Not only do I need to understand the importance of qualitative research and how to approach it, but I must also understand how ethics plays a role in this type of research. Some of the research I found discussing ethics was mostly discussing how ethics plays a role in feminist research, however I still believe that the information provided is applicable to the research I am going to be conducting.
A very simple definition of research ethics a good base to begin is how it is "focused on how well participants are treated" (Gillies and Alldred 32).
Now moving on. Research ethics takes into consideration how research is influenced by the researcher's perspective because the "personal perspectives of researchers inform the intentions we have for research" which again goes back to how as researchers we are subjective and need to approach our research with an open mind so that it does not affect our subjects (33). If you as a researcher understand the intentions you hope to get out of your research, this will help you clarify your means and will decrease the chances of subjectivity. "As Caroline Ramazanoglu and Janet Holland argue 'In connecting theory, experience and judgment, the knowing feminist should be accountable for the sense she makes of her own and other peoples' accounts and how her judgments are made'" (Gillies and Alldred 42).
Another interesting point I found out about ethics for qualitative research, (and although this comes from the feminist perspective, I definitely think it is applicable to my research), is that you must represent your subjects "in order that their voices and experiences are heard" (Gillies and Alldred 33). What I took this to mean is that you must come into your research with an open mind to avoid projecting your views on your subjects and therefore tampering with their voice.
There has also been much discussion under feminist research that discusses the role of power and how when doing some of this research you are representing groups that you are not part of (most likely marginalized groups). Some feminists have actually decided that they will not speak for those that they cannot relate to, meaning as researchers their "warrant extends only to representations of themselves and their immediate communities" (Gillies and Alldred 40). Luckily for me I am focusing on the St. Lawrence community, one that I have been part of for four years and therefore I think ethically I can interview other students and members of the community because I can relate to them and am part of their community.
Another thing that is necessary to understand when conducting interviews is the idea of consent. When it comes to consent the ethics committee requires that the relationship between the researcher and interviewee should be formalized through written consent. Therefore, I believe that I too must write up a form and have my participants sign a document to show that they are consenting to my research.
However, the term consent can be quite ambiguous because what are the subjects exactly consenting to? If you inform your participants about the aims of your research, which may contribute to their consent, you must keep in mind that as your research progresses so may your aims and therefore what you told them in the beginning may change. "The precise nature of 'consent' for the participants might only become clear eventually, at the end of a study, when the researchers' impact on shaping the study is visible" (Miller and Bell 54). This "raises questions about what is it that the participant is consenting to" (Miller and Bell 54).
The last thing to make note of when discussing the ethics to interviewing is how you recruit your participants. Are you going to recruit people through a selective recruitment process or are you going to use the snowball affect, where you use your own networks and connections. It's actually kind of interesting because when I started to think about who I wanted to interview I immediately turned to the idea of using facebook and creating a group to get people to be interviewed but also as a way to attract them to my blog so that they can contribute (just interesting how social networks plays a role in ethics itself). However, one thing to take note of if you use the snowball affect is "the motives around why some people become participants and others resist [this] should concern the researcher and be documented in a research diary" (Miller and Bell 56). Perfect! That's what this blog is for, as a virtual research diary.
Works Cited:
Gillies, Val, Pam Alldred. "The Ethics of Intention: Research as a Political Tool." Ethics in Qualitative
Research. Ed. Melanie Mauthner, Maxine Birch, Julie Jessop, Tina Miller. SAGE Publication,
2002. 32-52.
Miller, Tina, Linda Bell. "Consenting to What? Issues of Access, Gate-Keeping and 'Informed'
Consent." Ethics in Qualitative Research. Ed. Melanie Mauthner, Maxine Birch, Julie Jessop,
Tina Miller. SAGE Publication, 2002. 53-69.
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