Methods of Research

Final Week 1-2 Activity Sheet

Student Name: _____________________________________________

Deadline of Submission:
Teacher: Engr. Noli Mark A. Paala Contact: 09354007283
Send to: nolipaala@gmail.com/ Messenger: Nomar Anthony

A. Directions: Match the words in Column A to its meaning in Column B. Write your
answer on the space provided.
Column A Column B
______1. bias a. to have a strong and often unfair influence on someone or
something
______2. strategy b. to create or make up in order to trick people
c. a detailed plan on how to do something
______3. blueprint d. a careful plan or method for achieving a particular goal usually over a
long period of time
______4. fabricate e. expressing a command in a forceful and confident way
______5. imperative f. done in one’s free will without valuable consideration or legal
obligation
B. Directions: Read the sentences. Put a check (√ ) on the space before the number if you think
that the sentence is correct. Put a cross (X) if you think that it is not. Write your answers on the
space provided.
_____1. Research must observe a step-by-step process.
_____2. The steps in conducting research are patterned.
_____3. The student-researcher must read literature related to the problem he or she is
studying.
_____4. The researcher must avoid listening to another researcher to have an objective view of
his or her study.
_____5. A person’s opinion is acceptable and considered as an answer to the questions asked
by the researcher.

1
C. Directions: Read and analyze the article below and then answer the guide questions that follow.
Write your answers on the space provided.

Ethics in Qualitative Research

Ethical issues are present in any kind of research. The research
process creates tension between the aims of research to make
generalizations for the good of others
and the rights of participants to maintain privacy. Ethics pertains to doing
good and avoiding harm. Harm can be prevented or reduced through the
application of appropriate ethical principles. Thus, the protection of human
subjects or participants in any research study is imperative.
Violations of human rights in the name of scientific research have
been among the darkest events in history. From 1932-1972 more than 400
African American people who had syphilis were deliberately left untreated to
study the illness.
Although the Tuskegee syphilis study was sponsored by United States Public
Health Service, the disclosure of the 40-year study caused public outrage
(Caplan, 1992).
Another example of unethical research is the experiment conducted
between 1950-1952 in which more than 1,000 pregnant women were given
diethylstilboestrol to prevent miscarriages. These women were subject to a
double-blind study without consent. Only 20 years later, when the children of
these women had high rates of cancer and other abnormalities did the
participants learn they were subjects of these experiments (Capron, 1989).
The nature of ethical problems in qualitative research studies is subtle
and different compared to problems in quantitative research. For example,
potential ethical conflicts exist in regard to how a researcher gains access to
a community group and the effects the researcher may have on participants.
The literature provides few examples of ethical issues in qualitative health
research. Punch (1994) claimed that one hardly ever hears of ethical failures
in qualitative research. However, Batchelor and Briggs (1994) claimed that
the failure of researchers to address ethical issues has resulted in those
researchers being ill-prepared to cope with the unpredictable nature of
qualitative research.
Qualitative researchers focus their research on exploring, examining,
and describing people and their natural environments. Embedded in
qualitative research are the concepts of relationships and power between
researchers and participants. The desire to participate in a research study
depends upon a participant’s willingness to share his or her experience.
Nurse researchers have to balance research principles as well as the well-
being of clients (Ramos, 1989).
Qualitative health research is focused on the experiences of people in
relation to health and illness. Yet nurse researchers may find that their roles
as researchers and as clinicians may be in conflict. Qualitative studies are
frequently conducted in settings involving the participation of people in their
everyday environments. Therefore, any research that includes people
requires an awareness of the ethical issues that may be derived from such
interactions. Ethics in health research includes appropriateness of the
research design, the methodological design, and the funding sources, as well
as behaviors in reporting data. The purpose of this paper is to show these
and related ethical issues and ethical principles to be used in qualitative
research.

Source: Ethics in Qualitative Research by A. Orb, L. Eisenhauer, and D. Wynaden

(2000)

2
Guide Questions
1. Based on the article, how will you define ethics in research?

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________
2. Are the Tuskegee syphilis study and diethylstilboestrol study on pregnant women unethical?
Why?

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

3. If you were part of the research teams who conducted the research studies, what will you do
to correct the unethical aspect of the experiments?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

D. Directions: Put an “X” on the space before each statement that describes plagiarism. Write
your answers on the space provided.
__________1. Alex puts his name on a quotation of Dan Brown.
__________2. The author is Mulroney, Dermot but the reference of JC is Mulroney, Demot.
__________3. After reading a selection, Ally correctly wrote the contents of the selection and
cited the author.
__________4. In Jenny’s project, she carefully expressed the ideas of the author and wrote the
author’s name.
__________5. Because of lack of time, Pauline omitted some of the important details from a
source in her thesis.

E. Directions: Determine the appropriate ethical action to address the unethical practices described
below. Write your answers in the box provided.

Unethical Practices Ethical Actions

1. Joy, a TVL student, is planning
to conduct her first research on
misbehavior of fellow students
inside the classroom. However,
she has no idea on the ethical
guidelines in conducting such
research.

2. Jose was always absent and got

addicted in mobile legends.
Though he’s an honor student, he
ranked last in the honor roll. A
qualitative research about Jose is
conducted without informing him.

3. Afraid not to graduate, Greg

claimed the research work of his
classmate. He erased the name of
the original researcher and placed
his own.

3
4. A group of GAS students
secretly chose their adviser as the
subject of their research.

5. In order to finish his data

gathering for his study, Rommel,
the class valedictorian, forced his
friends to answer his
questionnaire.