NZARE ETHICAL GUIDELINES

NZARE's Ethical Guidelines (download NZARE's Ethical Guidelines 1998, PDF, 20K) were last reviewed in 1998). These guidelines are currently under review. We are now seeking your feedback on the proposed revisions. A revised version, incorporating NZARE members' feedback and suggestions for changes will be considered by NZARE Council at its September meeting.

» Download Letter from NZARE President Linda Smith about changes (PDF, 324KB)

» Download "Ethical Guidelines - Draft for Membership Consultation" (PDF, 324KB)

BACKGROUND TO CURRENT review of NZARE'S ETHICal GUIDELINES

An initial workshop took place in Wellington on 4 Nov 2008 entitled Ethics in the 21st century: emerging issues in educational research/evaluation in new times. It was organized in response to questions raised by NZARE members about the role ethics approval processes seem to be playing in educational research in New Zealand – in particular in influencing the quality and/or types of research being carried out. There is also a perception that independent researchers have some issues that are different from those based in institutions. NZARE, as the national association of educational researchers, seems the natural forum for discussions of these issues – hence this workshop. A great deal of interest was expressed in it, and it is clear that ethics is, in general, an area of concern among educational researchers in New Zealand. However, these concerns are wide-ranging and varied, as the discussions at the workshop showed.

The workshop’s main outcome was to make it clear that there is a shared interest, from a wide range of different perspectives, in improving practice in this area, and in improving research quality in general. The participants in general saw ethics as being a dynamic, ongoing, principle-based process of decision-making by researchers, often on a case-by case basis, not a ‘tick-box’ exercise to check compliance with generic rules set by external authorities. Ethics is an integral part of research quality, and is a key responsibility of researchers, not external authorities. However, participants also raised a number of practical issues to do with implementing broad principles in the ‘real world’ ‘impure’ contexts in which they often find themselves working.

The workshop ended with a suggestion that a smaller group (of volunteers) be set up to begin the process of reviewing the NZARE Ethical Guidelines (last reviewed in 1998). This group met briefly at the NZARE Conference in November 2008, and for a full day in Wellington in February 2009 to begin this work. Notes from meetings will be put up on this site for the information of members as they become available.

Subsequently, a the Ethics Working meeting was held in September 09. Notes from this meeting are available below.

» Notes from a meeting of the NZARE Ethics Working Party Sep 09 (PDF, 193KB)

» Draft notes taken at the workshop Nov 08 (PDF, 92KB)

» Submission to NZARE Council on a proposed Ethical Guidelines Working Party. From the meeting of ad hoc working group Wellington 16 Feb 09 (PDF, 132KB)