CSIC8100 Applied Practice in Context Number 4

“Discuss how issues of ethics, society, culture and professional environments (including law, regulations and policy) are being addressed while you are taking action”.

I have chosen to use the Ethical Decision Making Model to discuss ethical issues relating to my research. 

Critical Incident and Responses to Critical Incidents

Most children are open to havinzdfghg a learning conversation with me in the course of a day, but there are a couple who refuse. This is a problem because conferencing with children is one of the main ways that we record learning and offer guidance to ākonga. How might I respond? Is it appropriate to make children have learning conferences with a teacher?

There are some different points of view to consider. 

Ehrich, Kimber, Millwater, & Cranston (2011) say that research processes need to "Avoid causing harm, distress, disadvantage or anxiety." The children we work with in school have the right to an emotionally safe learning environment where they are treated with respect. 

Ehrich, L. C. , Kimber M., Millwater, J. & Cranston, N. (2011) also point out that researchers need to avoid lowering self-esteem by highlighting difficulties and deficiences. It is possible that compelling children to participate in learning conferences could do this.

The NZARE (2010) encourages researchers to consider using research methods which '...promote the aspirations of Maori". I believe that the learning conference offers teachers an opportunity to engage with Maori students about topics which are of interest to them as Maori. 

NZARE (2010) principle 3.3. discusses Capacity to Consent; asking the researcher to consider the participants capacity to give consent. This is an interesting issue when the participant is a child. Do whānau give schools the right to include children in research projects when they enrol their children in New Zealand schools? The NZ Curriculum (2007) certainly encourages teachers to participate in research and teacher inquiry (pp34).

Beliefs that impact on my decision making could be:

I believe that learning conferences are the best way to offer personalised feedback to children. Russell Bishop (2010) confirms this when he describes the value of descriptive feedback to Maori students.  

I believe some children are too shy to talk with the teacher by themselves. 

I believe that it is my job as a teacher to get to know children individually as learners. 

The choice I have made is offer more choice to children. I thought that I could set up a booking system and children could choose to come to a group conference or an individual conference. Both conferences will follow the same format. 

Implications could be that some children do not end up participating in individual conferences, which is one of the school assessment guidelines.

Some children might participate in a group conference and then find that they are comfortable with the conference process which will enable them to participate in individual conferences in the future. 

Group conferences might produce more interesting discussions with children about learning.

Ehrich, L. C. , Kimber M., Millwater, J. & Cranston, N. (2011). Ethical dilemmas: a model to understand teacher practice, Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 17:2, 173-185, DOI: 10.1080/13540602.2011.539794  

Ministry of Education (2007), New Zealand Curriculum 2007, Learning Media, Wellington, NZ

New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE). (2010). NZARE Ethical Guidelines. Retrieved  from:- http://www.nzare.org.nz/portals/306/images/Files/NZARE%20EthicalGuidelines2010.pdf