SPC Professional Standards & Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A speed reading instructor advertises that all students will triple their reading speed within one week. What ethical principle does this most likely violate?
- Truthful and substantiated advertising claims (Correct answer)
- Client confidentiality
- Conflict of interest disclosure
- Continuing education requirements
Correct answer: Truthful and substantiated advertising claims
Guaranteeing specific results for all students without evidence constitutes an unsubstantiated advertising claim.
Question 2: A student shares that they have a diagnosed reading disability during a speed reading course. What is the instructor's most ethical response?
- Refer the student to appropriate specialists while adapting instruction where possible (Correct answer)
- Dismiss the student from the course immediately
- Share the information with other instructors without consent
- Promise the course will cure the disability
Correct answer: Refer the student to appropriate specialists while adapting instruction where possible
Ethical practice requires working within one's competence, adapting where possible, and referring to qualified specialists.
Question 3: When reporting reading speed improvements to prospective clients, an ethical instructor should:
- Present typical results with honest context about comprehension trade-offs (Correct answer)
- Cite only the single best student outcome ever achieved
- Report words-per-minute gains without mentioning comprehension
- Use hypothetical numbers that sound impressive
Correct answer: Present typical results with honest context about comprehension trade-offs
Honest reporting requires typical results and acknowledgment that speed gains can affect comprehension.
Question 4: An instructor discovers a colleague is selling students' contact information to a marketing company. The most appropriate first action is to:
- Address the concern through proper reporting channels within the organization (Correct answer)
- Ignore it since it does not affect their own students
- Post about it publicly on social media
- Demand a share of the profits
Correct answer: Address the concern through proper reporting channels within the organization
Professional standards require addressing misconduct through appropriate internal reporting channels first.
Question 5: Why is informed consent important before enrolling a student in a speed reading program?
- Students deserve accurate expectations about methods, time commitment, and realistic outcomes (Correct answer)
- It legally guarantees the student will improve
- It allows the instructor to avoid all responsibility
- It is only needed for students under 18
Correct answer: Students deserve accurate expectations about methods, time commitment, and realistic outcomes
Informed consent ensures students understand the methods, effort required, and realistic outcomes before committing.
Question 6: A speed reading instructor is asked to teach a technique they know lacks scientific support, such as reading multiple lines simultaneously with full comprehension. Ethically, they should:
- Disclose the evidence limitations honestly while teaching what is supported (Correct answer)
- Teach it as proven fact because clients requested it
- Invent supporting studies to reassure students
- Charge extra for the unproven technique
Correct answer: Disclose the evidence limitations honestly while teaching what is supported
Integrity requires disclosing when techniques lack scientific support rather than presenting them as proven.
Question 7: Which practice best demonstrates professional accountability in a speed reading course?
- Tracking measurable student progress and adjusting instruction based on results (Correct answer)
- Refusing to measure comprehension so results look better
- Blaming students for all lack of progress
- Extending courses indefinitely to increase fees
Correct answer: Tracking measurable student progress and adjusting instruction based on results
Accountability means measuring real outcomes, including comprehension, and adapting instruction accordingly.
SPC Professional Standards & Ethics 2
A speed reading instructor advertises that all students will triple their reading speed within one week.
What ethical principle does this most likely violate?