17.1 Ethical responsibility and cultural respect
Learning Objectives
Learners will be able to…
- Explain the special considerations researchers should keep in mind as they design qualitative studies and collect qualitative data
- Determine steps that can be taken to protect participants and exhibit cultural respect during qualitative data collection
Because qualitative data collection so often involves direct contact with human participants and requesting them to share detailed and potentially personally sensitive information with us as researchers, we need to be especially sensitive to ethical considerations. It is a process that requires forethought, planning, and mindful attention throughout. Below are some ethical considerations to help guide you in this activity.
Special limitations to anonymity, confidentiality and ability to remove or withdraw data
Because with qualitative research we are often meeting with people in person to gather data, either from interviews, focus groups, or observations, we clearly can’t guarantee them anonymity. This makes it all the more important to consider what you will do to protect the confidentiality of your participants. This may involve using steps like:
- Using pseudonyms or assigned study identification codes rather than names on study materials
- Stripping all potentially identifying information from transcripts
- Keeping signed informed consent forms separate from other data so the two can’t be linked
- Ensuring that when data is not being used it is appropriately stored and locked so that others outside the research team don’t have access to it
- Ensuring that when data is being used it is not in a space (in person or virtual) where people outside the research team can view it
- Making sure that all members of your research team have been approved by your IRB
- Being very clear in your informed consent who will have access to data and for what purposes
Additionally, at times we will write into our informed consent that participants may withdraw from a study at any time. When a person expresses a desire to withdraw, we remove their data from the study. However, let’s say we conducted interviews and identified a theme that was present in their interview, but was also in a number of other interviews. Their ideas would still be represented in our findings, but we would make sure not to use any quotes or unique contributions from that individual. Also, if a person participates in a focus group, they are part of an interactive dialogue and the discussion is often connected to ideas shared by others as the conversation evolves, making it very hard to completely remove their data. Again, we would respect their wishes by not using any of their direct words, but their presence and contributions shaped the discussion in ways that we won’t be able to excise. It is best to be upfront about this as you are seeking informed consent.
Exercises
- What steps will you be taking to protect the qualitative data that is shared with you?
Prepare with competence, enter with humility
When we ask people to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences with us, we need to do so in a way that demonstrates respect and authenticity. This means that we approach participants in a professional manner that reflects both competence as a researcher and that illustrates we have done some preparation to learn about the population ahead of time (that we are not “coming in cold”). Activities that can help to demonstrate this are:
- Speaking with knowledgeable community members regarding the topic, our research design, and important aspects of the community (contemporary and historical) before beginning our data collection)
- Examining previous research and other sources of information regarding the group/community we are interested in work with, or if not available, groups/communities that may be similar
- Using data from the first two bullet points, we design our data collection in a way that is culturally sensitive (e.g. where we ask people to provide data, what tools we use, our wording)
- Preparing research materials (e.g. informed consent forms, recruitment materials, informational sheets) that are accessible and understandable for participants
- Providing information and education about research in general and our research topic specifically
This needs to be tempered with humility. Participants grant us the privilege of allowing us to witness some piece of their life. We need to have humility in knowing that we can never fully understand their experiences because we are not them. In a real sense, we are the learners and they are the teachers. Despite us doing the pre-work discussed above to become more competent in our approach, humility means we will ask the participant directly what is acceptable in respect to our data collection. I believe that when taking a culturally humble approach that we should take at least a little bit of time to understand what research means to the participant and what this particular topic means to the them, again, by asking them directly.
Key Takeaways
- Qualitative data collection involves special considerations to help ensure the privacy, confidentiality, or anonymity of participants because of the the often intimate and detailed information that we are collecting as qualitative researchers.
- Preparing for qualitative data collection requires that we educate ourselves as researchers in advance about the population we will be working with to guide and develop our data collection plan. Furthermore, from the standpoint of cultural humility, we don’t assume that these preparations are adequate. We need to verify with participants what is culturally acceptable to them as individuals.
Exercises
- As you prepare for data collection planning, what actions do you plan to take to demonstrate preparations for cultural sensitivity and cultural humility?
A form of data gathering where researchers ask individual participants to respond to a series of (mostly open-ended) questions.
A form of data gathering where researchers ask a group of participants to respond to a series of (mostly open-ended) questions.
Observation is a tool for data gathering where researchers rely on their own senses (e.g. sight, sound) to gather information on a topic.
The identity of the person providing data cannot be connected to the data provided at any time in the research process, by anyone.
For research purposes, confidentiality means that only members of the research team have access potentially identifiable information that could be associated with participant data. According to confidentiality, it is the research team's responsibility to restrict access to this information by other parties, including the public.
Fake names assigned in research to protect the identity of participants.
Numbers or a series of numbers, symbols and letters assigned in research to both organize data as it is collected, as well as protecting the identity of participants.
A process through which the researcher explains the research process, procedures, risks and benefits to a potential participant, usually through a written document, which the participant than signs, as evidence of their agreement to participate.
an administrative body established to protect the rights and welfare of human research subjects recruited to participate in research activities conducted under the auspices of the institution with which it is affiliated
For the purposes of research, authenticity means that we do not misrepresent ourselves, our interests or our research; we are genuine in our interactions with participants and other colleagues.