Assuring ethical treatment of students as research participants

Abstract

Nurse educators are obligated to design protocols that include ethical sensitivity when conducting education research using students as participants. Because students are vulnerable to the power differential between them and faculty, the principles of autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, veracity, and justice can help researchers make choices that are intended to preserve the trust and respect formed during this collegial relationship. This article presents the basic assumptions and examples of how these principles have been applied to nursing education research.