Course content

The course content entails how research evidence can be generated ethically in the research process when doing early interventions and applied research in Special Education. In the course doctoral students will problematize and critically reflect about ethical dilemmas in intervention research with and about children, both in a national and international perspective. Knowledge about doing research with vulnerable groups will be reflected upon in relation to The UN convention on the rights of the child and the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities as these conventions forms a sound base when conducting research with and about children.

Contents of the course includes:
•    Levels of children’s participation in research
•    Ethical dilemmas/issues related to consent, both informed consent and passive consent
•    Principles of research ethics and codes of practice for researchers
•    Ethics related to intervention and control in research with children
•    Understanding ethics issues when using data collection by proxy persons, in comparison with children’s own voices
•    Risk, bias, ethical considerations and trustworthiness of research findings
•    International comparisons in ethical issues in research with and about children
•    Multicultural aspects of ethics in research

Activities

The course will be given autumn semester 2023

Syllabus UQ008FU (162 Kb)

Course literature UQ008FU (39 Kb)

Learning outcomes

After having completed the course, course participants will be able to:
•    Identify ethical dilemmas in conducting early interventions and applied research in special education
•    Develop knowledge concerning ethical principles in relation to research with and about children
•    Critically reflect over ethical considerations concerning the whole research process in relation to research with and about children
•    Reflect upon and compare international differences in research ethics in relation to research with and about children
•    Reflect upon ethical aspects about trustworthiness when children or proxy persons are informants
•    Compare ethical principles and dilemmas when using data from proxy persons and/or children
•    Critically ethically reflect over the researcher’s own approach in relation to collecting data from children and proxy persons, as when analyzing the data
•    Apply ethical principles and ethical aspects when using observations as data collection and reflect on validity and reliability

Application

Send your application to Elsa Thomas stating that you would like to apply to this course, provide your name, email address, the subject for your PhD program and the University at which you are admitted. Maximum number of participants: 15. 

Application deadline: Ongoing admission until course start.