ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

According to Dahlberg and McCaig (2010), entering a “field’’ can be a difficult task, especially when trying to secure participants for a particular research study. In terms of data generation protocols, Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2011) specify that before data generation, there are applicable protocol to follow and ethical procedures to consider to gain permission and access to

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the targeted population. Denscombe (2002) defines ethics as a system of moral principles that individuals can use to judge their actions. Ethics are philosophies about what is wrong or right from a moral standpoint (McMillan & Schumacher, 2010). Defined by Robson (2002) as a set of rules for conduct and a code of principles, all appropriate research ethical considerations were deliberated with all participants prior to research commencement. It is important to note that research ethics are founded on certain principles, and for this study’s purposes, I shall discuss the literature from the perspective of what actually transpired.

Acceptance and access: Strydom (2002) cautions researchers that gaining initial permission to the

research site does not entitle them to access all information and, as such, permission should be negotiated from time to time as the need arises. Permission from gatekeepers and informed consent from participants ensures researchers of acceptance and access to the research site, but as Cohen et al. (2011) warn researchers, gaining access to the institution is not an entitlement. Researchers have the responsibility to prove themselves worthy as researchers and as respected human beings to continue gaining access to the research site and its facilities. Prior to conducting the study, I obtained ethical clearance from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and permission to conduct the proposed study from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education (see Appendices A and C respectively). Secondly, I obtained permission to conduct interviews from the Chief Education Specialist (CES) and principals of schools, as gatekeepers. I visited the school principals and the CES with a letter seeking permission to involve the teachers and the CM respectively as participants in the study. I presented the contents of my research study, including the methods, to all prospective participants. I was afforded an opportunity to clarify the methodological orientation of the study from the onset. The gatekeepers convened meetings with my prospective participants, where I held preliminary meetings with them and expounded on the study. I explicated and shed light on the expectations. The prospective participants were furnished with questions that were included in the interview schedules and were also informed that their involvement in the current study would be completely on a voluntary basis. Times and places for interviewing were jointly put in place and consented upon.

Informed consent: Johnson and Christensen (2008) describe informed consent as an acceptance to

be involved in a study after being educated about the study’s purpose, procedures, risks, optional procedures and confidentiality. Babbie (2010) defines informed consent as a means of standard

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process that the researcher follows to ensure that participants understand potential hazards, threats and risks of the research study. Informed consent means that participants choose to or not to take part in the study without any push, deception, pressure, or any forms of control or bullying. Cohen et al. (2011) posit that informed consent has for four features which are: competence, voluntarism, full information and comprehension. Participants should not feel coerced by anyone to participate in a research study and should understand the implications of the research. Written informed consent was acquired from the CM, school principals and all teachers who were part in the research project. Furthermore, Cohen et al. (2011, p.80) itemise these factors that require clarification in the informed consent:

 the purpose, contents and procedures of the research

 any foreseeable risks and negative outcomes, discomfort or consequences and how they will be handled

 benefits that might derive from the research

 incentives to participate and rewards from participating

 right to voluntary non-participation, withdrawal and re-joining the project

 rights and obligations to confidentiality and non-disclosure of the research, participants and outcomes

 disclosure of any alternative procedures that may be advantageous

 opportunities for participants to ask questions about any aspect of the research

 signed contracts for participation.

In this study, all the above items were explained (refer to Appendix I). Before the participants gave informed consent, I informed them of the nature of the research. Important issues surrounding the interviews and FGDs were discussed. Since the study was a school-based research project, it was important to divulge conditions and assurances that are prearranged for school-based research projects, as guided by Cohen et al. (2011). These are displayed in the following figure, Figure 4.1

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Figure 4.1. Conditions and guarantees proffered for a school-based research project

Adapted from Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2011. p. 83).

Cohen et al. (2011) indicates that the dignity of participants in any research study is of supreme importance. Samaras (2011) highlights the importance of acknowledging the rights of participants to privacy and anonymity by the researcher. Therefore, to obtain informed consent from participants, I assured them of the following aspects in respect of being part of the study: anonymity, privacy, confidentiality, voluntary participation, that no harm would be imposed by the study (physical or psychological), that data would be used for research purposes and dissemination of the research findings, that data generated would be of value to the society, that there would be no rewards or incentives for participating, that they were free to withdraw from the study, if they so wished and that would be no negative consequences for their withdrawal. I had asked participants’ consent to be audio-recorded during interviews and they gave consent. Any objections to the contents of the consent form were appropriately respected.

Privacy involves all the elements of anonymity, concealment and correct way of storing research data (Creswell, 2009; McMillan & Schumacher, 2010; Silverman, 2011). I ensured anonymity by

1. All participants must be given the chance to remain anonymous 2. All the data must be given strict confidentiality

3. Interviewees should have the chance to verify statements at the stage of drafting the report (respondent validation)

4. Participants should be given a copy of the final report

5. Permission for publication must be gained from the participants

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pseudonyms in the place of participants’ names and the names of the institutions. Confidentiality was guaranteed by ensuring participants that not one person would have contact with individual data or the participants’ names except for the researcher, and that generated data was not linked to any individual participant’s name (McMillan & Schumacher, 2010). I observed ethics in the field through not disclosing confidential information generated from different participants. The researcher is able to identify participants and their responses but decides not to do so publicly in respect of the concepts of privacy and anonymity for research purposes (Babbie, 2010). Assuring the participants about confidentiality and anonymity made them relax and they talked about SBTPD and leadership issues without fear that their identities would be revealed.

4.10. CONCLUSION

In this chapter, I began with a discussion on the research paradigm that underpins the study and the research design that is adopted by the study. I then proceeded to detail the research sites and how participants were selected. I outlined the data generation methods and the reasons for the choices made as well as the importance of triangulation, and then described the methods for data analysis. In addition, I expounded on the issues of trustworthiness, as this is a qualitative research study. I concluded the chapter by explaining how the issue of ethics was considered. The next chapter (Chapter 5) of this report is aimed at providing a detailed presentation and discussion of the findings of this study.

138 CHAPTER 5