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Chapter 7. The zero-sum game of beneficence

Conducting ethical critical inquiries in K-12 schools
  • Sara Kangas
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Ethical Issues in Applied Linguistics Scholarship
This chapter is in the book Ethical Issues in Applied Linguistics Scholarship

Abstract

Critical research by nature is emancipatory, seeking to disrupt existing structures of systems, such as those in K-12 schools, that privilege particular groups while disenfranchising others. With such critical frameworks in research studies, however, competing interests among participants can emerge, exacerbating broader issues of privilege and oppression. Yet, applied linguists in the earliest years of their doctoral studies and careers are left ill-equipped to manage such conflicts and the ethical dilemmas they present. This chapter aims to lessen this oversight in training in two ways. First, the chapter draws upon the experiences that one critical applied linguist encountered in her research in schools. The researcher discovered that attempting to safeguard the well-being of all participants in a study is an untenable endeavor, especially when participants have disparate interests that contend with one another. Drawing upon illustrative examples from her research on multilingual learners with disabilities, the chapter lays bare the ethical dilemmas often present in critical inquiries and yet that do not surface in typical empirical publications. Second, the chapter offers recommendations for doctoral students and early-career applied linguists to consider as they conduct critical studies in schools with minoritized student groups.

Abstract

Critical research by nature is emancipatory, seeking to disrupt existing structures of systems, such as those in K-12 schools, that privilege particular groups while disenfranchising others. With such critical frameworks in research studies, however, competing interests among participants can emerge, exacerbating broader issues of privilege and oppression. Yet, applied linguists in the earliest years of their doctoral studies and careers are left ill-equipped to manage such conflicts and the ethical dilemmas they present. This chapter aims to lessen this oversight in training in two ways. First, the chapter draws upon the experiences that one critical applied linguist encountered in her research in schools. The researcher discovered that attempting to safeguard the well-being of all participants in a study is an untenable endeavor, especially when participants have disparate interests that contend with one another. Drawing upon illustrative examples from her research on multilingual learners with disabilities, the chapter lays bare the ethical dilemmas often present in critical inquiries and yet that do not surface in typical empirical publications. Second, the chapter offers recommendations for doctoral students and early-career applied linguists to consider as they conduct critical studies in schools with minoritized student groups.

Chapters in this book

  1. 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Foreword ix
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Section I. Methodological approaches
  6. Chapter 1. A taxonomy of questionable research practices in quantitative humanities 10
  7. Chapter 2. Corpus linguistics and ethics 28
  8. Chapter 3. Ethical issues in educational action research 45
  9. Chapter 4. Doing research in culturally and linguistically diverse K-12 classrooms 59
  10. Chapter 5. Ethical considerations for research involving computer-assisted language learning, social media, and online environments 72
  11. Chapter 6. Transcription as ethics 87
  12. Commentary on Section I 110
  13. Section II. Specific populations and research contexts
  14. Chapter 7. The zero-sum game of beneficence 122
  15. Chapter 8. Ethical research with adult migrant language learners 136
  16. Chapter 9. Ethics in heritage language education 155
  17. Chapter 10. The ethics of indigenous language revitalization 172
  18. Chapter 11. “Where you from, who’s your Mob?” 192
  19. Commentary on Section II 210
  20. Section III. Pedagogy and policy
  21. Chapter 12. Ethical research considerations in classroom and online spaces with bilingual students and their teachers 218
  22. Chapter 13. Ethical issues in language testing 235
  23. Chapter 14. Navigating ethical challenges in L2 writing in transnational higher education 249
  24. Chapter 15. Challenges of justice and equity for ethical English as an additional language in school education 266
  25. Commentary on Section III 285
  26. Section IV. Personal and interactive aspects of research and scholarship
  27. Chapter 16. Managing publication expectations and collaborations 296
  28. Chapter 17. Ethical dilemmas of graduate students negotiating new roles and responsibilities 310
  29. Chapter 18. Research ethics and decisions 328
  30. Chapter 19. The ethical gray area 341
  31. Commentary on Section IV 355
  32. Afterword 364
  33. 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 371
https://doi.org/10.1075/rmal.7.08kan

Chapters in this book

  1. 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Foreword ix
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Section I. Methodological approaches
  6. Chapter 1. A taxonomy of questionable research practices in quantitative humanities 10
  7. Chapter 2. Corpus linguistics and ethics 28
  8. Chapter 3. Ethical issues in educational action research 45
  9. Chapter 4. Doing research in culturally and linguistically diverse K-12 classrooms 59
  10. Chapter 5. Ethical considerations for research involving computer-assisted language learning, social media, and online environments 72
  11. Chapter 6. Transcription as ethics 87
  12. Commentary on Section I 110
  13. Section II. Specific populations and research contexts
  14. Chapter 7. The zero-sum game of beneficence 122
  15. Chapter 8. Ethical research with adult migrant language learners 136
  16. Chapter 9. Ethics in heritage language education 155
  17. Chapter 10. The ethics of indigenous language revitalization 172
  18. Chapter 11. “Where you from, who’s your Mob?” 192
  19. Commentary on Section II 210
  20. Section III. Pedagogy and policy
  21. Chapter 12. Ethical research considerations in classroom and online spaces with bilingual students and their teachers 218
  22. Chapter 13. Ethical issues in language testing 235
  23. Chapter 14. Navigating ethical challenges in L2 writing in transnational higher education 249
  24. Chapter 15. Challenges of justice and equity for ethical English as an additional language in school education 266
  25. Commentary on Section III 285
  26. Section IV. Personal and interactive aspects of research and scholarship
  27. Chapter 16. Managing publication expectations and collaborations 296
  28. Chapter 17. Ethical dilemmas of graduate students negotiating new roles and responsibilities 310
  29. Chapter 18. Research ethics and decisions 328
  30. Chapter 19. The ethical gray area 341
  31. Commentary on Section IV 355
  32. Afterword 364
  33. 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 371
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