Some thoughts on Research Ethics...

This week I have been participating in a PHD student's research project, as a covert actor in a group of genuine participants. I jumped at the chance to take part as I was interested to see how a PHD level study is undertaken, and how the candidate would handle the ethical implications of deceiving other participants by using actors.

It's been a really interesting experience; the study centres on the status of individuals within groups, and I have often felt quite bad about tricking participants into thinking that they are considered low status (the positions are pre-determined). However, participants are fully de-briefed afterwards and informed of the deception, and I believe the researcher does have genuine reasons for using actors as false participants in the study. So in general, I have not had a problem with this style of 'covert' research - most participants find it quite exciting when they find out and enjoy taking part.

However, there have been a few participants who seem to find being put in a low status position difficult, usually slightly older people who are lacking in confidence due to unemployment etc. and these are the ones that trouble me slightly. Even though they are de-briefed at the end, and have signed a consent form, I wonder if this type of person has found the experiment traumatic. Perhaps a psychological assessment could have been done to reduce the risk of excepting vulnerable participants? But then of course, this may have impacted the results, as the sample of participants was meant to be random.

It's an interesting lesson in balancing the well-being of participants, whilst also gathering effective and valid results. I would highly recommend taking part in studies at universities as a way of exploring different research designs. Any thoughts? 

Critical Reflection and Summary: Digital Portfolio

Developing my inquiry plan has been a process of evaluating my knowledge, and questioning my professional development. 

I began by looking at the inquiry task from last term (Appendix A), identifying recurring themes. I was keen not to narrow down potential lines of inquiry too quickly, so I developed a SIG on facebook (Appendix B) covering the broad topic 'Theatre, TV & Film', to maximise the exchange of ideas. I also participated in several other SIGs, engaging in a range of conversations (Appendix C). 

Questions began emerging (Appendix D), however I often felt isolated being the only 'straight' actor in my group. Alan Durrant’s blog post (Appendix E) inspired me to seek out new people to share ideas with (Appendix F) and I began communicating with other 'actor-bloggers', as well as students studying other modules (Appendix G). 

Developing my questions with other practitioners was inspiring, and forced me to articulate my ideas (Appendix H) and (Appendix I). Having read Rosemary’s post (Appendix J), I conducted a 'capability self-assessment' (Appendix K); coupled with regular SIG engagement, this helped me to narrow down my potential lines of inquiry. With Laura Sinigaglia, in particular, a rapport was built which enabled us to reflect honestly and critically on each other's questions.

After personal reflection and encouragement from my advisor and peers, I settled on the topic of 'creative polymathy' (Appendix L); I wanted to explore the implications of being an actor who also 'does other things'. I knew, however, that success would depend upon finding existing literature to support my own research, and I reached a crisis point when I felt that there may not be sufficient sources to proceed (Appendix M). This was later resolved; a discussion with Nicole Carmen helped me to think about the ways in which I could approach my literature search from a slightly different angle. I began my search in libraries and online, with 'delicious' proving an invaluable tool for cataloguing useful resources (Appendix N). Once I had identified appropriate sources, I began reviewing this literature (Appendix O), (Appendix P) and (Appendix Q). 

In order to equip myself with the knowledge required to develop an ethical code of practice, I studied a range of ethical frameworks (Appendix R) and looked at how these are applied in the arts (Appendix S). I found myself developing a new awareness of ethical issues in current affairs (Appendix T) and accepted codes of practice in my industry (Appendix U).

Whilst designing a research plan, I conducted a pilot survey (Appendix V) and (Appendix W), Interview (Appendix X), Focus Group (Appendix Y) and Observation (Appendix Z). Some of the results surprised me, and unexpected situations arose which have been invaluable in preparing me for live research.   

This module has equipped me with the necessary research skills to conduct my inquiry in an efficient and ethical manner. I am confident that my findings will assist me in my own professional development, as well as benefiting others in my community of practice.