About the lecture

In this lecture, we think about key ethical issues associated with qualitative research, focusing in particular on: (i) four central ethical principles of qualitative research – harm, autonomy, privacy, and reciprocity; (ii) the responsibilities of education researchers outlined by the British Educational Research Association; (iii) some tensions which arise between these principles; (iv) issues associated with power relationships in qualitative research; (v) the complexity of informed consent – can one obtain truly informed consent when the full implications of research will not be clear until the project is completed?

About the lecturer

Professor Liz Atkins is Professor of Vocational Education and Social Justice at the University of Derby. She has a broad expertise within the field of education, specialising particularly in vocational education and working with low-attaining young people, and she has also written widely on methodological issues within education research. Her publications include Education, Skills and Social Justice in a Polarising World (2022, co-author), Research Methods for Social Justice and Equity in Education (2019, co-author), and Qualitative Research in Education (2012, co-author).