Several widely publicized incidents of academic research misconduct, combined with the politicization of the role of science in public health and policy discourse (e.g., COVID, immunizations) threaten to undermine faith in the integrity of empirical research. Researchers often maintain that peer-review and study replication allow the field to…

Contemporary epistemologists of education have raised concerns about the distorting effects of some of the processes and structures of contemporary academia on the epistemic practice and character of academic researchers. Such concerns have been articulated using the concept of epistemic corruption. In this article, we lend credibility to these…

Insider research studies are common in work-integrated learning (WIL) research, yet little has been written about the methodological and ethical dilemmas that WIL researchers face. Using a case study narrative, the position of an insider researcher is justified, and the challenges faced, when a researcher undertakes an in-depth study of their own…

In this paper, we present an analysis of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (SoTL) which contributes to SoTL both as a field of research practice and as a background to professional development in higher education. We analyse and describe the constitution of the field, and in so doing address its nature in the face of the…

Higher education literature has focused narrowly on social responsibility to the exclusion of personal responsibility. This chapter challenges higher education researchers and practitioners to include behaviors related to personal responsibility in their research and educational agendas.

Throughout history human subject research has been plagued by researchers whose studies were riddled with danger and/or risk to their subjects. Indeed, one may cite numerous situations where human subjects were injured and/or killed in experiments that were designed with no thought or anticipation of risk to the subjects. As a result, the federal…

Discussed are the following issues regarding collaborative research (researchers and practitioners working together to study educational problems): how the approach developed; methodological and ethical issues related to the new relationship; and the roles and responsibilities of researcher and practitioner. (RM)

The author shares personal reflections as he worked through research questions associated with court-ordered attempts to integrate state-supported, historically black universities in Alabama. The study illustrates the difficulty of talking about race and racial discrimination history, suggests that some black colleges may have to desegregate to…

Reports research findings on higher education institutions' expectations for academic honesty, indicating that colleges and universities are dealing with a wide range of allegations of misconduct using a variety of administrative structures. Urges colleges to take primary responsibility for ensuring academic integrity on campus. (DMM)

Four ethical problems resulting from a fieldwork study of elementary education student teachers are explored. The problems include: acquiring permission to execute the study; how far to dig into personal lives to extract necessary information; the pitfalls of doing collaborative research; and how much information can be revealed without…

Describes briefly four qualitative research projects and examines four sets of questions which illustrate ethical dilemmas embedded in qualitative research of the type described: the conduct of qualitative inquiry in the classroom, project implementation, the effect of the researcher's presence in the field, and understanding questions of pedagogy…

Reports that Ellsworth Collings faked data and misrepresented his research in a 1923 study that became a hallmark of progressive education. "An Experiment with a Project Curriculum," supposedly documented a group of high school students' independent efforts at studying an outbreak of typhoid. Collings seriously misrepresented his input.…

Examines relevant case law regarding confidentiality in educational research. Argues that the benefits to society of educational research and the notion of academic freedom provide a rationale for extension of limited legal privilege of confidentiality to educational researchers. Proposes a code defining the nature and extent of research…

The harm that can transpire during and after the fieldwork phase of research is examined, and the ethical obligations of qualitative researchers to respond are explored. Recognition that research has the potential to harm has led the research community to develop philosophical guidelines for ethical conduct. Qualitative researchers have also…