Unit 8: Ethical Issues in Research with Students

4. Using Student Work as Research Data

Teachers often consider using student assignments, exams, or classroom observations as data. While this may seem convenient, it raises key questions:
·       Was consent obtained for using this material?
·       Will students be identified or anonymized in the research report?
·       Is there any power imbalance that may have influenced their agreement?
Ethical research must differentiate between routine assessment and data collection for academic purposes.