ContactJessica Elmore jrelmore2@sheffield.ac.uk

ReferencesBirch, M., & Miller, T. (2002). Encouraging participation: Ethics and responsibilities. In M. Mauthner, M. Birch, J. Jessop, & T. Miller (Eds.), Ethics in qualitative research. London, United Kingdom: Sage.Bridges, D. (2002). The ethics of outsider research. In M. McNamee & D. Bridges (Eds.), The ethics of educational research. London, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.Duncombe, J., & Jessop, J. (2002). ‘Doing rapport’ and the ethics of ‘faking friendship’. In M. Mauthner, M. Birch, J. Jessop, & T. Miller (Eds.), Ethics in qualitative research. London, United Kingdom: Sage.Halse, C., & Honey, A. (2005). Unraveling Ethics: Illuminating the Moral Dilemmas of Research Ethics. Signs, 30(4). http://doi.org/10.1086/428419Hooks, B. (1989). Talking back: Thinking feminist, thinking black. New York, New York: South End Press.Kvale, S., & Brinkmann, S. (2009). InterViews : Learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage.Mauthner, N. S., & Doucet, A. (2003). Reflexive accounts and accounts of reflexivity in qualitative data analysis. Sociology, 37(3), 413–431.McIntosh, P. (1989). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack. Peace and Freedom Magazine, 10–12.Walker, M. U. (1992). Feminism, ethics, and the question of theory. Hypatia, 7(3), 23–38.

Ethicalness is next to Openness?

An exploration of information literacy research with ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) learners

Jessica Elmore, PhD student, Information School

Ethics as situated The procedures and language of applying for ethical approval seem very different from Kvale and Brinkman’s (2006) description of ethics as ‘fields of uncertainty’. Halse and Honey (2005) discuss this divergence as a moral and often undisclosed dilemma. I recognise that the ethics of my research are situated rather than rule based and embodied in me as the researcher. The ethics of my research come then from a feminist critical reflexivity (Walker, 1992). Connected to this is my identification of participatory research with ethical research. This is because to do research ‘with’ rather than ‘on’ means less power is concentrated in the researcher. It also means the research is more likely to have value to the participants. Providing value to the participants is one of the key drivers of my research and possibly its greatest ethical test. Do no harm does not seem sufficient when researching those who lack privilege.

Participatory research It can be difficult to balance the demands of participatory research with the instrumental ends of completing a PhD (Birch and Miller, 2002). It is relatively straightforward to adopt participatory methods but much harder to have a participatory research design. In the pilot study the participants were happy to talk to me but did not engage fully with my research. The following exchange shows how I controlled the

Background ESOL learners are adults who have come to the UK for reasons such as work, marriage or to claim asylum, and who are learning English as part of basic skills provision. My doctoral research explores their information literacy experiences through a longitudinal case study of three community ESOL classes. ESOL learners are heterogeneous but can be typified as lacking privilege as they are immigrants and often also fit into one or more of these groups: women, people of colour, the under or unemployed or those with a low level of education.

Informed consent The formal procedures of obtaining consent seemed problematic for my research. For the ESOL learners involved I have chosen to record their verbal consent as their previous experiences with bureaucracy means obtaining written consent could be alienating. But beyond this I note from my pilot “I think they accepted me because they know who I am as a person not as a researcher, it was difficult to get them to take a real interest in the consent process or my research.” This clearly raises the question of what my participants are consenting to and how far this consent is meaningful. As I move to full data collection I have recognised that consent will need to be reaffirmed and possibly renegotiated rather than simply recorded at a fixed, closed point.

research agenda and conceptual framework for the pilot study.

E “I don't know. I wanted to help you but I don't know meaning information literacy in Kurdish”H “ We don't have. In Amharic we don't have...we don't have”

As I develop more sustained research relationships then it is possible that participants will be able to shape the research to a greater extent but I need to consider what it will mean ethically if this does not happen.

ImagesESOL learner © Chris Connell CC-BY-NA https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisconnell/4068993429Me © Alex McLean all rights reservedScreenshot © Jess Elmore CC-BY-NA

AcknowledgementsSupervised by Ms Sheila Webber and Dr Peter StordyFunded by a University of Sheffield Faculty of Social Sciences Scholarship

Managing different selves Hook’s (1998) challenge to consider whether you will “re-inforce and perpetuate domination” if you research a group different to yourself is a challenge that needs to be faced and I recognise the need to interrogate my privilege (MacIntosh, 1998). However I can also see this in terms of managing the multiple selves of me and the participants (Bridges, 2002) “After the recording I talk more about [my son ] breaking his arm. One of the participants is a medical doctor (as well as a mother) and offers me advice and sympathy” (notes from research diary). I am exploring how to manage these different selves openly and honestly with a recognition of the ethical risks of ‘doing rapport’ and ‘faking friendship’ (Duncombe and Jessop, 2002).

Ethics and knowledge creation

The process of analysis was the most ethically challenging part of my pilot research. During the fieldwork I was an invited guest and the power resided with the participants: “A learner catches my eye then turns, smiles and waves at me”. Equally the participants could challenge my interpretations of their stories: “maybe, not so much, not so difficult”. However during the analysis when I came to code comments such as “They tell me everything. I don't go anywhere. My relatives are all I need” I struggled with the feeling of writing participants’ lives for them. For my research to be ethical I feel I need to explore how my research can be opened to the voices of my participants rather than my interpretation of these voices (Mauthner and Doucet, 2003).