Lesson 32: Ethical Standard in Research

According to Fraenkel & Wallen (2007) in their book titled “How to Write and Evaluate Research in Education” ethics is the term coined to words of right or wrong. And if researchers think about research, they are thinking whether or not conducting research to particular respondents in a particular situation and place is “right” or “wrong”.

Ethical standard in research means following the right procedure/ protocol in conducting research. Here are some points to consider the ethical standard in writing review of related literature.

1. Understand the Intellectual Property (IP) rights

To understand the ethics of information use, you should know the law of intellectual property rights and the law.

Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind such as inventions, literary and artistic works and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce. IP is divided into two categories: Industrial property, which includes inventions (patents), trademarks, industrial designs, and geographic indications of source; and Copyright, which includes literary and artistic works such as novels, poems and plays, films, musical works, artistic works such as drawings, paintings, photographs and sculptures, and architectural designs" (Source: "What is Intellectual Property?", WIPO- World Intellectual Property Organization).

According to this law, it is illegal to grab an image off someone else's web page and put it on your web page without the permission of the copyright owner. Likewise, it is illegal to copy and paste any articles, studies or research findings and consider them as yours without citing and asking permission from the owner.

To protect the owners, from illegal use of their intellectual property, a copyright law comes into view. This protects (1) literary works; (2) musical works, including any accompanying words; (3) dramatic works, including any accompanying music; (4) pantomimes and choreographic works; (5) pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works; (6) motion pictures and other audiovisual works; (7) sound recordings; and (8) architectural works. Thus, anybody violating this law may be accountable to copy right law.

Copyright is automatic! Absence of a copyright mark or statement does NOT mean that an item is not copyrighted. Copyright owners have exclusive rights of reproduction, adaptation, distribution, public performance and display. As original work that is fixed in a tangible medium, material on the Web is protected. It is illegal to grab an image of someone else's web page and put it on your web page without the permission of the copyright owner.

For educational purposes, some uses of copyrighted material are allowed through provisions of copyright law such as "fair use." In general, you can use only a small part of another's work. In short, be careful when you use the intellectual property of others.

2. To understand the ethical use of information

This helps you understand the ethical use of information by providing information on quoting, paraphrasing, and citing the work of others and on recognizing and avoiding plagiarism.

To use the work of others aside from respecting the intellectual property right, you should know how to quote, summarize of paraphrase and cite properly the work of others.

Here are the tips of maintaining the use of ethical information

• You have to cite the author/s name to give respect of credit of his/ their property. You can do it by quoting directly or by paraphrasing. Academic ethics require that writers be credited for their work and their writing.

• If in case you use purposely or unintentionally the work of others without giving proper credit, you have violated the law of plagiarism.

• Your bibliography or references is a good evidence to support that your review ofrelated literature demonstrates scholarly materials with credible evidence – references or bibliography.

• When citing other people literary work, use direct quotation by putting quotation inentire words and cite your source. If you paraphrase other people's literary words, cite that source. If you've used the ideas from others, cite the names of those who give you that ideas.

Example

Title Study: Lived Experiences of Working Students Enrolled in Senior High School (SHS): A Phenomenological Study

Review of Related Literature and Studies

     This study was designed to explore the experiences of Senior High School (SHS) working students enrolled in Gingoog City Comprehensive High School, Division of Gingoog City. To facilitate the more comprehensive details of this phenomenological research approach, review of related literature and studies include the following:

     According to Human Capital Theory (Becker, 1964), as cited by Neyt, Omey, Verhaest & Baert(2017) employment can be a complement to education due to the additional skills and knowledge obtained while working. On the other hand, building on the Theory of the Allocation of Time (Becker, 1965) as cited by Neyt, Omey, Verhaest & Baert (2017) the Zero-Sum Theory suggests that student employment and education are substitutes. It is argued that student employment strongly constrains students’ use of time: time spent working crowds out time spent on activities that enhance academic performance (e.g., studying, doing homework, and attending classes; Bozick, 2007; Kalenkoski &Pabilonia, 2009; 2012). Self Determination Theory (SDT) on the other hand has been widely discussed in the field of motivation in school learning, and many studies have shown that motivation can affect students' learning and performance and, conversely, that learning can affect motivation (Wechsler, 2006, Pfromm, 1987, Schunk, 1991, Mitchell, Jr., 1992) as cited by Leal, Miranda, & Carmo (2013).

     Working while studying is not an easy task, especially for full-time students who work for more hours a week. This can be a tough situation which needs balancing of time between studies and work. Students who work while studying are those who usually belong to families with low average income, where survival is a must (Frigillano, Ciasico & Nulada, 2015). Tuttle (2005) describes them as lower-income students, and to some extent, middle-income students, who have some unmet financial burdens and need to work while studying. Working while studying could have positive effects on one thing and negative on another, and that it would affect different kinds of students differently (Lederman, 2009).

     Studies have proven that students who work while studying have various effects into their academic performance positively and foster student achievement and success (Watanabe, 2005; Pike in Lederman,2009; Frigillano, Ciasico & Nulada, 2015), determined the effects of college student employment on academic achievement. Findings revealed that college student employment did not affect academic achievement., on leadership skills, psychological well-being Pascarella and Padgett (in Lederman 2009), on self –esteem (Frigillano, Ciasico & Nulada, 2015), on feeling of self –achievement and self-satisfaction (Kavaran,2013), abilities on balancing time to study and work (Ali,2010) abilities of hard work and determination in people ( Kavaran, 2013 ), (Orszag et. al, 2001), to improve their lives in the future and caring environment between students and teachers. (Jaavall,2007). Another study revealed a positive experience to working students and prepares them into market world. Kwadzo (2014) also indicated the benefits gained by said students from the responsibilities that resulted from their dual role as both students and employees in many ways. Interestingly, these students effectively employed different coping mechanisms including finding social support and participating in leisure and no leisure activities to off-set the negative effects of studying and working concurrently.

     However, there are also studies which prove there are negative effects in working while studying as proven from the studies of the following researchers. Orszag, et al., 2001) as cited by Lundberg (2004) revealed that there are negative effects in working while studying because hours spent at work take time away from studying - which may lead to lower grades and less attractive post-college opportunities. Working may contribute to students dropping out or taking a longer time to graduate. Furrand Elling (2000) proved that students working between 30-39 hours per week and those working 40+ hours per week felt that their employment had a negative effect on their academic achievement. Neyt, Omey, Verhaest & Baert (2017) literature review findings found that that student employment seems to have a more adverse effect on educational choices and behaviour (study engagement and the decision to continue studying) than on educational performance (in particular, graduation). Kwadzo (2014) study revealed that students suffered from emotional and physical stress which resulted in tiredness, lack of sleep, role conflict, homesickness and frustration.