JOURNAL OF EDUCATION (EKSUJOE)

UNVEILING RESEARCH ETHICS COMPLIANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY IN UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH: A FOCUS ON PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN EKITI STATE

Abstract

This study examines research ethics compliance in undergraduate final-year projects within Faculties and Colleges of Education at public universities in Ekiti State, focusing on research ethics awareness, institutional policy frameworks, and supervisory practices. A qualitative research design was employed, utilising Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with final-year undergraduates and lecturers from selected public universities in Ekiti State. Undergraduate data were transcribed and analysed thematically using NVivo 14 software. The findings reveal that research ethics were primarily perceived as procedural compliance, with an emphasis on plagiarism checks and clearance documentation. In the absence of a formal policy, practices were informal and dependent on individual supervisors. The introduction of the new policy enhanced clarity, standardisation, and ethical awareness, although implementation challenges remained. Lecturers identified supervisory workload, limited ethics training, and delayed ethics exposure as barriers to sustainable compliance. The study recommends early integration of research ethics into undergraduate curricula, structured ethics training for supervisors and digitalised clearance processes for ethical research conduct.