The authors further note that the National Research Council (2003) state that the "obligation to treat individuals as autonomous agents whose decisions on whether or not to participate in research are to be respected and not overridden by a researcher" (as sited in Nolen & Vander Putten, 2007, p. 402). When considered in the context of students as a protected research group in a K- 12 classroom this obligation may raise issues involving conflict of interest. After all, in addition to minors being unable to formally consent to research study participation, students probably would not be prone declining participation in studies run by researchers on whom they are dependent for their grades, access to resources, and enriching experiences while in school. Furthermore, one must also consider the ability of students to decline participation in research that is conducted as part of the normal school day as this circumstance may deprive the subjects of the chance to make an informed decision and freely choose whether or not to participate in the project.

Nevertheless, such projects are valuable when conducted by skilled practitioners who process the knowledge, working relationships, access, and credibility...

Research using this method can generate a rich source of data that is useful to schools, academics, and the community.
References

Brown, B.L. (2002). Improving teaching practices through action research. (Doctorial disertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2002) Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest Information and Learning Company.

Dick, B. (2006, October). Action research literature: Themes and trends. Action research, Vol. 4 (4), 439-458. Retrieved October 3, 2010, from Sage Publications: http://arj.sagepub.com/content/4/4/439

Donato, R. (2003, December). Action research. Center for applied linguistics. Washington, DC: Eric Digest. Retrieved October 3, 2010 from www.cal.org/ericccll

Ferrance, E. (2000). Action research. Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory at Brown University. Providence, RI: LAB at Brown University, the Educational Allience.

Nolen, A.L. & Vander Putten, J. (2007, October). Action research in education: Addressing gaps in ethical principals and practices. Educational researcher, Vol. 36, No. 7, 401-407. Retrieved October 3, 2010, from Sage Publications:…