Collaborative and Ethical Research Methods

In the course of their research, many PhD scholars work with a range of individuals and communities who bring their own complicated, nuanced relationships with institutions, academic and otherwise, to the exchange. In previous Aurora Learning series, participants have expressed a need for training focused on ethical and collaborative interview and research methods that focuses on the specifics of data collection and ongoing, participant informed consent.

By the end of this two-day course, participants will have considered:

• How to develop positive and productive relationships with intermediaries who may act as ‘gatekeepers’ between researchers and research communities.
• How to set up, conduct and evaluate participant interviews and projects in a manner that is ethical, trauma aware and consent based.
• How to adopt, monitor and adapt an ongoing practice of ‘informed consent’ throughout the research process and up to publication.
• How to acknowledge, evaluate and contend with practical limitations in research (language barriers, unknown interpreters, cultural challenges etc.).

This training will be delivered by Dr Jade Lee, Director of Aurora Learning, drawing on her academic background as well as extensive work with vulnerable and/or marginalised communities.

The second session will be co-delivered by Dr Harriet Barratt, researcher in Medical Humanities and formerly a Senior Research Associate at York St. John. Dr Barratt lead a two-year research and evaluation project for the ‘Converge’ programme at York St John University and Northumbria University which connected people with experience of mental ill health to free arts education.

This training is open to all Techne students who think they will find it helpful but, is particularly targeted at early (first or second year) PhD students whose practice-based research focuses specifically on gathering material (whether interviews, life stories or narrative/art-based work) from a participant group.