Global Warming: Issues Of Ethical Responsibility In The Research Process (Essay Sample)

RESEARCH QUESTION ON GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT
By
Course:
Professor:
Institution:
City:
Date:
Issues of ethical responsibility in the research process
To begin with, we need to understand the meaning of the term ethical responsibility. Ethical responsibility refers to the duty to follow a morally correct path. Concerning the research process, it is important to consider ethical issues. That is about the rigor, accountability, and admiration by the researchers as well as the researched. To encourage the practice of ethical issues, well-defined systems have been put in place. Still, there exist some kinds of research where institutional framework alone is not enough to deal will address ethical issues that have been laid down in the ethical conduct of research. More so considering the participatory research where there is a close relationship between the researcher and the researched (Abu-zail, Alnajjar, and Anwer, 2014, p. 19).
There are a lot of ethical questions that require being cautiously addressed in the participatory research. For example, the ways control and power are conveyed and also how individual involvements can be shared and be made open. Considering that the researcher interacts daily and more closely with the community, these issues become increasingly significant. This is why there needs to be a great ethical responsibility among the researchers when conducting the particular research (Ajuwon and Adegbite, 2008).
Ethical framework
According to Wiles et al. (2008), the central concern in the ethical framework is how the researcher relates to others, more so the participants. The ethical code of respect for people, which in the real sense include both the notion that an individual should not only be treated as an autonomous agent but also as persons with diminished autonomy who are entitled to protection. This is practically applicable where research is being conducted in an environment deemed hazardous for human living. But the fact remains that the individuals living there have no other option or chance of relocating to anywhere else. Hence the principle of beneficence requires that persons under living here should be treated ethically in the sense that their decision of living there should be respected and that facilitation for their wellbeing should be enabled.
Another ethical issue addressed by nind is the researchers acting responsibly during the research process. This includes but not limited to allowing participation in the research to be voluntary. This ensures that the respondent or rather the one who is being interviewed does not feel coerced and intimidated to respond to the research questions. He/ she should rather enjoy responding to whatever the research is all about (Blee and Currier, 2011). In many cases witnessed, participation in a research process is recruited which means the respondents did not decide to participate in the research voluntarily.
Another aspect of ethical issues regarding a research is that many respondents don't quite get an adequate explanation of the research prior and in time which is against the principled aligned in a good ethical research process.
The democratization of research
The democratization of research is what is referred to as an all-inclusive research. According to Nind, the research is supposed to be all-inclusive so that all people are in a position of carrying out a research regardless of who they are or the disability they have. According to Nind et al. (2013), inclusive research is an important umbrella term, including the participatory and emancipatory research encompassed within it to include investigations with many labels which reflect a democratized research process.
Although the issue of democratization of research is a good one, some principles or guidelines must be set to enable research without any frictions. The first step to carrying out an effective, all-inclusive research is defining everyone's relationship to the research. According to Townson et al., (2010), participatory research should begin by considering the issues of all the participants to the research, more so in the ethical issues. These considerations are mostly to consider means that make research ethical, as argued by the many scholars concerned by the democratization of research. The democratization of research may include changing the relationship between the researcher and the community. The factor of defining everyone's relationship to the research enables everyone to own it and therefore works towards its perfection. Another aspect involves the definition of ideas whereby the concerned group whom the research bases are contacted so that their ideas for the research are generated. This is because according to Nind et al. (2013) when research is initiated by people whom it concerns, it becomes more meaningful. This is because they make it a reality when they control it.
The democratization of research also enables the research not to be a person- led but people-led in the sense that the leader of the research has no final say in the research conducted, but it is the people who have a say. Griffin and Balandin (2004) used the idea of communal justice when addressing ethical research. They claim that it is biased when clusters are designated out of research, which is when they are not included in the sampling frames such that the result is for the findings of the research being irrelevant to them. According to Tuffrey-Winjie (2010, p.181), justice is a matter of distributing benefits and the burden of the research equally among the researched groups. Including in the sample people who cannot express themselves is likely to result in methodical issues that pose ideological dilemma to the researcher. The challenge posed by this dilemma on the inclusive research is concerning the fact that for an inclusive research, a decision has to be made on who to be researched in a fair and inclusive manner. The inclusive research, therefore, yields the quality research since the separation of tasks is done according to people's abilities, acquaintance or comforts.
Under the democratization of the research, it is also prudent that the methods of research are leveled so that so that everyone is at a position of using a research material regardless of professionalism or the social status.
Issues of empowerment in research process
Issues of empowerment are important in the research process. Empowerment ensures that the unheard are adequately involved in the research process, and they're adequately express their issues. Empowered people are in a better position to take control of their lives and look for ways to perform in the society. As people become empowered, they can gain control of their lives and find ways to act in society and particularly participate in research being undertaken.
The theme of research as empowerment is sturdy in the original method since the idea of creative approaches rests on a sure view of research as a procedure of empowering whereby researchers enable or rather facilitates the contributors by affording them the means to put forward their concerns without any form of restriction. According to Gauntlett, it is prudent to aid the participants' voice by contribution an imaginative course through which they can be in a position to edit all along the way through creating their creation and using it to clarify and replicate Ekberg, 2012).
As addressed earlier under democratization, we get that some groups in the society like the children and women have been deemed as those who have nothing to over to the society. But we realize it is time to empower them so that they can contribute to the process. More so when the research is based on them, it is good we give them the time and space so that they can express themselves. This is when we can carry out a very effective research. If the research is basing the disabilities, we give the people with the disability power and resources so that they can carry out the research because it is a fact that they understand more of what they are than a professional who is trying to imagine what this group may be going through (Bennent and Chekel, 2014).
Extractive research can authorize the members of the society or can also offer benefits to the public in many ways. When interviewed, people can understand the importance of research. Even ancient ethnographies are now offering some benefits to Native American societies who, in bitter-sweet irony, are revolving around them to relearn and refresh their lost and forgotten traditional cultures.
But the aspect of empowerment has been opposed since many feel it is the same as giving this particular groups control over the interview process and that at some point it can lead to the groups, like the children, being too argentic. Again, empowerment sometimes cannot be realistic due to some aspects of the research environment such as inaccessible communication whereby one who is to be empowered to do a particular research is not able to communicate. Also, this can happen if there is the language barrier (Cannela and Lincoln, 2011). This is where some feel that they have been left out or have been ignored because they either don't understand what is laid down or they are not able to communicate their findings in case of research. This also happens due to illiteracy.
But for those who feel left out, they need to understand that in the new era empowering does not mean you get help from someone, but it is an aspect of self-motivation where one is driven from within to be able to do what he/ she is capable of doing.
To nurture this interdependence whereby the respondents are empowered to do what they can do, and also to prevent the professional researchers from leading to extraction, open communication is greatly needed. As decisions are formed, it is prudent for consideration to be made about the interests ...