Practices of Science Teachers in Action Research Skills and Their Relationship with Research Ethics

Abstract

This research examined science teacher methods in action research skills and their connection to research ethics. Two tools were prepared for the study; The first is about science teacher practices in action research skills (35 items in 5 fields): Problem identification, data collection, hypothesis formulation, data analysis and results. The second tool is on research ethics (40 items in 5 areas: Appreciation for scientists, scientific honesty and openness, scientific freedom, caution, and vigilance. Both tools were tested on a random sample of 86 teachers after verifying reliability and validity. Results found that science teachers typically practice very high levels of action research skills and 3 fields had been extremely high in this particular regard: Problem identification, data analysis results, and two fields being high level: data collection & hypothesis formulation. Research ethics in science teachers as a whole was extremely high (four fields had been extremely high): caution and vigilance, productivity, scientific freedom, and scientific integrity, and one field is at a high level, which is appreciation for scientists. The results also showed no statistically significant difference at the significance level (0.05) between the means of the estimates of the study sample members on the study tool related to the practice of science teachers in action research skills as a whole and each of its fields, as well as their estimates on the study tool related to research ethics as a whole and each of its fields attributed to the variables of gender and academic qualification. There was a positive and statistically significant relationship at the significance level (0.05) between the estimates of science teachers on the study tool related to the practice of science teachers in action research skills as a whole and their estimates on the tool related to research ethics as a whole.