Tag: Ethics

Ethics in sport, exercise and physical activity scholarship

On By Dr Joe PigginLeave a comment

Ethical principles are clearly very important in sport, exercise and PA research and practice. Here are some possible ways of addressing a variety of difficult ethical issues:

REFLECTION: Academics should be committed to considering their ethical positions with regard to the funding they receive.

DECLARATIONS: Academics should be committed to making explicit their ethical positions with regard to the funding they receive.

DISCLOSURE OF FINANCIAL GAIN: Academics should be committed to disclosing fees received from private funders for their research, even in cases where this is not a requirement to do so through contractual arrangements.

HUMAN RIGHTS: Academics should be extremely wary of engaging with funders from states / governments and NGO’s which are criticised by human rights organisations. If academics do become involved with such organisations, they should articulate their reasons for their involvement explicitly.

DUE DILIGENCE: Academics should critically investigate the background of the commercial partners they engage with.

IMPLICATIONS: Academics should reflect on the possible use of research data, particularly when it might be used in the manipulation of an organisation’s public image.

Academics should reflect on the motives of research funders and the wider implications of potential involvement with corporate partners, who promote goods, services and ideas to vulnerable populations.

SCEPTICISM: As producers of knowledge, sport and PA academics are in a powerful, privileged position. They should automatically treat funders with scepticism.

EDUCATION: Academics involved in sport, exercise and physical activity curriculums should give attention to “ethics” in their courses. They should emphasise ethics throughout the qualification and find suitably qualified people to teach this.

PROMOTION: Through their involvement with academic journals, professional organisations and conferences academics should promote discussion themes of “ethics”, “conflicts of interests” and “vested interests”. Academic journals, professional organisations and conferences should promote these discussions too.

Note: I appreciate the helpful contribution of my peers in forming these proposals.

Academics, Physical Activity and Ethics: The Declarations

On By Dr Joe PigginLeave a comment

This post is written in haste but I have been thinking about ethics since I started this blog. In the last couple of hours an article has been exposing more than was previously publicly known about Coca Cola’s involvement with physical activity promotion. It is worth reading.

It is clear that the PA community is not currently united about ethical practice. Recent events give an impetus for the academic community to prioritise critical thinking about “advocacy”, “vested interests” and “conflicts of interest” in physical activity research and promotion.

Therefore, here are 4 declarations for ethical PA academic practice. I hope ideas like this guide the academic PA community. They are not exhaustive. I welcome additions.

1. Physical activity researchers and promoters must critically investigate the background of the funders they seek money from.

2. As producers of knowledge, PA researchers are in a powerful, privileged position.  The PA community must automatically treat funders with skepticism.

3. Those involved in PA curriculum design and teaching must give immediate attention to “ethics” in their courses. They must make ethics a compulsory component of the qualification and find suitably qualified people to teach this.

4. PA journals and conferences must foreground themes of “ethics”, “conflicts of interests” and “vested interests” in their publications and events.

 

Joe Piggin

For more, see:
Piggin, J & Bairner, A (2016) The global physical inactivity pandemic: An analysis of knowledge production. Sport, Education and Society. 21, 2. 131-147.