My research was complicated and its findings influenced by the strict ethical standards to which I had to adhere. While I was still in the process of seeking ethical approval from the university’s Human Research Ethics Committee, I was not allowed to begin my participant observations or to even take simple notes during classes which I meant to use for my research. By the time I received their approval, there was only one last session left of every class. To gain more data, I had to go back and examine the notes I had taken during the classes for the classes, trying to remember the context in which the information was conveyed and the methods used by the lecturers and tutors. Thus, interesting details might be missing and impressions of earlier class sessions might be influenced and altered by the increased experience I had made by the end of the semester.

The standards of the Ethics Commission also included the requirement that would need to inform every single participant in detail and receive written approval from them even if it was just a student which I observed as part of the class and then mentioned anonymously in my data. As this procedure was impossible due to students’ weekly changing presence in class and the short time left before the end of the semester, I had to drastically limit my participant observations to the lecturers and tutors. Thus, I do not have any observational data regarding the actual extent of the students’ active engagement in the class which is repeatedly described  by L3.

Furthermore, the strict anonymisation of the participants led to a disembodiment and dislocation of their knowledge and information. This is particularly unfortunate as knowledge in Aboriginal cultures is seen as something which is strongly connected to place and to the knower. Originally, I planned to, with their permission, include photos, videos and audio recordings of participants on the blogs. Even discussing this idea with them, however, was made impossible through the regulations of the Ethics Committee. Thus, the blog became far less culturally appropriate and visual-learner friendly than planned.

For more information on the ethical requirements of this research, please click here.

Reflection on my position in the field
I entered the field as an outsider in two respects… read more.