Ethical considerations 89

Participation was based on freely given, informed consent and relationships in line with Statement of Ethical Practice for the British Sociological Association (BSA, 2002) and Ethical Guidelines for Good Research Practice (ASA - Association of Social Anthropologists of UK and Commonwealth, 2011). This study ensured that the anonymity, privacy and confidentiality of the research participants has been respected. During the research process, I continually drew upon principles of respect and relationship building; thus, consent to situate myself within the everyday life activity of research participants was sought and re-affirmed on an on-going basis. Participants’ personal details and any other identifiable information they shared during the interviews, have been kept strictly confidential and shared only within the research team for research purpose. Participants decided on their own how often and for how long they could commit to the project.

There was no reason to withhold particular information on the nature of the research from participants. The Ethical Guidelines for Good Research Practice (ASA- Association of Social Anthropologists of the UK and Commonwealth -2011) recognize the right of participants to be made aware that they are under observation. In addition, there was also no reason to provide financial or other kinds of incentives, although participants often appreciated when I brought a symbolic gift along when I visited them in their homes (flowers, chocolates, biscuits), given to thank them and recognise that they were providing their time and effort for the project. On the other hand, when participants decided to meet up in a public place for the interview, I usually paid for the tea or coffee we ordered.

Data confidentiality has been maintained in a number of ways. Data collected will not be shared with acquaintances, family members or professionals working with the participants. Participants’ personal data (name, surname, address, biographical

details) and the recorded conversations have been held securely by the researcher and shared only within the research team for research purposes. Electronic data has been stored on a hard drive securely by the researcher. During the dissemination of the findings, personal details and any other identifiable information have been anonymised, so as not to be traced back to individual participants; pseudonyms have been used instead of participant’s names, unless specifically requested by participants. Some participants requested for their real names to appear in the dissertation, I aim to respect their will in this regard, without risking the identification of others within the research process.

3.7.1 Information Sheets and Consent Form

The information sheets32 provided to participants clearly stated the aims and nature of the research project; what participation in the research would entail; an explanation of the risks (if any) and benefits for participants; an explanation of the privacy, confidentiality and anonymity of the data that would be adhered to; who to speak to if the participants had further questions; and a full explanation of participants’ rights as research volunteers. Details on data analysis, such as ownership and dissemination of findings, were also included.

Research participants were asked to sign two hard copies of the Consent Form33 during the first meeting. The researcher kept one of them, while the other was kept by the participants. Participants were asked to read the form carefully, and to sign to give their consent to their participant in the research. When needed, consent forms were also given in Italian and verbal consent was also accepted to accommodate different literacy levels. Participants were given the opportunity to ask questions throughout the research process, and informed consent included the provision that participants’ had the right to withdraw from the process at any time, without any adverse consequences. In addition, participants would not be questioned on the reasons why they did not want to continue their participation.

3.7.2 Negotiating engagement and consent form for the interviews

All participants who acquiesced to take part in a semi-structured interview for the research, were given a hard copy of the Information Sheet and Consent Form during the meeting, before the interview started. In all cases, I gave them appropriate time

32 A copy of the Information Sheet can be found in the Appendix B. 33 A copy of the Consent Form can be found in the Appendix C.

to read through the Consent Form carefully (about 5-10 minutes), and gave the opportunity to ask me questions, before signing it. In some cases, I sent the documents in advance of our meeting to them by e-mail (or to close relatives, who communicated on their behalf, as the participants didn’t have an e-mail address). Both documents – Information Sheet and Consent Form – were available in English and Italian language. I let the participants decide which language they wished to choose. In some cases, when participants told me they were illiterate, I recorded the conversation while reading the documents to them and asked them whether they agreed or not. However, the different levels of education that participants possessed meant that they were not always able to fully comprehend what was being asked of them in the Consent Form, and sometimes I needed to paraphrase what was written in both forms in a simpler way. This ran the risk of not always reporting exactly what was said in these documents. In some cases, the process of soliciting consent proved problematic, as some no longer wished to continue their involvement in the research when I requested for them to sign the Consent Form.