Research integrity and quality

Adults

It is important to ensure the integrity and quality of research from participants’ perspectives, and from the point of view of all members of a research team.

You should ask yourself:

1. Are the research questions worth asking and are they all essential?

2. What new insights will your research lead to?

3. How thorough is your review of literature?

4. Have you consulted with relevant adult stakeholders about your research topic to gain their perspectives on your idea?

5. Is the research independent – are there any potential conflicts of interest, and have these been made explicit?

6. What steps have been taken to ensure all phases of the research process are conducted with integrity and transparency?

7. What value does the study have for research, practice and policy, and does its design justify the time and funds invested in the study?

8. Have different stakeholders been invited to offer advice on the design of the study?

9. Are lines of responsibility and accountability clearly defined in the research team?

Children

Children’s perspectives regarding the integrity and quality of research may be expressed through their behaviours during a study as well as in words. It is important for research integrity and quality to be vigilant towards how the research may be affecting children during the research process, and the potential outcomes for children once a study is complete.

You should ask yourself:

1. Does the phrasing of your topic and research questions position children as competent and agentive? For example, does the wording of your question(s) assume that children are vulnerable/strong, empowered/disempowered, subjects/objects, beings/becomings, marginalised/central and does this positioning reflect the values enshrined in your work?

2. Are the research questions worth asking and will children benefit from the study?

3. Have you consulted with children about your research topic to gain their perspectives on your idea (see Dialogue and reciprocity)? This may not always be possible, but talking with young children about your research aims, in ways that have meaning for them and at an early stage in your plans, can lead to very interesting new questions or rephrasing.

4. Who will be with you when you are researching with children? It is always advisable to have another adult present (eg fellow researcher, parent, carer, educator) so you are not on your own with children.

Homes

In situations where research in home environments involves engaging with diversity (in parenting or child-rearing styles, in children’s experiences, in educational provisions and programs) and confronting situations that are not within researcher’s personal values, researchers must respect this diversity and engage in research dynamics that are non-judgmental about different life-styles, cultural systems and social circumstances.

Research and data collection in homes may involve witnessing situations in which children are put at risk or potential harm. Researchers must be aware of the legal mandates that may regulate these circumstances and how they interconnect with (or even override) other ethical principles.

For research projects with a higher probability of encountering these situations (ie because of the topics that are explored or because the work takes place with ‘at risk’ populations), researchers and research teams should agree upon provisional protocols and actions before engaging in the research process.

Educational and community settings

To ensure the integrity and quality of research in formal and informal education settings, researchers must ensure that relevant permissions and approvals for a study have been granted from all research sites, as well as from the research institution where the research is based.

Research and data collection in educational institutions and the wider community (schools, nurseries, museums and libraries) may involve witnessing situations in which adult misconduct is observed or reported. Researchers must be aware of the legal mandates that may regulate these circumstances and how they interconnect with (or even override) other ethical principles.

You should ask yourself:

1. Is the research respectful of local practices, beliefs and value systems?

2. Does the research respect the rights and dignity of individual participants and groups or communities?

3. If researchers witness inappropriate conduct that puts children’s safety at risk, then have provisional protocols and actions been planned for individual researchers, and agreed in research teams before engaging in the research process?

4. Are support mechanisms in place for researchers in the research site (for example, if a researcher has concerns that do not amount to direct harm for children, are plans in place regarding who such matters might be discussed with in the research site)?

Virtual or online

Online research with children is a comparatively recent field of enquiry, so particular care is needed when designing, conducting and reflecting on research in online or virtual environments.

Researchers must get to know the social and communicative practices of online communities before analysing individual children’s or groups of children’s online conduct.

You should ask yourself:

1. Are adult and child participants aware of my online presence as a researcher in this community? (Some researchers use agreed markers, such as a question mark or flag, to remind users of their research presence).

2. Have boundaries for my participation in online communities been discussed and agreed with participants?

3. What protocols have been agreed if inappropriate conduct is witnessed during the course of research? For example, if children reveal personal details about their lives or locations during online research interaction, it may be appropriate for researchers to draw any indiscretions to children’s attention, or if there is a risk that a child might have disclosed information that could put them in danger, to inform a responsible adult or report to a relevant authority.