ABSTRACT
This chapter considers various aspects of research ethics in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in education. The ethical issues arose out of one large educational research project: Closing the Gap: Test and Learn. The chapter explores how research ethics were addressed in several policy documents that had argued for the use of randomised controlled trials in schools. It addresses some of the internal tensions in ethical deliberation. In medical research, some would argue that the opinion of the research community should prevail, as equipoise is an illusion – the 'difference' position. The chapter seeks to reflect creatively on the ethical deliberations within one uniquely large research project by identifying the various ethical issues it raised, and how some of them might have been addressed more effectively. Finally, the ethical issues raised by the development of school-led RCTs also need further consideration, as the different roles of teacher and researcher, and potentially consent-giver, also need to be addressed.
