Programas de cálculo.

If social research is to remain of benefit to society and the groups and individuals within it, then social researchers must conduct their work responsibly and in light of the moral and legal order of the society in which they practice. They have a responsibility to maintain high scientific standards in the methods employed in the collection and analysis of data and the impartial assessment and dissemination of findings (Mertens and Ginsberg, 2009, p.13).

As Mertens and Ginsberg (2009) state, prime importance needs to be given to ethical issues. Denscombe (2010) regards research ethics as an ‘over-riding concern’ when it comes to the choice of strategy’ (p.7) whilst Thomas (2011) states that ethics are principles of conduct about what is right and wrong. Thomas (2011)

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continues by arguing that ethics is a ‘specialised’ and ‘increasingly important topic’ and all universities have detailed procedures for ensuring that ethical considerations are taken by researchers (p.71).

The researcher needs to ensure that the participants concerned are in ‘no harm’. For social research, the researcher also needs to guarantee that the participants remain anonymous, data will be treated as confidential, participants understand the nature of the research and their involvement and participants voluntarily consent to being involved (Denscombe, 2010, p.7). Furthermore researchers should act ‘professionally and with integrity’ (Denscombe, 2010, p.7) This concept is also explored in the document ‘Research Ethics: General Principles and Statements’ by the University of Sheffield (2015) which explains that the ‘paramount principle governing all University of Sheffield research involving human participants’ is ‘respect for the participants’ welfare, dignity and rights’ (p.1). Keeping these in mind Thomas (2011) proposed a list of reflective questions which I asked myself and which guided me in my research;

 Who is the research benefiting?

 Do you have the right to take up people’s time and energy?

 Is there any possible discomfort that participants will have to experience?

 Are you invading participants’ privacy?

 Are you diminishing or compromising your participants’ standing, of whatever kind, in their communities? (p.69).

Clough and Nutbrown (2008) argue that ‘all research must be interrogated for the means by which it ‘protects’ the interests of the participants. Researchers make their own decisions about how their subjects’ ‘confidences’ are protected in the reporting of the research’ (p.96). For this reason, since the participants are seven and eight year old children, consent was gained from their parents and the children themselves. Consent in this context can be described as an agreement given by the participants who in turn agree to take part in a study (Thomas, 2011).

Ethical approval from the University of Sheffield was obtained prior to the start of data collection and a copy of the document received is attached in Appendix D.

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After gaining approval from the University of Sheffield, at the beginning of the academic year oral informed consent was obtained from the head of school and the assistant heads. The parents of the students who were in Grade 3 during the time of data collection were also informed about the research. At the beginning of each scholastic year the head of school organises a parental meeting and during this meeting all parents were given a copy of the consent form and a covering letter. The parents were asked to take the documents home and once signed their children returned them to school.

The covering letter informed the parents that the research is about the impact of digital technology on children’s reading and writing of text. The covering letter also explained that as part of my research I would be conducting a number of classroom observations and short interviews with a selected number of students who were in their third grade. It was made clear to all parents that throughout the writing of the thesis all the names of the children would be anonymised. The parents were also informed that the chosen students would be recorded during the interview and the audio recordings of the interviews would be used only for analysis and for the purpose of the thesis.

During the first parental meeting parents were given the opportunity to ask me questions if they wanted and they were also told that all the information collected would be treated as confidential. Attached to the covering letter the parents were given a consent form through which they were asked to tick, sign and confirm that they have read the covering letter and agree with its content. The consent form was also signed by the head of school. All parents in both classes gave their consent and some also signed the documents and gave them to me during the parental meeting itself. The students themselves were asked for their consent. Since the children who participated are quite young they were presented with a booklet instead of a formal letter. A copy of the booklet is presented in Figure 3.9.

Figure 3.9 shows that the inside of the booklet is divided in two main parts. On the left hand side of the booklet the students were presented with a letter which briefly explains the purpose of the research. The letter was written in very simple English so all the children, including the international students, could relate to it

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and understand its content. On the right hand side the students were asked three simple questions and to circle the correct figure to indicate their response. In this way all the students were asked whether they found any objections in taking part in the research and whether they agreed to being recorded at any time during the process. The students were also told that they could withdraw from the study at any point in time. In addition, I gave the students the option to tell me, their class teacher or their parents if they did not want to participate or wanted to withdraw from the study. I thought that being able to withdraw by telling their parents would help as children might feel more confident opening up to a parent rather than their teacher. This was done in order to ensure that there were not any power imbalances between me as a researcher and the children.

The adult participants who took part in this research were presented with a covering letter and a consent form to sign. The covering letter gave brief information about my research and invited the teachers to take part in the research. The teachers were told that if they agreed to contribute to the research they would be interviewed and this would be recorded for transcribing purposes. The letter explained that they could withdraw from the study at any point without providing any reasons. This was presented in writing and face-to-face. Teachers were also invited to ask questions and express any concerns.

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Attached to the covering letter was a consent form through which the teachers were invited to tick in agreement and then sign. Through the ticking of the boxes the teachers confirmed that they have read and understood the letter provided, agreed to taking part in the research project, understood that their participation is voluntary and that if they felt the need to complain they should do this in the first instance by contacting me or my tutor. The contact details of my tutor were also presented in the consent form. The participating teachers understood that any identifying information would be anonymised before analysis and that the recorded data were securely stored and deleted after its purpose.