Chapter 12
Ethical research considerations in classroom and online spaces
with bilingual students and their teachers
In this chapter I discuss the macro- and
micro-ethical ethical dilemmas I have faced in four past and current
research projects with bilingual students in physical and online
learning spaces. These include obtaining IRB approval, securing
informed consent, ensuring participant confidentiality, addressing
unanticipated ethical issues in the field, and making decisions
about appropriate public uses of the data. I discuss how research in
online learning spaces can introduce new macro- and micro-ethical
issues. To illustrate macro-ethical issues, I will provide two
examples from studies in heritage language programs to demonstrate
challenges related to following IRB protocols. Next, to illustrate
micro-ethical issues, I discuss a series of ethical questions which
arose during a study of newcomer ELL students. Finally, I will
discuss both macro- and micro-ethics issues myself and members of
our larger research team have addressed or continue to grapple with
in a large-scale longitudinal study of ELL and dual language
bilingual education (DLBE) teachers. The chapter concludes by
reaffirming the need for ethical reflexivity and responsible
decision making during all phases of the research process, and
offers suggestions for doing so.
Article outline
- Introduction
- Conceptualizing ethics
- Ethics in practice
- Study of an after school Khmer heritage language
program
- Study of in-school Khmer and Vietnamese heritage language
programs
- Study of newcomer ELL students
- Studies on improving instruction in ELL and DLBE
classrooms
- Teacher’s understandings of selves as grant vs. research
participants
- Classroom observations
- Coaching conversations and coursework as data
- Distance from the participants
- Pandemic shifts and the introduction of new macro- and
micro-ethical issues
- Commentary and reflections
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Acknowledgements
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References
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