Answer to Question #227125 in Sociology for NEO

Question

Identify five ethical risks that may be associated with the study (5), and indicate what

specific steps you would take to address these risks (5).

Answer 1

It is imperative that ethical issues are considered during the formulation of the evaluation plan. Ethical considerations during evaluation include:

Informed consent. Informed consent means that the person participating in the evaluation is fully informed about the evaluation being conducted.

Voluntary participation. Voluntary participation means that people participate in the evaluation free from coercion.

Do no harm. Harm can be both physical and psychological and therefore can be in the form of: stress, pain, anxiety, diminishing self-esteem or an invasion of privacy. It is imperative that the evaluation process does not in any way harm participants.

Confidentiality. Confidentiality means that any identifying information is not made available to, or accessed by anyone but the program coordinator.

Anonymity. This is more difficult to achieve than confidentiality as participants in the context of social research are usually known to the program coordinator.

These ethical risks can be reduced through the following steps;

(1) Promote your values and lead by example

(2) Providing ethical training

(3) Implement a system for reporting unethical behavior

(4) Respond. It is important to follow every spot check and report when unethical happenings are occurring in your organization.