Ethics in Qualitative Research: Controversies and Contexts

Martyn Hammersley, Anna Traianou

SAGE Publications, Jun 6, 2012 - Social Science - 175 pages

Ethics in Qualitative Research explores this field and presents a distinctive perspective; one that is at odds with the assumptions underpinning ethical regulation, but also with the views of many qualitative researchers today. Martyn Hammersley and Anna Traianou emphasize the difficult and controversial character of ethical issues, and examine the philosophical assumptions involved, the social contexts in which key ethical principles arise, and their implications for research practice. The authors argue that the starting point for any discussion of research ethics must be the values intrinsic to research, above all the commitment to knowledge-production.

About the author

Martyn Hammersley is an emeritus professor of educational and social research at The Open University, UK. He has carried out research in the sociology of education and the sociology of the media. However, much of his work has been concerned with the methodological issues surrounding social enquiry. He has written several books including (with Paul Atkinson) Ethnography: Principles in Practice (fourth edition, Routledge, 2019), The Dilemma of Qualitative Method (Routledge, 1989), The Politics of Social Research (SAGE, 1995), Reading Ethnographic Research (second edition, Longman, 1997), Taking Sides in Social Research (Routledge, 2000), Educational Research, Policymaking and Practice, (London, Paul Chapman/SAGE, 2002), Questioning Qualitative Inquiry (SAGE, 2008), Methodology Who Needs It? (SAGE, 2011), The Myth of Research-Based Policy and Practice (SAGE, 2013), The Limits of Social Science (SAGE, 2014), and The Concept of Culture (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019). Website: http://martynhammersley.wordpress.com/ Anna Traianou is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Educational Studies, Goldsmiths, University of London. She has carried out research into the nature of teacher expertise, and, in particular, the ways in which knowledge and learning are implicated in educational practice. This resulted in her book, Understanding Teacher Expertise in Primary Science: A Sociocultural Approach (SENSEpublishers, 2006). Anna has also worked on the relationship between research evidence and practical wisdom, exploring some of the problems facing any notion that effective teaching can simply be an application of the results of scientific research. She has a particular interest in qualitative research methodology and theories of science.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Ethics in Qualitative Research: Controversies and Contexts
• Authors: Martyn Hammersley, Anna Traianou
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, 2012
• ISBN: 0857021400, 9780857021403
• Length: 175 pages
• Subjects: Reference / Research; Social Science / Methodology; Social Science / Research