EDUC860-REPLIES-Discussion Thread: Biblical Integrity in Research
Write two responses from 2 different people uploaded to the files. The response needs its own response of at least 150 words and its own citations and references.
Discussion Entry1
The Old Testament reveals a lot about honesty and how important honesty is to Jehovah. Located in chapter 20 of the book of Exodus are the 10 Commandments given by Jesus who declares that ‘Thou shall not steal. Thou shall not bear false witness”. (The Holy Bible New International Version, 1973/2022) . These commandments are provided as guidance to living a harmonious life. In order to live a peaceful life, one must have a balanced moral compass. At first glance, stealing may be interpreted as the taking of an object and bearing false witness as making an untruthful statement to another. However, the commandments can be applied to other areas of human interaction as in academic honesty. Stealing one’s thoughts and works, leading others to believe that someone’s works are yours is a form of theft which is often referred to as plagiarism. The inverse of that statement would be to imply that the original author is the plagiarizer which leads to the individual bearing false witness against another.
Reports of cheating in colleges and universities appear to be on the rise. Amid the COVID-19 crisis, higher learning institutions were forced to provide online instruction. The frustration of isolation and lack of interaction with others are being identified as contributing factors to an increase in academic misconduct. “Virginia Commonwealth University, reports of academic misconduct soared during the 2020-21 school year, to 1,077 — more than three times the previous year’s number. At the University of Georgia, cases more than doubled; from 228 in the Fall of 2019 to more than 600 last Fall. And, at The Ohio State University, reported incidents of cheating were up more than 50% over the year before” (WLRN South Florida, 2021) Students and Professors debate on whether there is truly and increase in cheating or has technology afforded universities the abilities to better identify and track cheating. Whatever the case maybe, cheating and plagiarism are forms of theft in which the student ultimately bears false witness against another either intentionally or not, it is wrong. As online monitoring tools become widely utilized by educational systems, cheating will become easier to detect. As stated in Proverbs 10:9, “whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out” (The Holy Bible New International Version, 1973/2022, Proverbs 10:9) .
Discussion Entry2
EDUC 860 Discussion
Proverbs 11:1 states that “a false balance is an abomination to the Lord but a just weight is his delight” (New American Standard Bible, Proverbs 11:1). Additionally, Psalm 119:45 states, “and I will walk at liberty for I seek thy precepts” (Psalm 119:45). God wants his people to walk free from sin in the paths of righteousness (Psalm 23:3). This applies to research and data capture. For results, conclusions, and recommendations to be meaningful research data needs to be accurate. As a student who is training to be a “champion for Christ” my academics and research should be following Christ’s call for integrity in all that I do or say “as unto the Lord” (Colossians 3:23).
As (Irving, 2022) notes, a Nobel Prize winner has previously had 17 studies that have either been “retracted, corrected, or raised for concern” (Irving, 2022, p. 1). Additionally, the Nobel laureate is under investigation for 15 or more papers with suspicious results, errors, or fabrications. The investigations and errors cause people to question the integrity of Gregg Semenza’s work. The scientist’s research is medically related and examines cellular oxygen regulation. A larger concern with this type of medical research is with usage. People in the medical community may make health related recommendations based on faulty research that might lead to complications and misdiagnosis for patients.
The verses above apply to this story as God wants all aspects of our life to be full of integrity and righteousness. Lies should have no part of our life and false research or doctored research results to fit hypothesized outcomes should have no part in Christian academic research. In the case above, the researcher is questioned in multiple instances. In other words, the research problems were not limited to one or two errors but several cases of errors occurred which call the integrity of the researchers and the study into question. The Christian student is called to honor God in academic pursuits as well as in the daily walk with Christ outside of the classroom. Authenticity and integrity of research should be the goal for study and academic excellence. My work as a student should be measured against the scale of truth. People should be able to count on my work as authentic and truthful.
Effective learning environments encompass “real tools, authentic audiences, projects with meaning, personalized learning” (Bray & McClaskey, 2017, p. 16). Students will not develop agency to its fullest if results are false or obtained without integrity. Learning should come as a result of authentic process. Students and researchers will develop a greater sense of ownership through honest learning. As individuals we desire recognition for authentic accomplishment not dishonest gain.
