Dangerous terrains: negotiating ethical dilemmas

Abstract

Applying for ethical clearance and conducting research in ethical ways are part of due process and procedure in educational research. However, research that focuses on the social and cultural dimensions of people’s lives, especially when marginalised groups are involved, may not always run according to plan. Researchers may find that the terrain is much more dangerous than was originally anticipated, even though potential difficulties had been considered in the planning and preparation stages of the research. Indeed, the negotiation of ethical dilemmas is sometimes an ongoing and significant component of the research journey. To exemplify, this chapter presents some of the ethical dilemmas I experienced as I conducted research into the social and discursive construction of itinerant farm workers’ children as literacy learners. It focuses on the aspects of dangerous and troubling terrain that I had to negotiate and discusses the necessity for ongoing and reflexive ethical considerations as researchers traverse and sometimes transform the terrains of contemporary educational research.