Inclusion of research ethics in the curricular program of BA Political Science in the University of the Philippines Manila

Abstract

As a university that prides itself in its student and faculty researches, the University of the Philippines Manila implemented a university-wide policy of subjecting undergraduate student researches to ethics review by the UPM Research Ethics Board. This raises the questions that this study aims to address, which are: are there ethical issues in undergraduate student researches; is research ethics being taught to students; and how should the BA Political Science curriculum be revised in order to accommodate research ethics instructions. The study finds that there are indeed ethical issues in undergraduate researches, most common of which involves the participation of vulnerable populations. There is insufficient instruction on research ethics, especially in the research-related subjects of Political Science, and that the best method of teaching research ethics is integrating it into the existing research-related subjects.