Tom Reeves' [ITForum #5] definition of socially responsible research in education "addresses problems that detract from the quality of life for individuals and groups in society, especially those problems related to learning and human development." He also recognizes that social relevance of research questions "largely focused on making education better... may also help us understand more about how education works."
Making education better is also what I see as the primary purpose of instructional technology. It's like the BSAF commercial that states, "We don't make a lot of the products you buy; we make a lot of the products you buy, better." If the product is education, one way to make education better is to focus upon a goal of socially responsible research.
In 1950 a report was issued in the U.S. about the impending disaster for Baton Rouge and New Orleans if nothing were done to halt the Mississippi River's natural tendency to find the shortest route to the Gulf of Mexico. People listened. An infrastructure was planned and built on an adjoining river. Foresight prevented problems.
If the shortest route for IT is to continue instead of stopping the flow of irresponsible research, there may be more than crop damage of research, there may be lost livelihoods. Tom Reeves is the reporter we must not ignore.