Evolution of educational research perspectives from positivism to qualitative approaches

The ethics of research conducted on human subjects has been debated for almost a century. Studies like the Tuskegee syphilis experiment and other gross violations of ethical principles have called attention to the importance of rigorous standards in the social sciences. Education is not always considered a social science, and yet it is—and one with some of the most significant implications for humanity. As Lopez-Alvarado (2017) points out, education is about empowering individuals and enriching society, not just about teaching specific tasks and processes. Educational research therefore has many meaningful effects and should be taken just as seriously as research in any other applied science. While it is understandable researchers become frustrated with bureaucracy, red tape, and daunting regulations that restrict their freedom in research, those rules are in place for good reason. Educational research can be scrutinized in the most streamlined way possible, while still protecting the most fundamental rights of individuals. The Belmont Report is a good starting point for considering the ethics of education research. Respect for persons, beneficence, and justice are the three core concepts outlined in the Belmont Report, according to Lopez-Alvarado (2017).
There are several reasons why so much more attention is being paid to the Belmont Report and the ethics of education research in recent years. One is simply that it was impossible to maintain that education research is any different from any other research in the social sciences; from population sampling and informed consent to how the research is applied in policy, education research needs to conform to the highest ethical standards possible. Second, over the past several decades there has been an increased awareness of how education fits into social justice. Increased awareness of how developmental or psychological disabilities impact learning, or how students with special needs can receive the best possible education has also led to legislation that requires the public school system to serve all students with equal consideration. As Lopez-Alvarado (2017) points out, the purposes of education include an exploration of the issues to share information that can improve educational practice with social justice goals in mind.
The principle of respect is important at every stage of education research and practice. Just as it is categorically wrong to deceive research participants, it is also unethical to place research subject in harm’s way. Informed consent is one of the most straightforward methods of preserving the principle of respect for persons in education research, and is not as cumbersome a process as some researchers may claim. Beneficence refers to the end results of the research, and to the judicious use of public funding in conducting education research. The research should be designed to serve the population, to improve standards in education or quality of education. Not all research will be equally as impactful, but none should be designed to serve special interests such as profiting a private investor or serving some malicious purpose. Finally, the principle of justice ensures that no population is being discriminated against as with the Tuskegee experiment. Review boards should be populated with experienced professionals who understand the intricacies of research design and can make specific recommendations to researchers for how to improve their studies, to make them more ethical.
Some review boards might not be as competent as some researchers would like, or as efficient. Some educators might feel that their research is of the utmost importance for immediate policy changes, and in their haste would cut corners in research design and methods. Others might believe that their designs are beyond criticism and that the opinions of review boards will unnecessarily nitpick. Even when these and other complaints are valid, review boards exist to protect the integrity of the education profession. To reduce the complaints of researchers, perhaps the standards and review processes can be improved in the future.
References
Lopez-Alvarado, J. (2017). Educational research. International Journal of Research and Education 2(1).