ETHICAL ISSUES AS PREDICTORS OF DATA COLLECTION IN TRANSDICIPLINARY RESEARCH IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN OGUN STATE

Abstract

This study investigated ethical issues as predictors of data collection in transdisciplinary research in public universities in Ogun State, using a descriptive survey design. A sample of 182 academic staff of public universities in Ogun State, Nigeria was randomly selected through the snowball sampling technique. The mean age of the sample was 45.4 years with a standard deviation of 10.5. Instrument used for data collection was the Ethical Issues and Data Collection Questionnaire (EIDCQ) with test-retest reliability value of .82. Three hypotheses were formulated and tested by means of simple linear regression analysis at the .05 significance level. Results revealed significant influence of autonomy/consent (Beta = .263, t = 8.257, p < .05), non-maleficence (Beta = .217, t = 7.381, p < .05) and beneficence (Beta = .327, t = 11.648, p < .05) on data collection in transdisciplinary research. It was recommended, among others, that researchers should ensure that they get informed consent of prospective participants in order to improve the efficiency of data collection.