Dealing with controversial findings

Appleby, RJ

Dealing with controversial findings

Appleby, RJ

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Publisher:: Routledge
Publication Type:: Chapter
Citation:: Doing Research in Applied Linguistics Realities, dilemmas, and solutions, 2017, pp. 203 - 213 (10)
Issue Date:: 2017

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Appleby, RJ https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4491-347X	en_US
dc.contributor.editor	McKinley, J	en_US
dc.contributor.editor	Rose, H	en_US
dc.date.issued	2017	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Doing Research in Applied Linguistics Realities, dilemmas, and solutions, 2017, pp. 203 - 213 (10)	en_US
dc.identifier.isbn	1315389584	en_US
dc.identifier.isbn	9781315389585	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/84759
dc.description.abstract	Qualitative studies in applied linguistics often rely on interviews as key research tools designed to generate data that illuminate participants’ views, opinions, and experiences. As such, interviews are frequently a central feature of ethnographies, case studies, action research and narrative inquiries (Talmy & Richards 2011). However, some opinions and behaviours reported by participants in interviews, or recorded in observational field notes may be quite confronting or unpalatable in that they transgress the views of the researcher or may potentially offend a wider audience who may eventually read the research findings. This is especially true of much sociolinguistic research, which traverses topics such as nationality, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, identity, language beliefs, attitudes and learner behaviours. For example, participants’ views or behaviours may be perceived by the researcher as racist or sexist, they may reveal interviewees’ involvement in questionable or illegal activities, or they may pertain to issues and experiences that are deeply personal, intimate, emotionally charged, or taboo. Research of this sort is often referred to as ‘sensitive’ and requires careful negotiation by the researcher (Cohen, Manion & Morrison 2013). In this chapter, I discuss my own experiences of dealing with controversial findings in an extended research project that led to multiple publications and I draw out some general points that are intended to guide other researchers when negotiating similarly sensitive topics	en_US
dc.publisher	Routledge	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Doing Research in Applied Linguistics Realities, dilemmas, and solutions	en_US
dc.title	Dealing with controversial findings	en_US
dc.type	Chapter
utslib.location	UK	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/e-Press
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.consider-herdc	false	en_US
pubs.place-of-publication	UK	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US

Abstract:

Qualitative studies in applied linguistics often rely on interviews as key research tools designed to generate data that illuminate participants’ views, opinions, and experiences. As such, interviews are frequently a central feature of ethnographies, case studies, action research and narrative inquiries (Talmy & Richards 2011). However, some opinions and behaviours reported by participants in interviews, or recorded in observational field notes may be quite confronting or unpalatable in that they transgress the views of the researcher or may potentially offend a wider audience who may eventually read the research findings. This is especially true of much sociolinguistic research, which traverses topics such as nationality, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, identity, language beliefs, attitudes and learner behaviours. For example, participants’ views or behaviours may be perceived by the researcher as racist or sexist, they may reveal interviewees’ involvement in questionable or illegal activities, or they may pertain to issues and experiences that are deeply personal, intimate, emotionally charged, or taboo. Research of this sort is often referred to as ‘sensitive’ and requires careful negotiation by the researcher (Cohen, Manion & Morrison 2013). In this chapter, I discuss my own experiences of dealing with controversial findings in an extended research project that led to multiple publications and I draw out some general points that are intended to guide other researchers when negotiating similarly sensitive topics

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/84759