Ethical Insights and Young People

Determining the appropriate age to consent being part of research projects constitutes a real challenge for the different stakeholders involved therein. Two elements need to be considered here. First, research practitioners must observe the legal jurisdiction of the county/town/state in which they are conducting their project – that is, students’ consent cannot override any legal obligation. Otherwise, researchers might end up being sued or underfunded for non-compliance with the law. Furthermore, from a social perspective, law-abiding projects are widely accepted and recognized. Secondly, the principles or tenets that inform ethics guidelines or ethics boards may have diverse sociocultural backgrounds. This is especially true in countries/towns/states that are geographically different from the research team’s background. Sensitive topics and issues indeed require careful consideration.

Now, a dilemma that clearly stands out is the professional/research ethics versus the best interests/care of the children. One necessarily needs to establish whose concerns will be given priority while being aware that serious differences might affect the research process. As a research practitioner, I do believe ethics plays a paramount role in the practices and procedures of the inquiry. With this in mind, can interpretative researchers be trusted when taking decisions that might affect the youth? The answer is clearly yes. Of course, measures ought to be taken to ensure validity and reliability within the process. Generally speaking, researchers should situate themselves within an epistemological approach and a political stance so as to avoid biases. Likewise, power conflicts might emerge when considering the dynamics of the research process. All these tensions and their implications have to be taken into account and foreseen from the outset.

Moreover, power dynamics and confidence might be the reasons linked to the incorporation of novice researchers into the whole research endeavor. Would a teenager talk about and share private matters such as sexual-related concepts with a figure of authority within a formal environment? This is not likely to happen as it depends on the sociocultural setting. In that sense, data may be altered – that is, biased results and information can only lead to serious misinterpretations. Conversely, I am concerned with the quality standards that YCRs would bring to the inquiry. Is engaging in “in-depth” training enough to handle all the subtleties and implications of qualitative research and ethical constructs? So I guess that a price needs to be paid to train co-researchers.

With that in mind, whose interests should prevail when conducting research: the parents’ or the children’s? It hinges on one’s perspective. As a father, I do not believe that waiving parental consent should be considered. I am conscious that this practice might deter teenagers from contributing in significant research projects. As a research practitioner, all ethical possibilities need to be taken into account to get results and data. Given the topic’s relevance, ethics boards and ministries of education need to reach a healthy, logical and ethical consensus in this continuum.

Reference

Chabot, C., Shoveller, S.A., Spencer, G., & Johnson, J.L. (2012). Ethical and Epistemological Insights: A Case Study of Participatory Action Research with Young People. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics: An International Journal, 7(2), 20-33.