Abstract:

The paper focuses on introducing undergraduate students into research methods and research ethics. Ethics has become a cornerstone for conducting effective and meaningful research. Ethical norms of research apply to people who conduct scientific research or other scholarly or creative activities. Ethical norms promote aims of research such as knowledge, truth and avoidance of error. The purpose of the paper is to investigate the introduction of undergraduate students into research methods and ethics in order to entrench ethical behaviour when conducting research and minimise research phobia. More work has been done on teaching research methods and research ethics to students particularly postgraduate students. Very little has been done on educating undergraduate students about research methods and ethics. It is necessary to explore minimising research phobia to students at all levels and academics. The study addresses this question: How to minimise research phobia? The paper will contribute to the debate of ethical research. The interpretive research paradigm underpins this study and it allows the qualitative route of inquiry. The research was conducted at Language Practice Programme at Durban University of Technology in South Africa. Both the research design and research instrument are action research and I used them to improve my teaching practice. The Social Learning Theory has been used to explain the phenomenon better. It has been discovered that teaching research methods course to undergraduates prepares them for postgraduate studies.

Keywords:

Keywords: research ethics, research methods, socialising & undergraduate students.