Question 1 – Analyzing Ethical Scenarios
Writers need to anticipate and address any ethical dilemmas that may arise in their research.
—Creswell (p. 88)
Creswell, in the quote above, speaks about writers, but the same guidance also applies to researchers. The very nature of gathering data from and interacting with research subjects may reveal ethical issues—some anticipated, some not. Your challenge as a researcher is to engage with and attend to those issues. Analyze an ethical dilemma and determine how best to address it.
For this, you will be assigned to a scenario found in the course text, On Being a Scientist: Responsible Conduct in Research. You are responsible for answering the questions that follow your assigned scenario. This text is available either as a free download from http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12192 (users will need to provide personal information to access it,
Scenario 1: A Conflict of Commitment. This scenario is found on p. 45 of the online course text, On Being a Scientist.Be sure to read the Respond requirements carefully because they do not follow the usual guidelines.
To prepare for this Discussion:
• Review your assigned scenario from the online course text, On Being a Scientist.
• Review the “Ethical Issues to Anticipate” section (pp. 87–92) in the course text, Research Design.
• Address the questions that follow each scenario in the online Course Text.
With these thoughts in mind, analysis of your assigned ethical dilemma. Answer all questions associated with your assigned ethical dilemma.
Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the reading(s) and/or media segment(s) and use APA format.
Question: – 2 Recognizing and Avoiding Bias
As evidenced in the On Being a Scientist reading and Discussion 1, researchers have numerous ethical issues to anticipate and avoid. Another important aspect of developing a research mind-set and being a researcher is dealing with personal bias and your ability to be objective. In this Discussion, you will analyze scenarios and provide advice to hypothetical researchers regarding how to remain unbiased in their research situations.
To prepare for this review the following in the Learning Resources:
o “Guidelines to Reduce Bias in Language,” (pp. 61–76) in the course text, Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
o Review the “Ethical Issues to Anticipate” section (pp. 87–92) in the course text, Research Design, as well as the course text, On Being a Scientist.
Review the Ethical Standards and Diversity Standards for your discipline.
• Consider the following scenarios. Select one scenario on which to base your posting.
o Scenario 1: A researcher has a deep religious faith. Part of this faith is the belief that same-sex relationships are against God and God’s teachings. The researcher is part of a research team working together on a grant-funded project focusing on adjustment of children raised in families with same-sex parents. The researcher has been tasked with completing a major part of the literature review related to the topic. What advice would you give the researcher for remaining unbiased while reviewing the literature?
o
o Scenario 2: A researcher has a younger brother serving in the Army in Iraq, and the family is extremely proud of the brother’s patriotism. Sadly, the brother was recently killed when the army vehicle he was in was bombed. As a result, the researcher has developed a strong dislike and distrust of people from the Middle East and Muslims in general. During the course of setting up interviews for the researcher’s study, the researcher discovers that some people of Middle Eastern heritage are included in the participant base. What advice would you give the researcher for putting aside personal beliefs in order to remain an objective and ethical researcher?
With these thoughts in mind, write an explanation of the advice you would give the researcher in one of the scenarios above. Note that this is not a forum for you to post your personal beliefs about lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgender individuals, religion, the military, or any other topics.
Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the reading(s) and/or media segment(s) and use APA format.
Required Learning Resources/Reference to be used:
This page contains the Learning Resources for this week. Be sure to scroll down the page to see all of this week’s assigned Learning Resources. To access select media resources, please use the media player below.
• Course Text: Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches
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o Chapter 4, “Writing Strategies and Ethical Considerations,”
read “Ethical Issues to Anticipate” section (pp. 87–92)
In this portion of Chapter 4, used in the Discussions, Creswell points out potential ethical issues.
• Course Text: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
o “Guidelines to Reduce Bias in Language” (pp. 61–76)
These guidelines provide methods to help you avoid using biased language in your writing.
• Course Text: National Academy Press. (2009). On being a scientist: Responsible conduct in research (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Author. Available for free from http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12192 (users will need to provide personal information to access it, and this web site may not always be available) or available for purchase from the Walden Online Bookstore.
Read the Introduction through the Appendix
This brief reading for the Discussions exposes students to various ethical situations related to research that arise. For Discussion 1, you will be working with one of the scenarios on either p. 18 (“Is It Plagiarism?”) or p. 56 (“A Conflict of Commitment”).
3 sources to each question and use learning resources please,
additional material will be uploaded for question #2.