Navigating procedural ethics and ethics in practice in outdoor studies: an example from sail training

ABSTRACT

Researching ethically is an institutional requirement and cornerstone of good everyday practice in conducting research, adopting a mindful consideration for participants and resisting the temptation to use methodological approaches which may exploit participants or their trust in the research process or researcher. In the context of outdoor studies and framed by Kantian ethical and moral principles, this paper describes the procedural ethics of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) and how our own moral and ethical positioning influences the planning for the opportunities, dilemmas and challenges of fieldwork, shaping the ethics in practice during research and in post-study reporting. From a sail training study, I describe the ethical and methodological dilemmas and the decisions made in respect of audio recording and the use of photo-elicitation; and the sense of uncertainty and unease stimulated by reflective and reflexive practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Research practice
• procedural ethics
• ethics in practice
• reflexivity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Eric Fletcher

Dr Eric Fletcher is a Research Associate in the Research Centre for Learning and Teaching, School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences, Newcastle University. Eric is an early career researcher involved in a range of educational research with interests in personal and social development of children and young people, and ‘boundary crossing’ in professional multi-agency and inter-disciplinary working. He is a co-coordinator of the north east Outdoor Learning Research Hub.