Ethics is an important consideration in practitioner enquiry, ensuring that research is conducted responsibly and respects the rights of participants. 

Our professional values and standards

All educators work within a defined code of practice and have common professional values and professional standards. A helpful first step when considering ethics in practitioner enquiry is to consider the ethical standards in your sector.

Early Learning and Childcare practitioners can refer to Standard for Childhood Practice (2015) (sssc.uk.com) and may also find relevant standards within Social Services Children and Young People (sssc.uk.com) HSC034 Promote the safeguarding of children and young people especially the following sections:

• Promote rights and inclusion with children and young people
• Work in ways that promote the well-being of children and young people

Community Learning and Development practitioners can refer to Code of Ethics | CLD Standards Council for Scotland and Ethical Practice – Competent Practitioners | CLD Standards Council for Scotland

Teachers can refer to the relevant Professional Standards for Teachers - The General Teaching Council for Scotland (gtcs.org.uk) and Code of Professionalism and Conduct (gtcs.org.uk)

Key ethical considerations

Learner welfare: The primary concern in education is the well-being of the learners. Any research involving learners must prioritise their safety, privacy, and emotional health.

• Some have asked about the idea of control groups in research for example - clearly if you feel that an intervention would benefit a group of learners, it would not be ethical to withhold that intervention from others!

Informed consent: Explain the research purpose, how you are conducting this, and how you will be sharing the learning (the enquiry submission template explicitly asks about permissions for quotes and images). Ensure that once you have explained this in a way that learners understand, that you ask for consent for them to take part. For younger learners, you may wish to consider a brief email or letter to explain this to parents and carers.

• For example - I am engaged in practitioner enquiry as part of my professional learning. The aim of this is to examine my practice in more detail with an aim to improving experiences for learners. I am looking at [insert enquiry question] and as part of this I will be [explain the what and how]. Any data gathered from this process will only be used for [explain how you will use any data], will be stored securely and used only for this purpose. Only anonymised quotes/data will be used when this learning is shared.

Confidentiality:  Think about how you will anonymise data, securely store information if you conduct surveys or interviews and ensuring that learner identities are not disclosed without explicit consent.

Equity and inclusion: Research should be conducted in a way that promotes equity and inclusion. This means considering the diverse needs and experiences of all learners, avoiding biases, and ensuring that research findings are accessible to all.

Cultural sensitivity: Educators must be mindful of cultural differences and avoid imposing their own values or beliefs on learners. Research should be conducted in a way that respects the cultural context of participants.

Power dynamics: Researchers must be aware of any power imbalance in relationships with participants (e.g. teacher - pupil) and ensure that learners feel safe and empowered to participate in the research process.