Identify one ethical issue you would need to consider when investigating attitudes towards arranged marriage and explain how you would deal with this issue in your investigation.
AQA
GCSE
2019
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A-Level Essay Outline: Investigating Attitudes Towards Arranged Marriage
1. Introduction
Briefly introduce the topic of arranged marriages, highlighting their prevalence in certain cultures and the contrasting perspectives they often elicit. State your essay's aim, which is to explore the ethical considerations of investigating attitudes towards arranged marriages.
2. Ethical Considerations in Social Research
Discuss the importance of ethical considerations in social research, emphasizing the potential for harm if ethical guidelines are not followed. Briefly introduce key ethical principles including:
- Anonymity: Protecting participants' identities.
- Confidentiality: Protecting sensitive information shared by participants.
- Informed Consent: Ensuring participants understand the research and voluntarily participate.
- Avoidance of Harm: Protecting participants from any potential psychological, social, or other forms of harm.
3. Key Ethical Issue: Potential for Harm
Focus on the ethical issue of 'avoidance of harm' as particularly relevant to this investigation. Explain how discussing arranged marriages could potentially:
- Cause distress or trigger past trauma for individuals who have had negative experiences with arranged marriages.
- Inadvertently reinforce cultural stereotypes or biases.
- Contribute to the stigmatization of individuals within arranged marriages.
4. Addressing Potential Harm in the Investigation
Detail the specific steps you would take to mitigate the potential for harm:
- Careful Wording of Questions: Use neutral and sensitive language, avoiding leading questions or assumptions about arranged marriages.
- Providing Resources: Offer information on support services related to domestic violence, forced marriage, and mental health to participants. This is crucial even if such issues don't directly arise during the research.
- Debriefing: After data collection, offer participants the opportunity to discuss any concerns or feelings that may have arisen during the research process.
- Data Anonymization and Confidentiality: Ensure data is anonymized and stored securely, preventing identification of individual participants and their responses.
5. Other Ethical Considerations
Briefly address how you would maintain other ethical principles:
- Informed Consent: Explain the purpose of the research to participants, clearly outlining their rights (e.g., right to withdraw) and how their data will be used.
- Anonymity and Confidentiality: Explain how anonymity and confidentiality will be maintained throughout the research process, including data storage and reporting.
6. Conclusion
Summarise the importance of ethical considerations when investigating sensitive topics. Reiterate that by addressing potential harm and adhering to ethical guidelines, the research can be conducted ethically and responsibly, yielding valuable insights into attitudes towards arranged marriage.
Ethical Considerations in Investigating Attitudes Towards Arranged Marriage
Investigating sensitive topics such as attitudes towards arranged marriage necessitates careful consideration of ethical principles to ensure the well-being and rights of participants. One significant ethical issue in this context is confidentiality. This essay will delve into the importance of confidentiality and outline strategies to uphold this principle throughout the research process.
Understanding Confidentiality in Research
Confidentiality pertains to the researcher's obligation to safeguard the personal information shared by participants during the study. In the context of arranged marriage, individuals might reveal sensitive details about their family dynamics, cultural beliefs, or personal experiences. Breaching confidentiality could expose participants to potential harm, stigma, or negative consequences within their families or communities.
Strategies to Ensure Confidentiality
To uphold confidentiality, several measures should be implemented:
- Anonymity: Ensure participants' identities remain unknown by using pseudonyms or codes instead of real names in all data collection and reporting.
- Secure Data Storage: Store all collected data, including interview transcripts, questionnaires, and audio recordings, in password-protected files accessible only to authorized researchers.
- Data Aggregation: When presenting findings, avoid reporting data in a way that could potentially identify individual participants. Instead, present aggregate data or use broad demographic categories.
- Confidentiality Agreements: Have all participants sign informed consent forms that explicitly state the confidential nature of their participation and the measures taken to protect their identities.
Addressing Potential Challenges
Maintaining confidentiality might pose challenges, especially when dealing with small or interconnected communities where anonymity is difficult to guarantee. In such cases:
- Transparency: Openly acknowledge the limitations of confidentiality with participants during the informed consent process.
- Focus on Aggregate Trends: Emphasize the study's focus on broader societal trends rather than individual opinions, minimizing the risk of identification.
Conclusion
Upholding confidentiality is crucial in research exploring attitudes towards arranged marriage. By implementing robust measures to protect participants' identities and sensitive information, researchers can create a safe and ethical space for individuals to share their perspectives. This ensures the integrity of the research while safeguarding the well-being of those who contribute to its findings.
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Ethical Considerations for Research on Attitudes Towards Arranged Marriage
Anonymity. Ensuring names are not revealed in your report or in the data collection process as related to the issue under investigation (attitudes towards arranged marriage).
Confidentiality. Keeping secure any personal details exchanged between you and the respondent as related to the issue under investigation (attitudes towards arranged marriage).
Informed consent. Making sure that your respondents know what you are doing and agree to participate as related to the issue under investigation (attitudes towards arranged marriage).
Avoidance of harm. Ensuring no harm comes to anyone involved as related to the issue under investigation (attitudes towards arranged marriage).