger project (OERs, learners, teachers, practitioners, sectors) Media and Comm Dissertation project Pelicans research project Toucans research project Swift project
[note to the presenter] Show this slide as some guide / prompts for the participants to start their group activity.
What do we mean by informed consent in this research context? Can you honestly handle this given the methodological choices you have made? (e.g., covert observations on line?) Your research training as an ethnographer? Blogger? When can we violate the informed consent principle? Can we violate it at all? What forms of wording need to go in the informed consent form? [provide an example]