If one accepts that there is more than one side to an argument, it follows that differing perspectives should be examined. As a teacher, I found meaningful examples of this point in children’s literature (Cressey & Cole, 1986), and used such texts to support children’s understanding of equality and social justice by helping them to learn the value of listening to others’ perspectives and reaching compromises.
The same applies in the world of research. In a BERA Blog published in 2019, Sarah Quinton (2019) pointed out the frequent tensions between ethics panels and applicants. She concluded that a less divisive approach would bring benefits to the world of scholarship and educational practice. For the world of educational research, there remain valid lessons to learn about widening perspectives and inclusion of unacknowledged educational research. Independent researchers face the same ethical challenges faced by researchers in higher education institutions (HEIs), and like them intend to carry out rigorous and valuable research in order to inform practice and add to knowledge.
Carrie Birch, in
her blog, reports on a successful
BERA event about ethical issues for independent researchers attended by both practitioner-researchers in educational settings and organisations with expertise in publishing and in the legal aspects of ethics.
In the
special issue of the BERA Blog that follows on from the event, contributors
William Wadsworth, Sarah Hamilton, Jocelyn Bailey and
Lynne Taylerson discuss their research and experiences of working beyond academia, describing the circumstances which occur for educational researchers working ‘at one remove’ from HEIs:
The contributions to this series include examples of work undertaken by independent researchers, and note the implications both for them and for the world of research arising from the lack of access to a robust system of ethical guidance and approval.
The descriptions of ethical dilemmas may apply to all researchers. However, while researchers employed within HEIs may have access to in-house advice, advice is rarely available to independent researchers, who include those working in educational technology, schools and further education. Readers of the BERA Blog will recognise that many contributors work and conduct research in settings such as schools and FE colleges, where multiple other priorities may jostle for position with ethical considerations, posing greater challenges to the ethical integrity of the independent researcher.
Independent researchers are already seeking a collaborative approach that makes it possible to undertake and publish educational research. We welcome the contact and development of ethical thinking that follows when we listen to a ‘critical friend’.
Author Bio: As convenor/independent researcher/practitioner Carrie aims to promote contact between independent researchers and to represent their interests in BERA. As regards her research Carrie has a commitment to social justice and to sharing the perspectives of people whose voices are rarely heard in a mainstream arena. Her research provides an opportunity to understand ‘excluded’ communities from within. Carrie has worked in several areas of the UK as a practitioner committed to challenging inequality, developing learning in community and school settings with adults, under-fives, families, and organisations. She gained her Ph.D. in 2010 for research exploring learning cultures in a socially excluded community. Carrie continues exploring effective models of engagement for learning in working class communities and happy to talk to anyone with similar interests.
This blog post first appeared on the
BERA Blog on 12th February 2020