Ethical issues in the context of transdisciplinary research
Aim of this session
The aim of this session is to bring attention to the ethical aspects of research, which are nowadays considered an integral part of any human related research project. Therefore, the institutional aspect of research ethics represented by ethical guidelines is introduced first, as the basic tool to guide participants’ thinking about various ethical aspects of their work. However, ethical guidelines are, necessarily, quite succinct documents and cannot cover all the situations that real life brings. Therefore, concepts of positionality and reflexivity are introduced, which help researcher to assess the more subtle ethical aspects of research process. Afterwards, assessing ethical issues throughout the 3 phases of TDR project is discussed. The participants should be able to explain what positionality and reflexivity mean.
Links to transdisciplinary research and teaching
Since transdisciplinarity is solution oriented, it aims to impact peoples’ lives. Therefore, consideration of various ethical issues in necessary. The presentation aims to initiate a process of thinking about both the obvious and not so obvious ethical aspects of research.
Summary of main points
All human related research has ethical implications
Professional institutions‘ ethical guidelines are the first source to consult when considering ethical implications of research
Positionality of the researcher impacts the research and needs to be reflected
Questions of research ethics need to be addressed throughout the research process
Dealing with ethical issues is a soft-skill
There is no single good solution in ethically problematic situations
Use of reading material
The article What Difference Does Difference Make? Position and Privilege in the Field (McCorkel & Myers, 2003) gives the reader the chance to understand the concepts of positionality and reflexivity, and more importantly, their application during the research process of the two authors’ own research projects. The article should be read beforehand to enable easier understanding of the presentation.
The article Ethics in Fieldwork: Reflections on the Unexpected (Palmer, Fam, Smith & Kilham, 2014) focuses on ethical challenges encountered during transdisciplinary field research that are not anticipated in the standard institutional ethics approval processes. Reflecting on their case studies, the authors consider preparation and critical thinking to be key tools in dealing with ethical challenges. The article should be read beforehand to enable easier understanding of the presentation.
Additional comments to the presentation
The trainer should read the two compulsory articles and consult the ASA ethical guidelines (or other guidelines of an institution of his/her choice) in advance of the presentation. It is advisable to modify the presentation according to the needs of the presenter and the class.
In the end of the presentation, an example case study shoul be introduced. There are case studies available in the sources provided on the last slide of the presentation, or the presenter might like to share ethical dilemmas that he/she has faced in the course of his/her own research. With regards to this activity, it is possible to let participants discuss the case in smaller groups, or give the participants some possible solutions on which they can vote and discuss afterwards, or let the participants do a roleplay activity.
There is no single good solution in ethically problematic situations, therefore it is advisable to have enough space for discussion in the end of the presentation.
Reflections
The presentation is intended to be comprehensible even to an audience unfamiliar with the practice of reflection of ethical issues. Since dealing with ethical issues is a soft skill, including one or more exercises in the end of the presentation is recommended. There are links to various online materials on the last slide of the presentation, or it’s possible to use examples from one’s own research experience. We suggest participants work in small groups of 3 or 4 people, and discuss how to deal with a given example situation. At least 10 minutes for discussion should be given, after which the groups should present their opinions and possible solutions.
The session on “Ethical Issues in the Context of TDR” is quite short, however it is possible to add more examples/case studies if needed. There is quite a lot of teaching material and manuals available online, some of which are listed in the final slide of the presentation.