With any research comes risk. Lindell & Perry (2004, p. 1) states “risk can be defined broadly as a condition in which there is a possibility that persons or property could experience adverse consequences”. Many action research (AR) studies encounter minimal exposure to any harmful information or risks to the participants. According to The Belmont Report “even avoiding harm requires learning what is harmful; and in the process of obtaining this information, a person may be exposed to risk of harm.” (p. 9) Ethical practices should always be performed by monitoring data and maintaining assurances of confidentiality to ensure participant’s trust and safety.
Privacy, confidentially and informed consent are all important elements in an action research study. Subsequently, it is imperative that approval from the institutional review board is granted before any data collection is performed. According to Stringer (2014, p. 92) “in action research, the credibility of a research process is a fundamental issue”. Credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability are checks used in action research to ensure trustworthiness and rigor (92-93).
Human Participant Risk
“Ethics …show more content…
Bias can be implicit or explicit. According to the Kirwan Institute, “implicit bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner” whereas explicit bias is based on a conscious level.
Researchers must anticipate any ethical issues that may arise throughout the research process. “They are especially important for data collection and in writing and disseminating reports” (Creswell, 2012, p. 27). Even though the research is based on African-American male students, the researcher will account for this bias, therefore, the research will be conducted without bias or