Ethical Considerations in Sports Studies: SPT 501 Module 8 Discussion

This discussion post explores the ethical considerations essential for conducting studies involving human subjects, particularly within the context of sports. The post emphasizes the importance of respect for persons, beneficence, and justice as core ethical principles. Respect for persons highlights the need to treat each participant with dignity and consideration, ensuring their autonomy and capacity are acknowledged. Beneficence underscores the responsibility of researchers to design studies that benefit participants and avoid causing harm. Justice emphasizes the importance of fair practices and the avoidance of bias or discrimination in the selection and treatment of participants. The post provides a concise overview of these principles and their application in sports-related research, referencing a study on the relationship between sports and academic performance to illustrate the practical implications of these ethical considerations. The post also includes references to supporting literature.

Running Head: ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS 1
Ethical Considerations
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Ethical Considerations
There needs to be proper ethical considerations when conducting any studies that involve
human subjects. The involvement of human subjects in studies calls for much ethical
considerations to ensure that there are no issues that may arise from the study. All human
subjects in any study have to be handled with much care to ensure that the research is a success
and that it does not bring about ethical issues. Much ethical considerations need to be put in
place to make sure that the research and studies that are done are ethically right.
There are three major ethical considerations that relate to sport studies that involve
human subjects. These are respect for persons, beneficence, and justice. These three major
ethical considerations are vital while performing studies that involve human subjects. Sports
involve many humans in the execution of the activities it is involved in. When it comes to
conducting studies that are related to sports, human subjects may be actively involved. A simple
study on the link between sports and academic performance may be carried out (Admin, 2017).
This kind of study will involve human subjects who are in both studies and academics. The three
principles apply effectively in this kind of a scenario.
Respect for persons insists on keeping in mind that every subject in the study is entitled
to their capacity and that they need to be respected during the study. The study carried out to
determine the relation between sports and academic performance should have made use of this
principle to ensure that they do not end up disrespecting the subject (Admin, 2017). Engaging the
subject should be done cautiously to avoid incidences that may result in lack of respect for the
client. Respecting the subjects even motivates them to take part in the study freely.
Beneficence insists that the researcher conducting the study does it to benefit the others
and is not supposed to hurt any one. A major focus is supposed to be placed on ensuring that the

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human subjects who are involved in a study get to benefit without being hurt in any way. The
research on the relation on sports and academic performance has to make sure that it benefits the
human subjects positively by giving proper recommendations and conclusions on what is found.
The principle of justice is equally important as the other two. It emphasizes on just
practices during a study to do away with any bias and discriminations. Studies that involve
human subjects are supposed to avoid any form of bias to ensure that it is executed effectively
throughout. Keeping any study unbiased contributes to the positive participation of the
individuals involved (Hamalainen, 2016). The research on the impact of sport on academic
performance is supposed to be bias free and all the human subjects involved are not supposed to
feel any bias upon them. The involvement of the human subjects is supposed to be aligned
towards justice so that there are no negative advancements in the study. All research that involve
human subjects are supposed to consider the three principles to contribute to their success.

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References
Admin. (2017, 11 21). The Link Between Sports and Academic Performance. Retrieved from
Florida National University: https://www.fnu.edu/the-link-between-sports-and-academic-
performance/
Hamalainen, N. (2016). Descriptive Ethics.