Before last week’s class, in my mind ethical research meant following policies implemented by the agency I work for as well as NASW’s code of ethics. One of the biggest topics both usually address is consent on behalf of the participant. This week I learned that it is essential that not only participants be aware of what the research entails, but also of the possible consequences. I thought this was interesting because research that involves experiments need some sort of anonymity in order to determine if what they are testing works. I am curious to see how researchers in this situation handle consent forms. Another big takeaway for me was the fact that as researchers, we have to recognize our own ethics and bias to ensure that we do not compromise the research. Our political values, possible ingrained stereotypes and cultural values might have an impact on the way we proceed with our research projects. For example, I know that for my research project I need to take a step back and look at it from a third party perspective. Because I am dealing with a population of my own culture, I cannot assume that I know the cultural values. I have to leave my personal experience and values aside in order to be able to let the data speak for itself.
Karina's Search for Research 