Research Ethics Education for the Social Sciences in Central Asian Contexts

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan are Central Asian, post-Soviet republics in which research ethics education is an underdeveloped field. Broad academic integrity issues are becoming a focus in Central Asia; however, knowledge of human participant research ethics remains scant. This paper explores the availability and understandings of research ethics education in the social sciences in three Central Asian countries. The mixed methods design collected data from internet searches of government and higher education websites, a quantitative online survey, and qualitative interviews. The findings show that research ethics education is not stipulated in national policies. A small number of mainly private higher education institutions provide research ethics education, mainly to students. Education has most frequently occurred within postgraduate research methods, especially in international contexts. The findings suggest that educating researchers about ethical research in these countries is not systematic, despite policies from the state emphasising the importance of research development. The development of a broader, systematic approach to research ethics education is recommended.