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Chapter 8. Ethical research with adult migrant language learners

Challenges and responses
  • James Simpson and Mike Chick
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Ethical Issues in Applied Linguistics Scholarship
This chapter is in the book Ethical Issues in Applied Linguistics Scholarship

Abstract

Applied Linguistics research, teacher-research and scholarship with adult language learners who are migrants holds ethical challenges in relation to social and political contexts that are under-examined in the TESOL/Applied Linguistics literature and in practice. The critical exploration in this chapter addresses this gap. With examples from participatory research-and-practice initiatives in the UK, the chapter advocates a critical participatory approach towards research, one that is oriented towards the promotion of social justice. Such an approach can support the empowerment of participants as they respond to challenging and unethical policy landscapes: through their active participation in research, learners and practitioners may be better equipped with the tools they need for resistance and change. First, the authors describe how language education researchers working with adult migrants have adopted a reflexive, critical and activist orientation towards their work. They then discuss research that relates to practice which is not attendant on top-down policy moves, and which itself might inform a critical, emancipatory orientation towards policy formation. To end, they reflect further on the notion of research that empowers, and the impact this might have on policy and practice.

Abstract

Applied Linguistics research, teacher-research and scholarship with adult language learners who are migrants holds ethical challenges in relation to social and political contexts that are under-examined in the TESOL/Applied Linguistics literature and in practice. The critical exploration in this chapter addresses this gap. With examples from participatory research-and-practice initiatives in the UK, the chapter advocates a critical participatory approach towards research, one that is oriented towards the promotion of social justice. Such an approach can support the empowerment of participants as they respond to challenging and unethical policy landscapes: through their active participation in research, learners and practitioners may be better equipped with the tools they need for resistance and change. First, the authors describe how language education researchers working with adult migrants have adopted a reflexive, critical and activist orientation towards their work. They then discuss research that relates to practice which is not attendant on top-down policy moves, and which itself might inform a critical, emancipatory orientation towards policy formation. To end, they reflect further on the notion of research that empowers, and the impact this might have on policy and practice.

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.7.09sim

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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