Deck 3: Ethics and Site Relations in Educational Research

Question 1

Ethical practice requires the research investigator to

A) protect participants from physical and mental discomfort, harm, or danger.
B) refrain from the use of deception in any research study.
C) develop a written contract defining the participants' obligations concerning their involvement in the study.
D) provide access to data on individuals to other qualified researchers.

Answer 1

protect participants from physical and mental discomfort, harm, or danger.

Question 2

Currently prevailing legal constraints on educational research include the requirement that

A) school records on individual students will not be released under any conditions without parental consent.
B) no unauthorized person can have access to the names of the students who participated in the study.
C) a national government review board must approve all research projects involving human subjects.
D) deception may not be used in experiments with children.

Answer 2

no unauthorized person can have access to the names of the students who participated in the study.

Question 3

Professional associations such as the American Educational Research Association have developed written codes of ethics primarily because

A) many researchers have violated ethical principles.
B) institutional review boards are required to use such codes in evaluating research proposals.
C) public and governmental concern about the effects of research on human subjects has increased.
D) all of the above.

Answer 3

public and governmental concern about the effects of research on human subjects has increased.

Question 4

Procedures used in educational research to address ethical, legal, and human relations issues are primarily designed to

A) standardize the research methods used to study human beings.
B) ensure that researchers avoid or minimize possible misuse of their power.
C) increase the participation of research participants in the design of research studies.
D) clarify the forms of oppression that need to be remedied in society.

Question 5

A valid reason for using deception in some behavioral science research is that

A) if participants knew the purpose of the study, they might respond differently and thus invalidate the results.
B) some studies involve aversive experiences, and participants might refuse to participate if they knew this fact.
C) many researchers are interested in the study of how individuals respond to the fact that they have been deceived.
D) it increases the likelihood of significant differences between the experimental and control group participants.

Question 6

It is important to dehoax research participants at the end of an experiment involving deception in order to

A) discourage the participants from revealing the true purpose of the experiment to other potential participants.
B) help ensure that the deception will do no future harm to the participants.
C) solicit data about the participants' post-experiment perceptions of the deception.
D) explain the expected findings of the experiment.

Question 7

Desensitizing research participants after an experiment typically involves

A) telling them that they were in the control group rather than the experimental group.
B) pointing out that their behavior was unpredictable.
C) suggesting that their behavior was due to the circumstances present in the experiment.
D) pointing out their responsibility for their own actions.

Question 8

The main function of an institutional review board is to

A) determine procedures for allowing institutionalized individuals to participate in research studies.
B) review research proposals to ensure that they provide satisfactory protection of human subjects.
C) review research proposals to ensure that the research will yield useful results for the sponsoring institution.
D) review completed research studies to ensure that human subjects were adequately protected.

Question 9

Proposals for research that are defined by federal regulations as eligible for expedited review are those that

A) receive funds from a U.S. government agency.
B) involve fewer than 10 research participants in each group.
C) involve minimal risk to human subjects.
D) will be conducted entirely within the institution that is reviewing the proposal.

Question 10

To reduce the potential vulnerability of the members of a research population of interest, a researcher should consider

A) joint planning of the research with members of the population.
B) intensive interviews with members of the research population to explore possible areas of vulnerability.
C) doing qualitative research rather than quantitative research.
D) all of the above.

Question 11

The best solution to avoid the ethical issue resulting from the control group being deprived of the perceived benefits of an experimental treatment is to

A) not inform the control group of the expected benefits of the treatment.
B) randomly assign individuals to the control and experimental groups.
C) schedule the control group for the same treatment after data collection has been completed.
D) provide monetary compensation only to control group members.

Question 12

Disseminating research results in the "least publishable unit"rather than as a coherent whole is unethical because

A) it distorts the meaning of the research.
B) it gives authors excessive credit for the extent of their publishable work.
C) it makes scarce reporting space less available to other authors.
D) all of the above.

Question 13

Match each of the following procedures that is used to protect research participants with the appropriate example of that procedure.

-Describe the conditions of participants' participation in the study.

A) Asking, "Would you like to stop now?"
B) Telling participants at the outset who will have access to the data.
C) Explaining to participants that their behavior during the study was not unusual.
D) Sending an informed-consent letter.
E) Doing a literature review to determine whether the proposed treatment has unanticipated side effects.

Question 14

Match each of the following procedures that is used to protect research participants with the appropriate example of that procedure.

-Ensure that participants can exercise their right to withdraw from the study at any time.

A) Asking, "Would you like to stop now?"
B) Telling participants at the outset who will have access to the data.
C) Explaining to participants that their behavior during the study was not unusual.
D) Sending an informed-consent letter.
E) Doing a literature review to determine whether the proposed treatment has unanticipated side effects.

Question 15

Match each of the following procedures that is used to protect research participants with the appropriate example of that procedure.

-Protect participants' privacy and confidentiality.

A) Asking, "Would you like to stop now?"
B) Telling participants at the outset who will have access to the data.
C) Explaining to participants that their behavior during the study was not unusual.
D) Sending an informed-consent letter.
E) Doing a literature review to determine whether the proposed treatment has unanticipated side effects.

Question 16

Match each of the following procedures that is used to protect research participants with the appropriate example of that procedure.

-Assess the risk-benefit ratio.

A) Asking, "Would you like to stop now?"
B) Telling participants at the outset who will have access to the data.
C) Explaining to participants that their behavior during the study was not unusual.
D) Sending an informed-consent letter.
E) Doing a literature review to determine whether the proposed treatment has unanticipated side effects.

Question 17

Match each of the following procedures that is used to protect research participants with the appropriate example of that procedure.

-Apply safeguards when using deception.

A) Asking, "Would you like to stop now?"
B) Telling participants at the outset who will have access to the data.
C) Explaining to participants that their behavior during the study was not unusual.
D) Sending an informed-consent letter.
E) Doing a literature review to determine whether the proposed treatment has unanticipated side effects.

Question 18

A major advantage of using a coding or linkage system to ensure the confidentiality of data on human research participants is that

A) data protected by a coding or linkage system have privileged legal status in the courts.
B) this system guarantees research participants that no one can determine how they responded to the research instruments.
C) this approach is more ethical than a completely anonymous procedure.
D) if necessary, the researcher can identify participants who failed to respond or misinterpreted the instructions.

Question 19

Which of the following is not a legitimate request for the researcher to agree to when seeking approval of a research project from school personnel?

A) The results will be useful to the schools in their district.
B) The study will contribute to the profession of education.
C) Any aspects of the research design that interfere with other school activities will be modified.
D) Minimal extra time and effort will be required from students who participate.

Question 20

A research project involved individual administration of a new measure of nonverbal intelligence to low achieving children. The test identified a number of children with previously undiagnosed learning deficits. This example illustrates

A) the possible advantages to the school district of research that uses special measures.
B) the potential dangers of not ensuring anonymity of research participants.
C) the importance of modifying the research design to accommodate school requirements.
D) the need for obtaining prior approval from school authorities for all measures to be used in the research.

Question 21

In research done in school settings, it generally is wise for the researcher to

A) get approval from the teachers who will be involved before contacting the superintendent or principal.
B) conceal the true purpose of the research from the teachers whose students may be involved in it.
C) maintain distance from school personnel in order not to bias the results.
D) think of ways to ensure that aspects of the study will provide direct benefits to the school.

Question 22

An investigator conducts a study of the effects of large vitamin doses on college students' problem-solving ability. When he describes the study to his philosophy class, all the students agree to participate. A week later a student tells the professor she does not want to finish the project because she feels she is taking too many vitamins. The investigator points out that the doses are well within safe limits established by the medical profession. The student still wishes to drop out. Because the student was fully informed before the study and volunteered, would it be ethical for the professor to penalize the student by giving her a lower grade in the class? Explain your answer.

Question 23

Describe three unethical practices involving the reporting of research that researchers should avoid.

Question 24

Describe one of the topics that are covered by the Ethical Standards of the American Educational Research Association.

Question 25

Explain how the risk-benefit ratio is used in the review of a research proposal.

Question 26

The use of deception in a research study requires the researcher to ask herself several questions, such as whether the potential benefits of the study justify the use of deception. Briefly describe two other questions the researcher should consider before using deception.

Question 27

Some research projects require desensitization of research participants. Explain desensitization, and give an example of a type of study in which it would be necessary.

Question 28

Describe one of the tasks typically performed by an institutional review board.

Question 29

Give one example of a prospective research sample that would fit the definition of a vulnerable population.

Question 30

Describe one ethical issue that researchers need to consider when administering tests or self-report measures to individuals.

Question 31

One of the steps required to protect the rights of research participants is to give each participant a letter of informed consent. Briefly describe three types of information that such a letter should cover.

Question 32

Name one approach researchers can take to ensure that their research is well designed and thus sensitive to the needs of the research participants.

Question 33

Describe three steps that can be taken to protect the privacy of individuals who are to serve as participants in a research project.

Question 34

Briefly describe three strategies that can be used to maintain the confidentiality of information gathered on research participants.

Question 35

Describe one advantage and one disadvantage of conducting one's dissertation research project at the institution where one is employed.

Question 36

If members of the community protest a research study, what are three things the researcher can communicate publicly to reduce possible resistance to the study?

Question 37

"Many educational practitioners do not understand the nature of educational research. Therefore, the researcher only needs to inform administrators and teachers about the general purpose of his research project. They need not be informed of specifics, such as tests to be administered, number of students to be involved, how the results will be reported, etc."Is this a sound position to take? Support your answer.

Question 38

You are meeting with the district superintendent to explain a research project you wish to conduct that involves giving personality tests to high school students and teachers. The superintendent asks, "What steps are you taking to protect the rights of the teachers and students who will be in your experiment?"Describe the steps that you could mention.

Question 39

The text describes three criteria that educators should consider in deciding whether to agree to have their institution participate in a research study. The criteria are (a) the conceptual soundness of the research, (b) the feasibility of the research, and (c) whether the research is ethically designed. Say that a high school has been asked to participate in research comparing a standard, in-class career education unit with an innovative program in which students are placed in work sites for part of the school day. Give an example of a concern that might arise in relation to each criterion.

Question 40

In a study of truthfulness, you set up research conditions that make it possible to detect certain lies that research participants are likely to make, which could not be detected under normal conditions. At the end of the study, several participants appear to be very upset when they discover that they have been caught in lies. As the investigator, suggest the steps you could take to meet your responsibility to the research participants.

Question 41

Suppose you have carried out a study in which you gave students incorrect scores on a test of algebra aptitude (some higher and some lower than the correct scores) to see how this information affects responses on a vocational interest test to vocations that require mathematics (e.g., electrical engineering and computer programming). Describe the procedure you would use to debrief students at the completion of the study.