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Ethical Dilemmas in Education Research

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Handbook of Research Ethics and Scientific Integrity

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Abstract

The ethical deliberations of education researchers can be similar to those undertaking research within the social sciences, humanities, and other related disciplines. However there are some distinctive features of education research that require special consideration. These features include the involvement of children in much research, those who are simultaneously education practitioners and researchers and the question of whether education research in itself should be educative. Whether the educational researcher is already in the field, or planning to enter it, traversing the ethical terrain of their proposed and actual research can be challenging. Preparing documentation for formal ethical approval can help the researcher scrutinize the various elements of their anticipated inquiry. However the dynamic settings in which much education research takes place, and the characteristics of the participants involved, arguably require an ongoing and reflexive ethical engagement. By recognizing in advance the ethical complexity of education research, certain opportunities and pitfalls can be illuminated. This chapter will help the researcher consider ethical pathways into their research and navigate the development of their own ethical competence once in the field.

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  1. Ilkley, West Yorkshire, UK

    Ros Brown

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  1. Ros Brown
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Correspondence to Ros Brown .

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  1. Chatelaillon Plage, France

    Ron Iphofen

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Brown, R. (2020). Ethical Dilemmas in Education Research. In: Iphofen, R. (eds) Handbook of Research Ethics and Scientific Integrity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16759-2_47

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