Navigating ethical challenges in qualitative research
Navigating ethical challenges in qualitative research
Research ethics are guidelines that regulate how scientific and other research is performed at research institutions—for instance, universities—and how the results should be disseminated. They are necessary for all types of research enquiry, such as quantitative and qualitative research. Although research ethics are similar for different types of research, this post focuses on ethical challenges in qualitative research, because the researchers are usually personally involved in the different stages of their study.
Qualitative research is a form of systematic enquiry that focuses on why an event happened, instead of addressing the what alone, and what those events mean to the study population. Qualitative studies make use of several systems of inquiry, such as grounded theory, ethnography, phenomenology, discourse analysis or case studies. This differs from quantitative analysis, which often relies on the use of logical and statistical procedures. Some of the systems of inquiry in qualitative studies require interactions between the researcher and study participants, which could be ethically challenging for the researcher. This is partly because researchers have a responsibility of evaluating and interpreting what they observe during an interview. It is therefore important to reiterate some of the important skills necessary for eliciting information from participants and navigating the ethical issues that may arise during this process.
The ethical challenges qualitative researchers could face are diverse and contextual. These challenges also surface in all phases of the study—from design to final publication. Some of them include the researcher–participant relationship, issues of informed consent procedures, anonymity and confidentiality. This post discusses some of these challenges and offers suggestions as to how to navigate them.
The researcher–participant relationship
There could be ethical concerns around the relationship between researchers and participants. Such concerns could be related to participant privacy, honest interactions and the avoidance of misrepresentation. For the researcher, the aim is to develop and navigate this relationship such that the goals of the research are met while ensuring that the respondent feels appreciated and respected. In trying to elicit quality data from respondents, researchers may form a researcher–participant relationship. However, it is important to maintain boundaries while trying to obtain 'rich' data. Researchers should endeavour to reduce the likelihood of intrusion into the autonomy of their respondents as much as possible. One way to ensure this is to consider the vulnerability of participants and ensure that they have 'additional protection'. In addition, considering the cultural diversity of one's respondents is vital for nurturing a positive researcher–participant relationship. Sensitivity to one's respondents’ culture increases the study's trustworthiness, so it is important for the researcher to be well-informed about the relevant cultural background. For instance, a researcher's knowledge about the nuances, language, power relations and acceptable interaction practices would allow their respondents to feel valued.
Following informed consent procedures
To avoid ethical issues, the consent process must ensure that respondents and/or participants are willingly participating in the research, with full knowledge of the relevant risks and benefits. It is expected that they have been provided with complete information that might affect their willingness to participate, and in a language they are able to understand easily. The APA's Ethics Code contains guidelines on what respondents should be informed about prior to participation in research projects. They could be summarised as (i) disclosure – that is, the adequacy of the information provided by the researcher; (ii) comprehension – how easy the information presented is understood by the respondent; (iii) competence – the ability of the participant to agree with information in consent form; and (iv) voluntariness – no coercion. For instance, minors are unable to give consent, as they usually would not understand the content of an informed consent form nor have the capacity to make decisions as regards their participation. In such cases, they may sign an assent form whereas their parents would sign the informed consent form.
Anonymity
Anonymity is a very important ethical aspect, because it is the researcher's duty to protect their respondents’ identities. Anonymity can be complex, since it is easy to conflate anonymity with confidentiality; the latter is a form of confidentiality. However, anonymity ensures that a respondent would never be traceable from the data collected about them. The first step in ensuring anonymity involves changing the name and location of respondents, but this has limitations when it comes to preserving the richness and integrity of the data, especially when researchers want to highlight contextual findings.
Researchers use different approaches to maintain data integrity when faced with issues of anonymity. An approach often used in the context of small geographical areas, where there is a risk of respondents being identified within their population, is to use different pseudonyms for data extracts reported by the same participant. This is especially useful in situations where a participant could be easily identified if they used the same pseudonym for multiple data extracts. This same approach could also be used when talking about the place research was carried out, but it is important to ensure that research settings are not completely decontextualised.
Confidentiality
The principle of confidentiality relates to what is done with the information once it is in the researcher’s possession, and in particular the extent to which it is divulged to others. This implies that researchers have a duty to ensure that their research data remains confidential. The first step to ensuring confidentiality is to inform prospective respondents what will be done with their data. Several methods can be used to ensure confidentiality. Primarily, researchers tend to make use of password-protected files to keep their records secure, encrypt computer-based files, store paper-based documents in a locked file cabinet and remove personal identifiers from study documents as soon as possible. In addition, they record respondent information with codes known only to the research team, to ensure that this cannot be linked back to respondents in any way.
In summary, while it may be difficult to navigate ethical challenges during qualitative research, it is nevertheless possible. Ethical procedures are not rigid and can be negotiated in different contexts as long as protecting respondents remains a priority. The researcher's goal should be to simultaneously consider what is best for their respondents while thinking about what is best for their research.