Ethics is a significant aspect of academic studies and should always be appropriately followed to ensure the validity and morality of research. The articles in Unit 3 examine the data about childhood education programs and suggest improvements to schools. The experiments in both studies are conducted by professional research organizations in collaboration with education facilities. In general, the authors observed the behavior of teachers and students in the classrooms to collect necessary data. Consequently, they suggested adjustments to education protocols to improve early learning outcomes.
The morality of observation experiments is a complex subject open to discussion. The CLASS experiment by Teachstone (n.d.) included an assessment of teachers’ performance based on a 20-minutes lesson. The observer graded the educator’s job numerically, which might be perceived as slight obstruction of research ethics. Furthermore, the students might feel additional pressure due to observation, and, while not mentioned in the paper, the authors most likely did not obtain consent to the experiment from all learners. Naturally, it is not a severe mistake, but it could have potentially affected the results of the study by making teachers and students more nervous.
The second research concerns the general methods of collecting data for early childhood education programs. Zweig et al. (2015) collaborated with the ECERA to obtain the most relevant information about preschool education in the Northeast Region. In this case, research ethics primarily concerns the limitations of the study and the margin of mistakes. Zweig et al. (2015) acknowledge that there are certain challenges in data collection, such as multiple sources of information and various methods of analysis. However, the authors transparently discuss the limitations and implications of the study, thus, adhering to research ethics.
References
Teachstone. (n.d.). The Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS): Promoting quality in early care and education settings across the country.
Zweig, J., Irwin, C. W., Kook, J. F., & Cox, J. (2015). Data collection and use in early childhood education programs: Evidence from the Northeast Region. National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance.