Ethical considerations

Ethics are important elements of every research. “The ethics of undertaking social research are complex but are particularly so when working with children” (Desai & Potter, 2006, p. 57). Ethics can be understood as sets of moral principles relating to what is right or wrong. In research they imply “the application of systems of moral principles to prevent harming or wronging others, to promote good, to be respectful and to be fair” (Sieber, 1993, p. 14). Ethics were thought of during the planning process, in the field and after my field work. From the beginning when I arrived at the ECCD centre where I conducted my study, I

54

explained myself about how the extracted information from the study will be treated and how people’s name will be protected. Key ethical issues that were central to this study with children included Access & informed consent, privacy & confidentiality and power differential.

4.13.1 Access & informed consent

My study involved young orphaned and vulnerable children aged 5-8 year who are under the custody of MECCDF and their parents/guardians. I needed to gain the co-operation from these ‘gatekeepers’ (Cohen et al., 2007; Fargas-Malet et al., 2010) to get access to the children. Therefore, I wrote an application letters for attachment to MECCDF and attached the ethical clearance form plus other document from the university. Besides, as earlier mentioned, information letters containing the research study details were sent to the parents/guardians of the sampled children requesting for their permission to allow their children to be part of the study and they all consented

Informed consent entails informing the research participants about the overall purpose of the investigation and the main features of the design as well as of any possible risks and benefits from participating in the research project

Kvale and Brinkmann (2009, p. 70)

In the process of obtaining consent, the children were not left out. Consent was obtained using a separate form (see appendix). Ennew (2009) argues that children must be informed and asked as individual and researchers must not rely on parents or teachers to say that consent has been granted. I explained to the children the details of the study; the topic, the purpose, methods to be involved and their right to withdraw so that they can make an informed decision. Boyden and Ennew (1997) and Ennew (1994) state that;

First gaining consent is vital, particularly when dealing with children. It is important that the details of the research are explained at a level understandable to the child so that they can make an informed decision to take part.

( Boyden and Ennew, 1997; Ennew, 1994 cited in Young & Barrett, 2001, p. 150)

After explaining the research details to them, 12 children consented without being forced to take part in the study. Fargas-Malet et al. (2010, p. 177) argue that “Informed consent should be freely given (without coercion, threat or persuasion) by children who can make an appropriately informed decision”.

55

Overall Access to the children was facilitated by MECCDF whom at that time had the physical custody of the children and had a close link with children’s parent/guardians who had the legal custody.

4.13.2 Privacy and confidentiality

Anonymity of names during the report writing and confidentiality of information obtained during the study were among the things that were highly considered and assured when explaining things to participants before and during the actual study. Privacy and confidentiality are aimed at protecting the participants taking part in the study. Fraser (2004) explains that confidentiality entails taking considerable care not to pass information to people connected to the respondent in whatsoever manner and letting out or disclosing information only in way that protect the identity of the source. Participants were assured that their real names will be replaced with pseudo names so that no one will be able to trace their identity. Besides, they were informed that the information gathered from them will be held in confidence. After the transcription of interview data, all the real names were replaced with pseudo names, interviews were erased from the digital voice recorder and the field noted were destroyed in accordance with the ethical requirements.

Obtaining exclusive private spaces was a challenge during the study. The research setting was a centre with a single room. The same room that was allocated for conducting interviews and drawings was the room where the other children accessed their drinking water and water for washing their hands. Besides, caregiver kept the medical kit and their daily essential. Therefore, time and again, children and caregivers would pop in and that would sometimes interrupt the children’s interviews in process of data collection as participants would want to see what was happening on the other end of the room. Moreover, they would sometimes overhear our conversations. So whenever someone entered the room, I had to pause the interview recording though it prolonged the period of interviewing. In my views, the popping in of caregivers into the interview room was more to do with the security of the children since the children were left in their care. Alderson and Morrow (2011) argue that because of cultural values in the global south children are not allocated private or separate spaces hence making it difficult to maintain the privacy and confidentiality. Therefore, it was difficult to negotiate privacy and keep total confidentiality.

56

4.13.3 Power differential

Power differential was another ethical issue encountered during my study. This is due to the cultural values that exist in society where I undertook my study. Cultural values demand children to show respect for anyone who is older than them(Poluha, 2008 in Abebe, 2008). Desai and Potter (2006, p. 34) report that, “Whenever working across cultures, or within own culture, power imbalance between the researcher and the researched are common place”. The nature of my research setting enforced the power differential as children sometimes called me teacher Aaron just like they called caregivers who had authority over them like any other adult at the centre (Abebe, 2009). However, the rapport built and friendship fostered as well as the use of multiple participatory methods; drawings, observations, and informal dialogues helped in redressing and reducing power imbalance. As the research proceeded, children considered me as a friend even if they called me teacher it did not mean anymore but just as a given title.