Week 4

7/21/13

This week certainly made me think about the topics that interest me from the standpoint of ethics.  While I have a small background in the analysis of ethical scenarios from the ethics course in Administration, it did not cover the depths of research.  Both of my topics can technically be considered "unethical" based on the reading.  With one topic focusing on the discomfort imposed on an individual in a performance setting, the participants would be subjected to a degree of psychological turmoil.  In reflection, I wouldn't compare that to locking a claustrophobic person in a small room for an extended period of time, but for some people, the performance anxiety is so severe, it causes serious mental and sometimes even physical distress (sickness).  The difficulty in completing this research would be the participants I have available to me; high school instrumental musicians.  I would need to approach this very carefully to ensure that no one feels obligated to participate and that those who do, are not over-stressed.  As minors, any kind of project like this would require informing parents and a consent form to be kept as documentation.  I think this could be hugely successful in application as the article I reflected upon for this week showed.  I've been intrigued by this idea for over a decade, and would sincerely like to see it through.

The other topic could be considered "unethical" because it would focus on demographics, which in turn can easily turn into drawing parallels between negative data and ethnicity.  Obviously, the goal is not to slap labels on anyone, rather purely to gather and disaggregate information to determine demographic roles in program participation and success in school.  Tracking/Labeling/Targeting is all technically illegal, so as with the other topic, the research would have to be approached very carefully. 

I believe any research that is done by public educators carries a certain level of risk.  Conducting significant study does leave the educator exposed to potential criticism or attack.  This is the same for anyone doing research in a field that is so "out in the open".  However, autonomy/academic freedom/constitutional rights only carry so far in public education.  Given this thought, I have been wary and shied away from any kinds of projects that could be considered even the slightest bit controversial.  I have wanted to implement the studies on breathing for years, not only for my students, but to share with the administration and general population of the school.  If we can pinpoint a technique that alleviates performance anxiety that doesn't involve the medical field, just think how we can increase student achievement on testing and study habits.  Studies have shown that there are methods out there that calm the mind and body and productivity is increased as a result. 
There is much to consider going forward.