Essay on Research notes

Submitted By lukeyh78
Words: 2014
Pages: 9

Research notes

“...Before undertaking any kind of research, the researcher should consult someone who is independent of the research and competent to identify both any potential risks to participants and also whether these have been adequately taken into account in the research design” ( Bond 2004 pg5).
Therefore the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) follow the ‘Ethical Framework for Good Practice’ to give the researcher guidelines on the ethics that should be practiced.
It has been highlighted that any person who is taking part in research has the right to Confidentiality and Anonymity (BACP 2004 pg 2). It is important to be confidential within the role of researcher because it is very likely that participants will be less likely to open up and discuss sensitive information if they think their information may be passed onto other people. The researcher from the outset should explain to the participants what is meant by confidentiality and how the participants identity will be protected.
It has been examined that when working with challenging young people, then one of the main areas where confidentiality could be broken is if a young person discloses anything that could put the young person in any risk of harm. This is a typical example of where confidentiality must be broken and research stopped until the young person’s safety is secure. When conducting research with young people the safeguarding of that person is paramount and is defined as “...protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s health or development; ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care and undertaking that role so as to enable those children to have optimum life chances and to enter adulthood successfully” (Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2006 pg34-35). It has been explored by the writer that he has responsibilities when conducting research especially with young people and can be defined as, protecting the young people from undue harm, ensure that the participant in the research process is voluntary and that he has made all the participants aware of their entitlement to refuse or withdraw from the research at any time.
When conducting research around young people, it has been highlighted that one of the most important key areas of concern is consent. When conducting research with adults, it is a lot easier and normally done with the use of a consent form or can even be a verbal consent, however when under the age of 16, they themselves cannot legally give consent and consent must be from a parent or guardian. The young person’s taking part in the research however must fully understand the research and that the participant also gives their permission to be a part of it, this is known as informed consent.

Case studies are a close study of an individual, group or event. Sigmund Freud ( 1856 -1939)was famous for conducting detailed investigations into the private lives of his patients to get a better understanding of them to help them overcome their barriers. This can be evidenced in his case study of ‘Little Hans’ (1909). Mcleod (2002) believes that case studies are good for developing a wider understanding of his participants and discovering more about the different types of outcomes that were gained from his participants. The writer suggests that this method would be useful if he wanted his research to provide high qualitative amount of data due to it being more personal to the individual or group.
Interviews can be structured where there are a predetermined set of questions that are put to each participate in the same way. And this would be a good way of collecting quantative data, these are usually used when conducting interviews for a job for example. There is also unstructured, where the conversation is less formal and the participant is able to raise anything that they feel relevant to the researcher’s