ONLINE FIRST
published on August 15, 2025
Aidan Ferguson
https://doi.org/10.5840/tej2025814167
Research Ethics Pedagogy
A Case Example in Higher Education
The way we teach profoundly shapes how students perceive knowledge, how they integrate ethical frameworks into decision-making, and whether knowledge is used to empower social and individual change. While regulations mandate compliance, ethical dilemmas require critical thinking and metacognition. Ethical principles permeate every aspect of life, including research, professional practice, and everyday life. Developing ethical students equipped with the ability for robust critical thinking, meta-cognition, and emancipatory approaches is pivotal to help them navigate ethical quandaries and identify areas of oppression. Emphasizing research ethics education reinforces the significance of ethical research conduct and challenges normative assumptions. By focusing on incorporating education on ethical theories, frameworks, and applications, specialized ethics-focused training empowers students and professionals to confront moral ambiguity confidently, leading to enhanced engagement with ethical dilemmas in both research and practice. Activities and educational offerings, such as, role-play, case discussion, guest lectures, faculty modeling/mentoring, and workshops/seminars, can help foster a more ethically conscious professional landscape.