Ethics Position Paper

Ethics Position Paper Q575 – Dr. Elliot June 7, 2010 University of Phoenix Introduction Today, people can make decisions that can have a profoundly positive or negative effect on their family, their employer, coworkers, a nation, and even on the entire world. The life we lead whether professional or personal reflects the strength of a single trait: our personal character. Ethics are different for each person both on a professional and personal level. For the most part, people want to be known as a good person, someone who can be trusted, and that he or she is concerned about his or her relationships and personal reputations. I therefore conclude that professional ethics are indeed influenced by personal ethics and values. Although professional ethics guidelines are provided by our government (federal and local), employer and education, personal values and ethics are also considered at the same time. What are Ethics? Let’s begin with the definition of ethics. Ethics can be defined with more than one meaning based upon the context and subject it is being used. In philosophy, ethics is the study and evaluation of human conduct in the light of moral principles. Moral principles may be viewed either as the standard of conduct that individuals have constructed for themselves or as the body of obligations and duties that a particular society requires of its members. A second definition or meaning of ethics is motivation-based on ideas of right and wrong. Portman defines ethics as â€Å"standards of conduct, standards that indicate how one should behave based on moral duties and virtues, which themselves are derived from principles of right and wrong. In order to apply this definition to practical decision making it is necessary to specify the nature of the moral obligations considered intrinsic to ethical behavior† (http://sun. menloschool. org/~sportman/ethics/definition. html). I agree with this definition in fact I believe that ethics are different for every person due to personal values and experiences. There are general ethics that most people adhere to because of the societal mores and morals we all have been exposed to and abide by. There are also other morals and mores that are picked up along the way that vary between people because of cultures, communities, families, heredity etc. I feel that I may not look at the same situation or case the same as another person and we may never agree upon the same methods to go about resolving an issue. This occurs because we all have differences of opinions and value systems. For example, I have nothing against people who are gay I just do not encourage nor discourage the behavior; I allow others to live their lives according to what is best for them. The same goes with ethics. Although my job may say I must intervene in a situation but my own personal ethics prevent me from acting professionally because I feel people should be allowed to live and learn. Overall, ethics and ethical positions will vary from researcher to researcher because they do not have all of the same goals nor do they see things in the â€Å"same light†. Ethics in Educational Research Although I think that ethics vary between individuals I believe that professional ethics are important in protecting those participants of research. I do not think that research should be based on the personal interests of the researcher but I think every person has a level of discernment that should be used especially when other lives are involved. General ethics play a huge role in education because first education is where ethics are taught. After learning about ethics students can then analyze the ethics they can identify and it soon becomes apparent that ethics are involved in most life situations. As future teacher honesty would be my biggest ethical commitment. I choose honesty because with today’s technology and increased use of online educational institutions, people can copy and paste whatever they need in order to be successful. Student’s academic honesty will help me to give them the accurate grade they deserve and not have to punish students who are caught cheating/plagiarizing information. Ethics also keep researchers from publishing false information and also prevent them from being lazy about the research. Mainly it protects the participants of research and also protects the researcher from being accused of unethical practice if they indeed follow those practices. Ethics and Today I recently heard a report on the news that the World Health Organization is being accused of over exaggerating the Swine flu pandemic. When I first heard about Swine flu I believed that is was a scare tactic in order to get people to get those shots. WHO performed unethically in my opinion however they believe that many people died from this disease and the swine flu should not be minimized. Ethics today are still very important especially when other people’s lives are involved. While some people find it easy to break ethical standards others follow the guidelines and remain neutral. The swine flu pandemic created worried people and families going in masses to get the vaccine. Today we still need ethics because not every has the best interest of others when conducting research. Federal standards require research to abide by ethical standards. It is up to each individual to utilize those standards and incorporate them into personal values that may influence society later. Conclusion Ethics vary from person to person due to the differences in values and cultural backgrounds and even education. We do not all interpret information the same way and therefore will not be able to apply the same amount or ethics in any given situation. Furthermore professional and personal ethics affect each other depending upon the specific situation being researched. Also every subject will yield a different set of ethics and values. Therefore ethics are not only subjective in content but objective in nature. References McMillan, J. , & Schmacher, S. (2006). Ch. 6 Ethical and Legal Considerations. Research in Education: Evidence-Based Inquiry, Sixth Edition, Pearson Education, Inc. McMillan, J. , & Schmacher, S. (2006). Ch. 12 Research Ethics: Roles and Reciprocity. Research in Education: Evidence-Based Inquiry, Sixth Edition, Pearson Education, Inc. Portman, S. (unknown). What are ethics? Retrieved from http://sun. menloschool. org/~sportman/ethics/definition. html