Ethical issues when conducting ethnographic research

Ethical issues when conducting ethnographic research

1. Informed consent

   • Ensuring you have permission from participants to include them in study
     • Consent forms
     • Contracts
     • Explain every aspect of what they will be expected to do

2. Confidentiality and anonymity

   • Keeping personal details secret so their identity cannot be known
     • Not including names
     • Only askign for details that are essential for study

3. Anticipating harms

   • Is potential harm too high?
     • Is it worth the harm for the experiment?
     • Conducting pseudo controleld experiments with no risks
     • Will I be in danger?
       • Interfering with culture e.g. influencing the views of females: danger

4. Protecting research participants and honouring trust

   • Will being part of the study put them in danger?
     • Learn the culture
     • Do not force them to give information
     • Respect rules
   • Become trustworthy in their eyes
     • More llikely to give information
     • Show you do not mean harm
       • Join in with culture; help with work

5. Deception

   • Covering up tue intentions of study
     • May be necessary for covert observations
       • Will this put me in danger if I am discovered?
       • Produce more natural observations
         • Avoid Hawthorne effect

6. Right to wirthdraw

   • Making participants aware they can leave from study at any time
     • Briefing before study starts

7. Ethical regulations

   • Learn before leave
     • Association of Social Anthropolgoists
     • Commonwealth Code of practise

8. Participation in illegal/immoral activities

   • Gang member for a day
   • May lose trust

9. Becoming involved in problems of people

   • Leaving Western beliefs behind