Exploring the boundaries of research ethics: Perceptions of ethics and ethical behaviors in applied linguistics research

Abstract

Research ethics are a cornerstone of modern data collection, yet training in various areas of research ethics are often lacking in Applied Linguistics. This article explores the reactions that members of the field have towards scenarios in which the ethicality of action cannot be easily identified as right or wrong. Survey respondents read 10 scenarios in which actors completed ethical ambiguous action and then rate them for 1) level of ethicality, 2) frequency of similar issues, and 3) how frequent the respondent believed researchers faced similar issues. Results indicated that situations involving materials covered during ethical review training were rated as being less ethical compared to items that revolved around issues of academic integrity. Counter intuitively, more experienced researchers rated scenarios as being intrinsically more ethical, indicating that time spent in the field might result in a more lax view of ethics. Finally, participants relied heavily on ethical review board requirements as their guide to making decisions about what is ethical and what is not. Taken together, these data indicate that more discussion in research ethics is needed for the field, especially with elements of academic integrity and ethically gray areas.