Critical Reflection on Professional Practitioner Inquiry



A Critical Reflection on Professional Inquiry

Working through the 3 parts of this module has provided me with sufficient knowledge and tools needed to conduct my inquiry.

Developing lines of professional inquiry

 ‘inquiry based learning requires students to learn for themselves bringing a real research-orientated approach to the subject’ (Dr Bill Hutchings, What is inquiry based learning? Centre for excellence in inquiry based learning).This quote inspired me to find a topic related to my practice that would excite, motivate and challenge me for present and future research. (Appendix A) shows my initial lines of inquiry. Connecting with my SIG’S enabled me to develop my lines of inquiry and understand my topic from another professional’s point of view which was valuable for my practice. To start I connected with three experienced dance teacher’s and asked them to answer some of my questions to allow me to delve deeper into my inquiry and hopefully find a main line of inquiry. (Appendix B) shows feedback from my initial questions.

Reviewing literature was valuable for me during this module as it gave me insight into research that had already been conducted which related to my inquiry interests. I decided to look deeper into the strategies and methods teachers have to help with the continuous improvement of students:

                        Discovering boundaries?

                 Motivational strategies?

                 Creating an enabling environment?

                 Creating positive relationships?

(Appendix C)  and (Appendix D) shows literature I reviewed and how it was important for not only my inquiry but also how I could link it to my professional practice.

After further research the scope of my inquiry then seemed too broad. I discussed this with my SIGS and the feedback provided allowed me to narrow my thoughts and ideas down which brought me to focus on motivational strategies teachers use in a dance class within education. In which I felt I could look more into depth with this proposed line of inquiry.

Ethical Considerations

I chose 4 ethical considerations based on my experience of working in a school and what I felt should be considered as ethics in my workplace (Appendix E). However I knew there were many more considerations in the workplace which I hadn’t researched and didn’t have much knowledge on. (Appendix F) is where I researched and engaged with my professional codes of practice in my workplace which I should always adhere to. Reader 5 provided me with the theoretical approaches to ethics which made me question my own ethical decisions (Appendix G).  I absorbed this new found knowledge on ethics and decided how I would plan my inquiry making sure I was ethical in the process. (Appendix H) shows my outlined plan.

Inquiry Tools

The final stage enabled me to decide on the most appropriate tools for data collection. (Appendix I). Piloting these tools allowed me to evaluate their merits and limits. This was necessary in order to find the most appropriate ways of research to conduct an effective inquiry.

(Appendix J) talks about my pilot Observation, interview and survey. I evaluated the effectiveness of each and came to the conclusion that interviewing and observations would be the most appropriate to my inquiry.

Module two has allowed me to explore ethics at a deeper level, research the most useful tools of inquiry and analyse literature relating to my inquiry interests. This has enabled me to connect all tasks to my practice preparing me to emerge at my final proposed line of inquiry.

Appendices

Appendix A - http://melaniecannon.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/developing-lines-of-inquiry-4a.html

Appendix B - http://melaniecannon.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/feedback-from-initial-questions.html

Appendix C - http://melaniecannon.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/4d-literature-teaching-dance-class.html

Appendix D - http://melaniecannon.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/literature-review-2-motor-learning-and.html

Appendix E - http://melaniecannon.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/5a-ethics-in-workplace.html

Appendix F - http://melaniecannon.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/5b-ethical-considerations-codes-of.html

Appendix G - http://melaniecannon.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/5b-ethical-considerations-codes-of.html

Appendix H- http://melaniecannon.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/5d-ethical-dimensions-for-proposed.html

Appendix I - http://melaniecannon.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/6a-researching-tools.html

Appendix J - http://melaniecannon.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/6b-observation-interview-and-survey.html

References

B.E.R.A. (2011) – Ethical guidelines for educational research

Carritt (1947), Foot (1966), McCloskey (1965) and Thomson (1976) Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/consequentialism/

C.D.E.T . (2008/2009) – Code of professional conduct and practice (Council for dance education training)

Dr Bill Hutchings, What is inquiry based learning? Centre for excellence in inquiry based learning) - http://www.ceebl.manchester.ac.uk/ebl/ (pg. 1)

Lynda M. Mainwaring and Donna H. Krasnow ’Teaching the dance class: strategies to enhance skill acquisition, mastery and positive self-image’’ (Journal of dance education, Volume 10, number 1, 2010)

Motor Learning and Teaching Dance – International Association for dance Medicine and Science - http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.iadms.org/resource/resmgr/imported/info/motor_learning.pdf (pg 1-6)

Professional Ethics Reader - Reader 5 – pg 7

RAD – Royal Academy of Dance – Code of Professional Practice - www.rad.org.uk/.../code-of-prof-practice-for-teachers-en-web.pdf 

The BBC – Introduction to Ethics 2013 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/guide/



6b - Pilot Observation, interview and survey



Pilot observation, Interview and Survey

Pilot Observation

I found that most dance teachers feel observation is crucial when trying to inquire about a particular topic. My pilot observation took place in a primary after school dance class which enabled me to take notes on trends and patterns I observed. I structured my notes into:

-          Structure of the class.

-          Teacher’s personality and strategies used to suit individual learning needs.

-           Student’s general behaviour.

-           Environment of the class.

The pilot observation was a very positive process although I feel I cannot compare findings yet as I have only observed one class and one teacher and every class and teacher will take a divergent approach. Carrying out observations for my inquiry will be a primary way I can asses and explore the use of applied motivational strategies in the dance class. However I learnt that observations are very time consuming and I will have to conduct a series of observations with a realistic time scale so I am not rushed.

Advantages of observations:

- It provided me with direct access to what I was aiming to find out.
- I was able to realise my focuses needed to be more structured, as I felt my results became too broad and vague.
- Observations enabled me to see how students responded to the applied strategies as part of the analysis.
- I feel it will effectively complement other approaches such as interviewing and enhance the quality of evidence.

Disadvantages of observations:

- Very time consuming
- Without specific focuses results become too broad and vague.
- Observations can result in being my own perception and therefore creating headings will help avoid this.
- Observations can result in changes in behaviour in both student and teacher. I need to be aware of this when undertaking the analysis.
- I need to be aware of the sensitivity of observing teachers personalities as this could be quite personal and needs to be avoided at all costs.

Pilot interview

I piloted an interview with my employer who has 25 years experience and teaches dance to a wide variety of ages in school’s and also owns her own dance school. This was a great opportunity to enable me to evaluate the ‘’merits’’ and ‘’limits’’ of the tool. The interview took an ‘’informal’’ ‘’semi structured’’ approach, which I believe worked in many ways as I came away with a lot of positive, useful notes. I found I didn’t ask all of the questions I wanted to ask as we ended up talking for a longer amount of time, in more depth on certain areas which I felt was positive as I got the detail and depth I was aiming for, however made me think of conducting less questions for my next interview so I can get all the answers I need. I also realised it would be a good idea to interview someone I don’t know who is in the industry and see how it changes the structure of the interview, as this was really relaxed and friendly because I knew her well. A positive point about this interview was we used examples of students who we both teach which gave me more insight and understanding as I could relate to what I already know, whereas interviewing a stranger I won’t be able to do this. I really struggled to keep up with taking notes as I was too busy absorbing and taking in the data which is why I have suggested recording my interviews when carrying them out in the next module which will allow me to quote accurately and provide a balanced view of the interview.

Advantages of Interviewing:

- It enabled me to directly ask the 'why' questions to teachers who have knowledge, experience and perceptions about my topic which I could use as evidence.
- Adaptability allowing me to uncover unexpected data.
- I was able to explore the initial answers.
- It was a more personal approach to research.

Disadvantages of Interviewing:

- I had far too many questions which resulted in all questions not being answered.
- I was unable to compare data as I only piloted one interview.
- The interview became really relaxed and friendly and I feel it maybe effected the responses.
- Struggled to take notes as I was too busy listening and absorbing the information.

Pilot Survey

I piloted a survey to My SIG group (BA Hons professional practice students)

 https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PPS6X2S

 Although I didn’t feel fully certain I would use this tool as part of my research, down to the fact that I didn’t think a survey would give me the detail and depth I was looking for in my inquiry, I thought I would give it a go to see if I got any use from it. Laura Houghton told me my questions seemed to be a little vague, which leads into to much depth. 1 person from my SIG answered my survey and this to me suggested it would be the same when conducting my inquiry, whereas an interview and observation I can set up and prepare for and know it will happen but with a survey I can’t make people answer it. From reviewing surveys I found that the ones that were more to the point and simple where the ones that I didn’t actually mind completing. Some surveys asked far too many in-depth questions which I didn’t really have the time to answer. I then noticed mine was actually an in depth survey. This really did answer my question on including a survey as a tool of research and my answer was no based on the detail and depth I intend to gain whilst conducting my inquiry, I feel a survey would be a waste of mine and others time and not provide much use for me.

6c - Award Title



BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Dance)

This award title relates to my most knowledge and experience on the subject. Gaining a BTEC triple distinction in dance and then a level 6 Trinity Diploma in dance and musical theatre shows that this is where my strengths lie. However within the last year I have made a transition into the teaching side of dance and my studies and inquiry plan is based on teaching dance. I plan on developing my career in dance teaching in the education sector. So I believe BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Dance teaching) would be more beneficial to me. I have a wide range of knowledge on dance and the different dance techniques and believe I am able to pass this knowledge on effectively to students. Although I only have 8 months experience of teaching the subject, I feel I have gained invaluable knowledge and experience by teaching GCSE dance and primary school level dance. This award title I believe would have more benefits on my future career development. It has the word ‘dance’ in, which is where my most knowledge and experience lies but also the word ‘teaching’ which is what I am studying and doing my professional practice in at the present moment, in which I hope to develop my skills and have a successful career in.

6a - Researching Tools



Reader 6 has proved to me I am now at the stage of finding the most appropriate and effective research tools in order to carry out my inquiry. ‘The main focus of experimenting with the inquiry tools will be to enable you to design your own practitioner research and learn from the experience’ (Reader 6 page 5). I will use the most suitable tools to enable me to gather, analyse and present ‘good quality’ primary data.

I will need clear goals and aims in how I am going to carry out my research and also need to carefully consider how I am going to present my findings  and analysis so that it clearly shows the relevant and significant outcomes of my inquiry.

Using the ‘Purposive’ approach ‘choosing people who can answer the questions using defined criteria (qualitative) in order to look at particular or situated phenomena’ will be my most effective approach as I believe it would give me the insight I need to fully explore my inquiry.

Observations

As I said in a previous blog, observation is going to be vital for me when carrying out my research. My plan will be to observe a variety of dance classes of different standards, abilities, age and gender within the education sector. I will watch, record and analyse events of interest.

’What are the different strategies dance teachers use to create motivation?’’

I will be looking at these sub questions when I observe a variety of dance classes:

-          What do teachers do to motivate their students?

-          Where does the insight lay?

Teachers have the insight in what it is they do to motivate children

-          What other strategies do you use and to what extent do they work?

I     I will observe the learning strategies teachers use in order to create motivation for the students and how well the students respond to these strategies. I will listen to how the teacher explains a task to the students and how information and instruction is delivered. My observations will be recorded using written notes, taping or videoing. This will allow me to reflect back to the notes when needed. However I will need to be aware of circumstances and confidentiality agreements formalised with consent forms. I will observe whether the students are working independently or in a team and compare the different motivation levels based on team or independent work. Observing how well students engage with the tasks and the progress they have made during the class will give me insight to positive strategies and maybe strategies that don’t seem to work for a particular group.

        Preparation will be crucial for me before undertaking my pilot observation. How will I prepare my observation?

-          What will be the specific things I focus on?

-          How will I record the data in a particular class? And why?

-          Will I need to contact the gatekeeper or participants directly?

-          What ethical considerations will I have to think about?

My preparations and specific focuses for my observations will slightly change depending on the age group, gender and standard of the class and what I am planning to focus on in that particular observation. I will ensure I have a specific focus before an observation to allow me to gain relevant data and information.

I will also be a ‘participant observer’ whilst conducting my inquiry (Participant observation is a term that describes an activity (or tool) whereby the researcher participates over a long period of time in the community of practice or research setting within which they work). Whilst teaching dance I will be an insider-researcher which means having a dual role as both an employee and a practioner researcher. It states in the reader ‘these relative influences make it crucial that you are reflexive, reflecting back to your own role, in your inquiry’. As a worker researcher I will need to be aware of the issue of roles and gain consent for my inquiry through the consent form provided by the university. Having knowledge about the workplace and how it operates will be an advantage for me when carrying out my inquiry.

Interviews

I will be using the qualitative method ‘interview’ as a main tool whilst carrying out my inquiry. Interviews with a variety teachers will enable me to directly ask the ‘why questions’ to people who have knowledge, experience and perceptions about my topic. I will use it as evidence. As Bell states in reader 6 page 16 ‘’its advantage is that you can follow up on ideas, probe responses and investigate motives and feelings’’ I believe this will be a very useful method for me to find out about how motivation is created for students in dance classes.

How will I conduct my interview?

The way in which I will go about my interviews will depend on the time scale I have. I will use a structured list of open questions rather than leader questions, giving the participant the freedom to openly answer and offer their interpretation enabling a more in-depth understanding. However I will also use an informal method of interaction by having a general chat about the subject I am researching which will not be as structured as the formal interview. As it states in the reader ‘’semi structured interview which includes set questions or themes with the flexibility of following interesting or useful emerging issues is often most appropriate for the work-based researcher because of its inherent flexibility’’ I understand this will probably be the most suitable for the research I intend to undertake.

·         I will need to collect data based on dance teaching strategies in education, looking mainly at the motivational strategies teachers use.

·         I intend to interview a wide range of dance teachers.

·         The most appropriate place to hold the interview will be at the schools.

·         I believe interviewing would be best held at the early stages of my researching process.

·         The questions I will ask the participants will be:

-          What do you do to motivate your students?

-          What effect does this have on the students?

-          How do the students respond and react to this?

-          Where does the insight lay in you creating motivation?

-          Do motivational levels change when students are working independently or in group settings?

-          If so, how and why do you think the levels of motivation change?

-          How would you respond to the change in levels of motivation?

-          Do motivation levels progress as the class progresses? Or do you feel they drop?

-          Do you use any theoretical strategies in motivating students? If so what are they and what effect do they have?

-          Do you set class rules for the students? Do you involve the students in setting class rules?

-          Do you think it’s important to set tasks that are achievable or tasks that are challenging?

-          Do you give feedback to your students, positive and negative?

-          Do you reward students on their successes? If so how do you reward them?

-          Do you set specific learning aims and objectives for students? Do you encourage students to set aims and objectives for themselves?

-          How do you create support for students? Allowing them to take risks and not hold back?

I would say these interview questions are semi-structured with my rationale being it will give participants the flexibility to answer. I intend to use the same questions for all interviews although that may change depending on who I am interviewing and what their background knowledge and experience is. The best way to record the interview for me will be to use a voice recorder setting on my phone and transcribe the notes afterwards, however as it is being recorded I will try and write down brief notes as am listening. Considering the data protection act will be very important and I will have to ensure that I comply with ethical and confidentiality issues.

Surveys

 I don’t feel surveys will give me the detail and depth I am looking for in my inquiry. However a survey could make up for this in terms of the breadth or range of results achieved. Using closed, basic questions will be more suited for this type of method allowing me to find out basic information for comparison and correlation.

I want to find out answers to the questions above but don’t feel I can use them in a survey,  most people do not have the time to go into detail and would much prefer a yes/no survey.  Looking at Peter Bryant – preparing your survey http://peterbryant.smegradio.com/?p=42 gave me a clear understanding of how a survey should be structured:

-          - The first section of the survey generally introduces the study to the respondent’s.

-          - The middle section contains the items and scales to measure the survey topics in a logical sequence.

-          -  The final section usually has questions to measure the respondent’s demographic characteristics, like age, gender and income, so they can be grouped and compared.

I have put together a rehearsal survey of questions I would like my SIG group to test out. Here is the link to my survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PPS6X2S

Thoughts and feedback on the survey would be great in order for me to test that the questions make sense, are in the correct sequence, and are visually well presented. This will help me develop my survey for the final module.

5d - Ethical Dimensions For Proposed Inquiry



My proposed inquiry is to further research:

‘’What are the different strategies dance teachers use to create motivation?’’

I will be looking at these sub questions when I interview a wide range of dance teachers:

-          - What do teachers do to motivate their students?

-          Where does the insight lay?

Teachers have the insight in what it is they do to motivate children

-          What other strategies do you use and to what extent do they work?

I will also want to find out how teachers respond to the theoretical strategies I have reviewed in my literature on motivating students.

I aim to start my research by observing different dance classes of different ages/standards and gender and find out what strategies I see teachers using to create motivation in the dance class. I want to observe carefully how children respond to these strategies and what effect it has on them as an individual but also as a group. I aim to also look at research that has already been conducted on motivational strategies. For example re-visit and re-evaluate my literature reviews and understand carefully how these strategies can be implemented into a dance class setting and how other teachers are applying these theoretical strategies into their classes.

In order to carry out my inquiry I will need access to students and teachers. I will be using children from primary schools, secondary schools, dance schools and dance colleges. This will mean the age and standards of these dancers will vary. I will be observing classes of children who dance as a hobby to dancers who aim to become professional dancers. It will be interesting to see how the teacher alters the strategies to create motivation when considering age and standards. I will also be communicating and carrying out interviews with a lot of different teachers with different background experience and knowledge. I feel I have a large network of professionals in this industry that will help me carry out the inquiry. I am aware that as a researcher I am going to have to consider many ethical considerations but also bear in mind that the supervisor will hold the ultimate responsibility for ethical practice and I will have to gain approval making sure there is no risk to myself (the researcher) but also the participants.

A guideline was given in reader 5 suggesting responsibilities researchers should have. http://www.bera.ac.uk/resources/ethics-and-educational-research. I have responsibility to be ethical and honest when carrying out my inquiry and will ensure I follow BERA’S ethical guidelines for educational research.

‘’In our view the first responsibility of the researcher is to pursue worthwhile inquiry as effectively as possible. But what this means can vary sharply, given the considerable diversity in approach within educational research today, and especially given differences in what it’s goal should be.’’ (BERA page 5 Ethics and Educational research)

There are 5 principles given as a guideline which I am going to consider when carrying out my research.

1) Minimising harm

2) Respecting Autonomy

3) Protecting privacy

4) Offering reciprocity

5) Treating people equitably

How am I going to consider these guidelines within my practice when carrying out research?

Following these principles when carrying out my inquiry will be crucial however whilst researching about ethics I came across the C.D.E.T (Council for dance education training) code of conduct which I feel gave me a more clear guideline of how I need to consider ethics when carrying out my inquiry based on dance in a school setting.

 As a researcher I will have the following responsibilities in conducting out my inquiry:

-          I will propose my inquiry making sure it is ethical and legal. I will gain support from my employer and make sure she has a full understanding of my inquiry.

-          I will follow the ethical guidelines for educational research related to me. These ethics are stated on BERA’s ethical guidelines.

-          I will ensure I am honest and respectful to research participants, informing them the purpose of the inquiry and making sure I have consent from them to go ahead with my inquiry by using the consent forms provided by Middlesex University.

-          Data collected will be accurate, relevant and valid. I will ensure the data I collect will be protected and not accessible to others. Data will be stored on my private pen drive for purposes of confidentiality.

-          I will choose the most appropriate methods of data collection to complete a piece of research.

-          Data will be safely disposed after use.

-          I will act in accordance with all relevant laws and regulations in regards to my inquiry to ensure safeguarding.

-          I aim to carry out interviews with professionals. My interviews will be open and honest allowing participants to be open with their opinions. I will use open questions rather than leading questions.

-          I will respect decisions of participants.

-          I will ensure participants are confident that all answers will be confidential.

-          I will provide feedback of my results to the participants and what I intend to do with the results, whether I choose to publish them or not.

-          I will provide accurate, truthful and complete reports ensuring that the work is available for critical review.

Working with this ethics checklist will allow me to thoroughly plan my research and carry out my inquiry in professional, suitable manner. My duty as the researcher will be to present findings as accurately as possible. I will have to ensure that all data collected should represent the views and attitudes of the participants and not necessarily my own views.

5C- Theoretical Approaches To Ethics



I have engaged with the subject of ethics in my previous two tasks and learnt that there are many different approaches and contexts to consider coming to a full understanding, as well as being able to apply principles of ethics to my professional practice.

Opinions can differ and vary on this subject which can sometimes be dependent on culture, religion, race or law. I believe that deciding on appropriate ethical responses to given situations is purely down to awareness, being aware of the situation and experience, the outcomes and ways in which you can decide and deal with appropriate ethical responses in certain situations. Ethics will always play a vital role in the workplace so having the correct knowledge and understanding the different approaches to take is supreme.

So what are ethics?

The BBC describe ethics as ‘ethics are a system of moral principles and a branch of philosophy which defines what is good for individuals and society’ and I believe that ethics are a set of guidelines we adhere to throughout life to establish equality. ‘Ethics has its roots in moral philosophy and is concerned about the right or the good way to carry out actions’ (Reader 5- pg7 History of Ethics)

I have looked at personal, professional and organizational ethics within my own place of work but reader 5 has allowed me to look further at the different ethical theories that affect moral and ethical decisions.

Personal ethics can be informed from many sources – family values, religion, conscience. My personal ethics I believe have come from my upbringing and my past experiences.  Personal ethics help define you as a person and stay with you wherever you are in life. The word ‘ethics’ I discovered comes from the Greek word ‘ethos’ meaning ‘character’ and from the Latin word ‘mores’ meaning ‘custom’. Together they combine to define how individuals choose to interact with each other. (Reader 5). Professional ethics have evolved from the norms of particular professions. Professional ethics involve the guidelines/codes of conducts set in place in a professional working environment which I talked about in more detail in my previous task on Ethics in the work place. http://melaniecannon.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/5b-ethical-considerations-codes-of.html Organizational ethics relates to organizational culture and this is very much about ‘how we do things around here’. (Reader 5)

The reader explains the theoretical approaches to ethics and how they have given us a construct of frameworks by which we can evaluate issues.

Consequentialism - Reader 5 uses an interesting quote based on the understanding of consequentialism ‘To kill one person in order to save 9’. This quote is justified within the concept of consequentialism. The heart of consequentialism is where an act is morally right if, and only if, that act maximizes the good. Deciding on whether an action is morally right depends on the outcomes (consequences). Doing something that isn’t necessarily seen as ‘correct’ as long as it maximises the goods is what this theory believes in. ‘The notion of the greatest happiness for the greatest number is at the heart of consequentialism’ which relates to the above quote. (JS Mill)

On the BBC website – An introduction to ethics, it states that consequentialism teaches that people should do whatever produces the greatest amount of good consequences. It however states two problems with consequentialism:

1)    it can lead to the conclusion that some quite dreadful acts are good

2)    predicting and evaluating the consequences of actions is often very difficult

I believe I would react differently depending on the situation and it is down to me to decide what is appropriate and what not in the given situation. Recent writings stress how factors such as emotions, personal vulnerabilities, personality, and even the context of situations influence how we make decisions, including ethical ones. An effective response requires developed skills, planned resources, the right information, and a pre-established ethical and self awareness

Deontology – A complete contrast to consequentialism. Here Immanuel Kant argued that the motive behind an act is a good will and this determines whether or not it is morally right. It teaches that some acts are right or wrong in themselves, whatever the consequences, and people should act accordingly

Virtue – Virtue concentrates on the character of a person and what actions reveal about this person rather than rules or consequences. Plato and Aristotle put greater emphasis on being rather than doing.

I decided to do further research on the two theories Consequentialism and Deontology giving me further knowledge on the contrast of these two ideologies.

Consequences of what? Rights, relativity and rules

Whilst doing further research I came across an interesting example of consequentialism.

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/consequentialism/

‘Imagine that each of five patients in a hospital will die without an organ transplant. The patient in Room 1 needs a heart, the patient in Room 2 needs a liver, and the patient in Room 3 needs a kidney, and so on. The person in Room 6 is in the hospital for routine tests. Luckily (for them, not for him!), his tissue is compatible with the other five patients, and a specialist is available to transplant his organs into the other five. This operation would save their lives, while killing the “donor”. There is no other way to save any of the other five patients’ (Foot 1966, Thomson 1976; compare related cases in Carritt 1947 and McCloskey 1965).

‘We need to add that the organ recipients will emerge healthy, the source of the organs will remain secret, the doctor won't be caught or punished for cutting up the “donor”, and the doctor knows all of this to a high degree of probability (despite the fact that many others will help in the operation). Still, with the right details filled in, it looks as if cutting up the “donor” will maximize utility, since five lives have more utility than one life’ (assuming that the five lives do not contribute too much to overpopulation).

Classical consequentialism implies that it would not be morally wrong for the doctor to perform the transplant and even that it would be morally wrong for the doctor not to perform the transplant. This example to me shows how bad it can be when consquentialism ethics overlook individual rights, such as the unwilling donor’s right to life.

In this example people have argued a point that a killing is worse than a death. The doctor would have to ‘kill’ the donor in order to prevent the deaths of 5 patients, but nobody is actually killed if the five patients die.’ If one killing is worse than five deaths that do not involve killing, then the world that results from the doctor performing the transplant is worse than the world that results from the doctor not performing the transplant’. Here consequentialists can agree with others that it is morally wrong for the doctor to cut up the ‘donor’.

People would argue different in this situation and the consequentialist would say that what they did was for the greater good, whereas the deontologist believes in simply ‘right or wrong’ and the doctor would still be killing someone which is wrong.  

‘This example is so abnormal that we should not expect our normal moral rules to apply, and we should not trust our moral intuitions, which evolved to fit normal situations’ (Sprigge 1965).

I believe all of these theories of ethics could cause conflict at some point in our careers and lives depending on how we choose to react and respond in given situations. The reader draws up an example for us on how ethics can cause conflict. Case study 2 – Ethics in Photography. The photographer Kevin Carter left a girl to die, there is a point stated that he and the other photographers were instructed not to touch anyone for fear of epidemics. ‘Virtue’ the character of a person is really shown in this case study as I believe people with different characters would have reacted differently and taken different actions. Although Kevin and his team where told to not go near this girl, they followed what they believed was right and didn’t take into consideration all consequences. I am not however sure if there is always a right or wrong answer when deciding on how to respond and believe there is much deliberation on these types of cases.

Within my practice I feel like I would touch on all theories of ethics depending on the situation, they may not always be the correct rules and codes of practice that I follow as I believe the ‘virtue’ approach would sometimes take over. For example is hugging students right or wrong? If a student was very upset and came to me with a problem, my natural instinct would be to hug and comfort the child but would this be going against the code of ethics? I believe in society today we have to be very careful about the actions we choose as some people would instantly jump to the wrong conclusion when hearing of a teacher hugging a student. As a teacher I would need to use my professional judgement to work out when it is appropriate to hug.

Research

Reader 5 states ‘when planning an inquiry or research, you need to adhere to sound ethical practice in carrying out the actions themselves’ which will allow me to look further into the ethics I need to consider when carrying out my inquiry. I will use the BERA website as a guideline for my next few tasks which suggests the responsibilities we should have when carrying out research.

Overall this task has allowed me to gain a deeper knowledge surrounding ethics. The examples given to me in reader 5 has allowed me to explore and put myself in different situations enabling me to address how I would react and respond. I have come to the conclusion that you should always look at the consequences of your actions both morally and ethically.