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Education Sciences
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Regulation and Ethical Practice for Educational Research
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Regulation and Ethical Practice for Educational Research

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2022) | Viewed by 22530

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Alison Fox

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
WELS, The Open University, Milton Keynes, MY7 6AA, UK.
Interests: professional learning; ethical enquiry; environmental sustainability in research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Hugh Busher

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
University of Leicester, School of Education, 21 University Road, Leicester LE1 7RF, UK
Interests: critical perspectives on culture and power in educational communities especially through student voices and teacher professional development; ethical practices in qualitative research, online and face to face; now pursuing an interest in digital and blended learning for seniors having lived it for/with postgraduates for a number of years

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Educational research necessarily focuses on learners and relationships between learners, educators and organizational leaders and how those relationships are affected by people’s social and cultural backgrounds and contexts. This involves researchers in considering critically the power imbalances bound up in these relationships and finding ways to hear and compare the different voices and perspectives of the participants in these relationships in their particular local and national contexts, whether through face to face and/or online/virtual methodologies.

The regulation of research through institutional ethics committees is intended to help researchers to both protect and benefit potentially vulnerable learners and other participants in research. However, the central role of institutional ethics committees as gatekeepers to research often serves as a barrier to the kinds of research which might maximise the benefits of educational research to participants. This can be traced to the agendas and accountability as well as values and ethical perspectives that drive the work of institutional ethics committees, especially in the Global North.

This Special Issue seeks to build on critical discussions about ethical regulation and practice put forward by Beach and Eriksson (2010); Busher and Fox (2020); Fox et al. (2020); Traianou (2019). It aims to shed light on the surface and deep explanations not only for why institutional ethics committees refuse permission for some educational research studies, while allowing the implementation of others, but also how their expectations shape the decision-making of research projects through their expectations and stipulations. This Special Issue wishes to present examples of empowering, participatory and critical studies which have been able to gain ethical approval, along with critical and cultural as well as structural explanations of why and how researchers achieved this. In presenting these papers, the Special Issue hopes to address questions such as: What are appropriate and effective ethical appraisal and approval practices for particular contexts? How can institutional ethics committees effectively support educational researchers and educational research throughout the life of a study, especially those pursuing a broad range of critical and participatory studies? How do authors’ reflections on their experiences relate to a wider international context for ethical practice and regulation?

If you are interested in submitting a paper for consideration, a title and short abstract (between 250 -400 words) should be sent to the Editorial Office by 31st October 2021. For accepted papers, this information will be announced shortly afterwards on the website.

References

Beach, D. and Eriksson, A. (2010) ‘The relationship between ethical positions and methodological approaches: a Scandinavian perspective’, Ethnography and Education, 5(2), pp. 129-142. Doi: 10.1080/17457823.2010.493393.

Busher, H. and Fox, A. (2020) ‘The amoral academy? A critical discussion of research ethics in the neo-liberal university’, Educational Philosophy and Theory, pp.1-10. DOI: 10.1080/00131857.2019.1707656.

Fox, A., Charitonos, K, Baker, S., Moser-Mercer, B, and Jack, V. (2020) ‘Ethics-in-practice in fragile contexts: research in education for displaced persons, refugees and asylum seekers’, British Educational Research Journal, 46(4), pp. 829-847. Doi: 10.1002/berj.3618. Available at: https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/berj.3618 (accessed on 16 January 2021).

Traianou, A. (2019) ‘Phrónēsis and the ethical regulation of ethnographic research, in Busher, H. and Fox, A. (eds.), Implementing Ethics in Educational Ethnography: Regulation and Practice. London: Routledge, pp. 19-31.

Dr. Alison Fox
Dr. Hugh Busher
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Research ethics
  • Research Integrity
  • Regulation

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Editorial

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8 pages, 213 KiB  
Editorial
Editorial for Special Issue on Regulation and Ethical Practice for Educational Research
by Hugh Busher and Alison Fox
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(11), 815; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12110815 - 15 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1507
Abstract
The Education Sciences Special Issue, Regulation and Ethical Practice for Educational Research, focuses on the ethical aspects of the generation of knowledge in educational research to examine learning, the relationships between learners, educators, organizational leaders and other stakeholders and how those relationships are [...] Read more.
The Education Sciences Special Issue, Regulation and Ethical Practice for Educational Research, focuses on the ethical aspects of the generation of knowledge in educational research to examine learning, the relationships between learners, educators, organizational leaders and other stakeholders and how those relationships are affected by people’s social and cultural backgrounds and contexts. It argues that democratic and situated approaches to research are needed for researchers to consider critically the power imbalances bound up in their relationships with participants and other stakeholders in their projects. This involves finding ways to hear and compare the different voices and perspectives of those in these relationships to address the power imbalance that are inherent when carrying out research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulation and Ethical Practice for Educational Research)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Other

12 pages, 2284 KiB  
Article
Reflecting on Ethical Processes and Dilemmas in Doctoral Research
by Aimee Quickfall
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(11), 751; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12110751 - 26 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2441
Abstract
This paper discusses ethical dilemmas from an early-career researcher perspective, drawing upon doctoral research experiences—my own. The doctoral study involved life-history interviews with five primary-school-teacher mothers. During the study, ethical dilemmas arose that were not considered by me or in the official university [...] Read more.
This paper discusses ethical dilemmas from an early-career researcher perspective, drawing upon doctoral research experiences—my own. The doctoral study involved life-history interviews with five primary-school-teacher mothers. During the study, ethical dilemmas arose that were not considered by me or in the official university ethical processes. This left me feeling vulnerable in the data-collection period and overwhelmed with concerns for the well-being of participants and for myself as researcher. This paper draws on my journal entries and reflections; detailed reflections of the pre-, during and post-fieldwork stages were collected (totalling over 600 entries). The paper utilizes critical incidents analysis to explore two ethical dilemmas from the data collection phase. Findings include personal reflections on experiences of university processes and the mismatch between the metaphor of ethics as a ‘hurdle’ on a smooth track to completion, and the real-life incidents and dilemmas that followed ethical approval. Recommendations are made for a consideration of doctoral ethical dilemma support and the limitations of formal ethics processes in UK universities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulation and Ethical Practice for Educational Research)
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13 pages, 1202 KiB  
Article
Capturing the Nature of Teacher and Learner Agency Demonstrating Creativity: Ethical Issues and Resolutions
by Debra McGregor and Sarah Frodsham
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 394; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12060394 - 8 Jun 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2882
Abstract
This article will focus on the ethical dilemmas and concerns related to eliciting the nature of agency in classrooms that emerges in learning contexts. Agency is a somewhat elusive phenomena to evidence because it involves capturing signs and indications of thinking involved in [...] Read more.
This article will focus on the ethical dilemmas and concerns related to eliciting the nature of agency in classrooms that emerges in learning contexts. Agency is a somewhat elusive phenomena to evidence because it involves capturing signs and indications of thinking involved in negotiating meanings, the capacity for initiating, and constructional decision-making. These processes are often made explicit through dialogic and actional exchanges between teachers and/or learners. This includes taking account of activities engaged in, either independently or collaboratively. It also requires evidence of earlier happenings or interactions between classroom participants that might influence and shape later events. There is also concern about the ways that teachers’ and learners’ demonstrable originality or creativity are recognised and communicated for scrutiny by others. Additionally, ethical approval procedures (BERA 2018) require that research protects participants’ anonymity, confidentiality, and dignity; therefore, research has to be carried out with integrity. Ensuring benefits from research are maximised and that no-one is harmed or made to feel uncomfortable requires the utmost care and balance between eliciting insightful data while maintaining the appropriate duty of care for participants. To achieve these objectives, multiple research methods were used. Audio and video recordings were transcribed and analysed to make sense of teacher and learner agency. The findings include an events map, photographic images, and dialogic episodes illustrating the nature of contrasting teacher and learner agency. The conclusion considers tensions that emerge as researchers seeking to characterize agency without compromising privacy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulation and Ethical Practice for Educational Research)
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13 pages, 257 KiB  
Article
Participatory Research and the Ethics of Anonymisation
by Thomas Godfrey-Faussett
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 260; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12040260 - 4 Apr 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4092
Abstract
Research in the UK is increasingly regulated by ethics review committees (RECs) which require researchers to seek ethics approval before commencing research. These RECs routinely expect researchers to anonymise data as part of standard ethical research practice. However, the anonymisation of data may [...] Read more.
Research in the UK is increasingly regulated by ethics review committees (RECs) which require researchers to seek ethics approval before commencing research. These RECs routinely expect researchers to anonymise data as part of standard ethical research practice. However, the anonymisation of data may sit in tension with participatory approaches to research which prioritise shared ownership of the research. In particular, the need to make decisions relating to ethics prior to the start of research makes it difficult for researchers to meaningfully share decision-making power with their participants—a fundamental principle of participatory approaches. This paper uses a participatory research study as a case study to explore this tension. In the study, the decision to anonymise data was made as part of the ethics approval process. However, over the course of the study, the researcher questioned whether this was the correct decision for this study. In order to afford researchers the flexibility required to involve participants in decision making, this paper argues for a dialogic and situational approach to ethics regulation. Allowing researchers to delay key decisions would mean that researchers could involve participants in the decision-making process rather than purely informing them of the results of decisions made on their behalf. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulation and Ethical Practice for Educational Research)
15 pages, 1384 KiB  
Article
Circumnavigating the Revolving Door of an Ethical Milieu
by Carmel Capewell, Sarah Frodsham and Kim Waring Paynter
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 250; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12040250 - 31 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2230
Abstract
This paper reflects on an Ethical Review Board’s (ERB) established structure of practice throughout a student-led project. We use the research project as a means of exploring the three questions set by the Editors, Fox and Busher, regarding the role of ERBs throughout [...] Read more.
This paper reflects on an Ethical Review Board’s (ERB) established structure of practice throughout a student-led project. We use the research project as a means of exploring the three questions set by the Editors, Fox and Busher, regarding the role of ERBs throughout the research process. We gained full university-level ethical approval in October 2020. This project initially focused on collecting data from students, from a UK university. The participatory way we collaborated with both undergraduates and postgraduates illuminated their individual unique perspectives and successfully facilitated their agentive contributions. This required on-going simultaneous negotiation of predetermined ethical procedures through the ERB. We termed this iterative process ‘circumnavigating the revolving door’ as it summarised revisiting ethical approval in the light of requests from our student participants. The participants were also invited to be part of the analysis and dissemination phase of this research. Original data collected related to personalised experiences of learning during the on-going global pandemic. The philosophical approach adopted was through an adaptation of Photovoice. That is, with limited direction by the researchers, the participants were invited to construct images (photos or hand drawn pictures), with captions (written text or voice), to explore their own educative circumstances. With this in mind, this paper explores the students’ participatory agency throughout this visual methods project through three lenses: namely, the appropriateness of ethical practices within a contextualised scenario (i.e., researching learning during lockdown in a higher educational institution); how the ethical process of an educational establishment supported the dynamic and iterative nature of participant-led research; and finally, how the original researchers’ experiences can inform ethical regulations and policy, both nationally and internationally. The circumnavigation of the revolving door of participatory ethics has proved invaluable during this research. This iterative cycle was necessary to incorporate the students (or co-researchers) suggested contributions. One example includes gaining the ERB’s approval, post full approval, for participants to audio record their own captions for a public facing website. From originally welcoming the students as participants, to facilitating them to become agentive co-researchers, it became increasingly important to provide them with opportunities to be actively involved in all parts of the research process. The reciprocal iterative relationship developed between co-researcher, researchers and the ERB served to strengthen the outcomes of the project. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulation and Ethical Practice for Educational Research)
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12 pages, 239 KiB  
Article
Towards Decolonising Research Ethics: From One-off Review Boards to Decentralised North–South Partnerships in an International Development Programme
by Maria Josep Cascant Sempere, Talatu Aliyu and Cathy Bollaert
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 236; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12040236 - 24 Mar 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4936
Abstract
Contemporary North–South research collaborations are fraught with power relations originating in colonialism. Debates about research ethics have tended to turn around the “procedural ethics” formal model and the “everyday ethics” practical model. We build on that to suggest a second debate that scrutinises [...] Read more.
Contemporary North–South research collaborations are fraught with power relations originating in colonialism. Debates about research ethics have tended to turn around the “procedural ethics” formal model and the “everyday ethics” practical model. We build on that to suggest a second debate that scrutinises ethics and power relations not only in the researcher–researched relationship but also in the relationships within research teams and ethics review boards. The research asked: how can we shift power in research to decolonise research and build more equitable partnerships? We explored this with data obtained through collaborative autoethnography in a multi-country development research programme, Evidence and Collaboration for Inclusive Development (ECID). This included regular self-reflective meetings, visual methods, a self-evaluation survey, and blogs addressing power issues. Coordinated from London, the research had all the cards to adopt a ‘colonial’ gaze in which the North would ‘research’ the South. The case narrates the journey of the research team to decentralise power in the programme, which included sharing control over the selection of research topics, and the research design, budget, and publications. Drawing from the lessons learned from the research approach that was adopted in ECID, this paper offers an 8-step model towards decolonising research ethics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulation and Ethical Practice for Educational Research)

Other

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10 pages, 279 KiB  
Essay
Democratising Ethical Regulation and Practice in Educational Research
by Alison Fox and Hugh Busher
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(10), 674; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12100674 - 3 Oct 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2663
Abstract
This paper sets the context for questions covered in the Education Sciences Special Issue: Regulation and Ethical Practice for Educational Research: What are appropriate ethical appraisal and approval practices for particular contexts? How can ethics committees effectively support educational researchers and educational research? [...] Read more.
This paper sets the context for questions covered in the Education Sciences Special Issue: Regulation and Ethical Practice for Educational Research: What are appropriate ethical appraisal and approval practices for particular contexts? How can ethics committees effectively support educational researchers and educational research? To do so, the paper argues for a democratising of ethical regulation and practice in educational research, which includes the decolonization agenda, to break away from enduring power imbalances in knowledge production. A key focus is on the regulation of educational research through ethics committees (whether institutional, regional and/or national) and how this affects research practice. While intended to help researchers to protect and benefit potential research participants, ethics committees themselves can have an important part to play in recognizing and removing barriers to inclusivity, as well as in erecting them, to maximise the benefits of educational research. To overturn the dominance of global North knowledge, for post-colonial research ethics regulation, broader conversations of researcher values and experiences in different parts of the world are needed. This paper explores how ethics committees’ expectations do and could shape researcher decision-making. It presents examples of approaches to ethical appraisal which would support empowerment and participation, not only for gatekeepers and participants but also for the research community, whether experienced researcher, ethics committee member or neophyte researcher. Evidence of ethical research practice which paves the way forward is drawn from a range of contexts to help acknowledge the enduring and wide-ranging impact of colonialism, neo-liberalism and neo-imperialism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulation and Ethical Practice for Educational Research)
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