Ethical Action Plan: The forms below show the developing process of my Ethical Action Plan.

Notes on Process:

By reading the texts below, I gained an understanding of the risks involved for both the participants and for myself as Project Lead. Voice, as a subject matter for a workshop, often raises ideas relating to identity and representation. I included this within my first form and sent it to my tutor for feedback.

• Kara, H 2015, Creative Research Methods in the Social Sciences : A Practical Guide, Policy Press, Bristol. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [18 September 2023].
• British Educational Research Association [BERA] (2018), Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research, fourth edition, London. https://www.bera.ac.uk/researchers-resources/publications/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-2018
• Banks, S. Ethics and Social Welfare, 10 (1) 2016, pp. 35-52
• University of Sheffield, Specialist Research Ethics Guidance Paper on ‘Emotionally Demanding Research: Risks to the Researcher’: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.834056!/file/SREGPEmotionallyDemandingResearch.pdf
• UAL Code of Practice for Educational Ethics 2022.

Notes on feedback:

The feedback I received from my tutor was in the form of comments attached to segments of the first version of the form, I applied all the changes suggested in the final version of the form at the bottom of this page, and I have pasted just the feedback comments below:

Liz Bunting

Ingrid, this is a thoughtful first draft where you are sensitively considering the ethical dimensions of your research. There are a few details which need adding, largely around participants and what you are asking them to do. I also suggest a little more consideration around emotions that may surface in the choir workshops. Please see detailed feedback below.

Liz Bunting

It would be useful to articulate your wider aim and positionality in this section too.

Liz Bunting

Please add a little more detail on your participants and selection. Roughly how many staff and students you are hoping to be participate? Is there any criteria for selection of participants? Which staff will you approach, and how will you do so?

Liz Bunting

Will staff and students be a part of the same choir workshops?

Liz Bunting

I would include here how you intend to document e.g. photographs, audio recordings, written researcher notes

Liz Bunting

It would be good to understand a little more about the outcome and its nature as part of the research. Is this participatory action research whereby the participants are co-researchers? If you could add more detail on what will happen in the choir workshops (e.g. a rough plan) that would be wonderful.

Liz Bunting

Remember that staff will need to give their consent too if they are taking part in the research.

Liz Bunting

It would be useful to include this in section 3

Liz Bunting

I would suggest including this in your online consent form too

Liz Bunting

You mentioned in your email that you could be emailing information to participants in advance of the first workshop, which would be good to include here.

Liz Bunting

How will you approach this in the moment? You might be interested in this resource by University of St Andrews on managing distress to consider the emotional dimension of your research. The use of a distress protocol for example may be helpful (you may not need to use it, but it’s handy to have something in place just in case) https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/research/integrity-ethics/humans/ethical-guidance/distress-/

Liz Bunting

You have sensitively considered potential risks. The use of self pacing and choice are positive approaches to minimise risk through research design. Whilst your project doesn’t directly focus on trauma, it is possible that trauma may be surfaced in participants e.g. around identity and feeling heard as you highlight earlier, or about being marginalised. As per my previous comment, I feel it would be worth thinking a little more about this risk in relation to others and yourself. I encourage having a look at the above resource

Liz Bunting

Yes of course, this is a good idea. Let’s get these debriefs scheduled in soon.

Final version below with changes applied in response to feedback:

In this final version I have responded to feedback from my tutors by including more information on how I will deal with emotions surfacing during the workshop, the activities that will be part of the workshop, clarity around participants being both students and staff. I read the text suggested by my tutor and included more information on how I would deal with any distressing aspects of leading the workshops, and put a crisis plan in place. I added all the minor changes suggested as well.