Ethical Considerations at the Crossroads of Open Science and Qualitative Research

• In Event: A Critical Perspective of Conducting Open Science Qualitative Education Research

Abstract

Ethics are defined broadly as the “moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity” (Oxford English Dictionary, n.d.). Due to historic harms that have occurred in research, ethical guidelines and principles have emerged over the years, such as the well-known Belmont Report (U.S. National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical, & Behavioral Research, 1978). In addition, most professional fields have a ‘Code of Ethics’ outlining a common set of values as well as guidance for the application of those values specific to the field or profession. This is also true of educational research whereby the American Educational Research Association (AERA) has a clearly delineated “Code of Ethics” (AERA, 2011). These documents are commonly utilized resources and have served as foundations for educational research training, ethical decision-making, and internal review board compliance. However, these ethical codes were never meant to be the end-all and as new methods, practices, and recommendations emerge, such as the recent calls for use of open science practices in qualitative research, a critical lens must be applied; ultimately ensuring that foundational ethical principles and codes are not inadvertently violated (Bishop, 2009).
In this paper, we summarize current scholarly conversations, debates, and resources related to applying open science practices in qualitative research through the lens of these ethical guidelines and codes. Specifically, we examine the ‘ethical principles’ (i.e., Respect for Persons, Beneficence, and Justice) and the ‘application’ (informed consent, assessment of risks and benefits, and selection of subjects) relative to the use of open science practices in qualitative research, resulting in a framework for ethical understanding. Next, based upon the framework, we discuss considerations for training (e.g., IRB training protocols), potential updates needed to ethical codes, such as the AERA Code of Ethics (AERA, 2011), as well as needs related to current reporting guidelines for qualitative research (e.g., EQUATOR COREQ Reporting Guidelines for Qualitative Research).
Overall, the aim of this paper is to initiate critical discourse related to the ethics of using open science practices in qualitative educational research through development of a decision-making framework. Ethical frameworks for decision-making are seen as critically needed tools across a range of fields (e.g., Busher & James, 2012; Campbell, 2016; Emanuel et al., 2008). Yet, there is no known tool in educational research that includes considerations related to open science practices. In addition to this gap, this work comes at a time when there are calls for updates to other ethical foundations and guidelines such as the Belmont Report (Friesen et al, 2017) and reporting guidelines for qualitative research (Buus & Perron, 2020); ultimately making this a timely and necessary paper, framework, and critical discourse for all educational researchers.

Authors

• Sondra Stegenga, University of Utah

• Erica Murdoch, University of Utah