This was presented last July 8, 2017 at Central Mindanao University.

1. SENSITIVE EDUCATIONAL
RESEARCH
JULIUS P. CABILLON
Master of Arts in Education
Central Mindanao University
University Town, Musuan, Bukidnon
Presented to Educ 241, Methods of
Research in Education

2. SENSITIVE RESEARCH
• A research that potentially poses
substantial threat to those who are
involved in it(Lee 1993)
• A research viewed as somehow
undesirable(Van Meter 2000)
• Acts as the voice of the weak,
oppressed and focuses on people
who holds high positions.

3. THE IMPORTANCE OF SENSITIVITY
• The researcher has to be sensitive
to the: context, cultures,
participants, consequences of the
research, powerless, powerful, and
people’s agenda.

4. SOURCES OF SENSITIVE RESEARCH
• Consequences for the participants and
others;
• Contents, e.g. taboo, negative or
emotionally charged areas;(Farberow
1963)
• Situational and contextual circumstances;
• Intrusion into private spheres and deep
personal experience;

5. • Potential sanction, risk or threat
of stigmatization, incrimination,
costs or career loss to the
researcher, participants or others,
e.g. groups and communities;
• Impingement on political
alignments;

6. SOURCES OF SENSITIVE RESEARCH
• Penetration of personal defenses;
• Cultural and cross-cultural factors
and inhibitions;
• Fear of scrutiny and exposure;
• Threat to the researcher and to the
family members and associates of
those studied;

7. • Methodologies and conduct
Junior researchers conduct
interview with powerful
people
Women feel comfortable with
female researchers

8. THREE AREAS OF SENSITIVE
RESEARCH (Lee, 1993)
• Intrusive threat (areas which are
‘private, stressful or sacred’);
• Studies of deviance and social
control, (which could reveal
information that could stigmatize or
incriminate);
• Political alignments (ex. rich, powerful
and famous).

9. SAMPLING AND ACCESS
• Difficulties might be possible upon
assessing the size of the population
from which the sample is to be
drawn.
• As members of particular groups,
they may not want to disclose their
associations or expose themselves
to public scrutiny.

10. SAMPLING AND ACCESS
• Access may be a major obstacle.
• Gatekeepers have a powerful
function, in controlling, blocking
or gaining access; what to offer
gatekeepers, or how to get along
with them?

11. STEPS IN GAINING ACCESS
• Approach
• Desire
• Interest
• Sale

12. HOW TO GAIN ACCESS?
• Gaining access to schools and teachers;
• Gaining permission to conduct the
research;
• People vetting which data can be used;
• Finding of willing participants for the
sample;
• Schools/institutions/people do not wish to
divulge information about themselves;

13. •Schools’ fear of criticism/loss of
reputation;
•Institutions want to keep every
information confidential;
•Political factors that impinge on the
school/educational institution;

14. SAMPLING STRATEGIES IN
SENSITIVE RESEARCH (Lee, 1993)
• List sampling
• Multi-purposing
• Screening
• Outcropping
• Servicing
• Professional informants
• Advertising
• Networking

15. ETHICAL ISSUES IN SENSITIVE
RESEARCH
• ‘Guilty knowledge’ and ‘dirty hands’.
• Protection of individuals versus the
public’s right to know.
• Covert or overt research, spying
• Breaching informed consent.
• Whose interests is the researcher
serving?

16. • Whose side is she/he on?
• Are participants safe? Are guarantees of
confidentiality and non-traceability real or
possible?
• What if it is not possible to conceal
identities?
• What if the research yields negative
findings?
• What to do with useful ‘off the record’ data?

17. RESEARCHING POWERFUL
PEOPLE
• How to gain and sustain access;
• How much are the participants might
disclose/withhold;
• What is on and off the record;
• How to prepare for interviews with powerful
people;
• How to probe and challenge powerful people;
• How, and whether to gain informed consent;
• How to balance the interviewer’s and
interviewees’ agendas;

18. ASKING QUESTIONS
• As a general rule, the more sensitive is the
research, the more important it is to conduct
face-to-face interviews for data collection.
• Open questions may be preferable to closed
questions.
• Longer questions may be preferable to
shorter questions.
• Enable respondents to answer in their own
words.
• Use familiar words.
• Use real-life examples.
• Plan how to handle emotive topics.

19. ASKING QUESTIONS
• Consider the characteristics of the
researcher (e.g. sex, ethnicity, race, age,
status, clothing, appearance, rapport,
background, expertise, institutional
affiliation, political affiliation, type of
employment or vocation).
• Females may feel more comfortable being
interviewed by a female;
• Males may feel uncomfortable being
interviewed by a female;
• Powerful people may feel insulted by being
interviewed by a novice research assistant.
• Anticipate difficulties in the interview
and plan how to overcome them.

20. Thank you!!!Thank you!!!