A sociocultural analysis of the ethics of involving children in educational research

ABSTRACT

This article explores the ethical complexities of involving children in research in the contexts of their families, schools and communities. We argue for an approach that is dynamic, reflexive, responsive and informed by an understanding of how local cultures impact on and shape negotiations and practices around ethical issues and processes. We use different sociocultural lenses to analyse the complexities of ethical processes and practices at the beginning of a research project which explored children’s informal and everyday learning. The article contributes to ethical debates about involving children with research through foregrounding the multiplicities and complexities that emerge when researchers are attentive to the practices and values of the settings that children’s and researchers’ lives traverse.

KEYWORDS:

• Sociocultural theory
• lens of analysis
• ethics
• student voice

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Roseanna Bourke is a registered psychologist and an Associate Professor of Learning and Assessment at the Institute of Education, Massey University. Her research focuses on the phenomena of formal and informal everyday learning and self-assessment, as influenced by the social, cultural and political contexts.

Judith Loveridge is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Education, Victoria University of Wellington. She is particularly interested in the intersection between social and cultural processes and individuals’ learning and development.

Dr John O’Neill is a Professor of Teacher Education and Director of the Institute of Education at Massey University. His research interests include the relationships between education policy and teachers’ work and learning; education philanthropy, and teaching and learning in everyday settings.

Bevan Erueti is a Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Education, Massey University. His research interests examine themes of indigeneity mostly through Kaupapa Māori methodologies of Māori development.

Andrew Jamieson is a teaching and online consultant at the National Centre for Teaching and Learning, Massey University. He has worked as a teacher in the school and tertiary sectors.

Additional information

Funding

The Teaching and Learning Research Initiative in New Zealand provided the funding for this research.