Ethical Research

As I plan to do my research in a K-12 setting, I anticipate that I may have ethical issues surrounding the students that I will be working with.  How can I be sure that my research will "do no harm" to students that will be involved?  There's no way to really no how each participant is going to react to the research. 

 I suspect that I will form relationships with the students in my research as well as the individual teachers.  My research could help me build stronger relationships with teachers on my own staff if I use them.  I may form relationships with other educational leaders as I talk with them.  I'm not as worried about relationships with teachers and administrators.  I worry more about relationships that could form with students.  I'm not in a position to really be friends with students or their parents.  I think I would have to make some tough decisions about whether I would do my research at my home school or at another site.  


If I could speak to Benjamin, I would want to know if he succeeded in passing the GED.  I would ask him if he decided to follow his plan and go into the military?  I would ask him what advice he had for other kids who were thinking about dropping out or who were struggling in school?  I would ask him if he could go back and change anything and do anything differently, would he?






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