Hi Lauren, can you tell us what your PhD project focuses on, and what the main ethical considerations are within your research?

My PhD aims to explore young people’s understandings of the impact of age and other intersecting power inequalities on freedom to consent in relationships, and how such topics are taught about in Relationships and Sex Education (RSE). I am using an ethnographic method, which involves conducting participant-observation in a secondary school, conducting interviews and focus groups with young people and staff at the school, and using some additional creative research activities (e.g. story completion, photo-voice, creative reflection) to enable a more in-depth understanding of the research aims.

The main ethical considerations for this project relate to working with young people (aged 11-16 years) on topics which may be considered ‘sensitive’ – i.e., those around relationships and sexualities. Informed consent is central to all research, but given the focus of my project on freedom to consent, it feels especially pertinent to ensure that the participants feel free to choose how (if at all!) they engage in the research. This has shaped the use of methods that I offer (e.g. more creative research methods for young people to engage in, if they wish) and also the way in which interviews take place (e.g. as individuals or groups) basing these choices around the needs and wants of the participants themselves.

At what point in your PhD journey did you start thinking about ethics, and have you needed to change or reshape your plans as a result of ethical considerations?

I was honestly thinking about ethics from day one! A lot of my reading in the early stages of my PhD revolved around ethics in ethnographic research and conducting research with young people. This was because I not only wanted to ensure I was well prepared to submit my ethics application, but also, so that I was well-placed to conduct ethical and consensual research throughout the course of my PhD.

It is a common misconception in research that ethics only matters when approaching the ethical approval process, when really, we should be considering the ethics of our actions as social researchers at every stage of the research – from designing and planning to writing up and eventually publishing our research. As I’ve had these considerations in mind from an early stage, I’ve not had to make many considerable changes to my plans.

What additional considerations do you need to put in place when working with young people in a school context?

When researching in a school context, I think it’s important to bear in mind that a researchers’ access to a school is often through gatekeepers (e.g. the headteacher or members of senior leadership at the school) who decide whether a research project in their school can go ahead or not. Every context is different, though this approval from senior leadership can lead to (potential) participants feeling compelled to take part in the research in some sense, whether this be adults (teachers/school staff) or young people.

For children and young people, consent for their participation in research must also be gained from their parents/guardians – who have the ultimate decision on whether their child can participate or not, irrespective of the wants of the young person themselves.

Alongside this, there is often an additional power inequality of age in operation between the researcher and the young people they work with. As a result, it’s important that as researchers, we strive to ensure participants (both adults and children and young people) are always aware of their own power and agency in the research process – e.g. their right to not consent to participation irrespective of their parents/guardians consent, their right to withdraw at any time, their right to decide how data related to them is recorded – and that we provide such information in a variety of forms (e.g. verbal, written).

In your experience, why is it so important to have robust ethical procedures in place when carrying out research of this kind?

Having robust ethical procedures is important to ensuring that both research participants and researchers are looked-after in the process of research. It’s about considering the many different possibilities for your research and how you can ensure ethical and consensual practice for all involved even if things do not go to plan - as they so often don’t!

A particular ethical procedure to have in place when conducting research – generally, but particularly with groups who are typically considered ‘vulnerable’, e.g. children and young people – is that of safeguarding and mandatory reporting.

Given the research focuses on topics of sexuality, consent and power, it is possible that safeguarding disclosures could be made to the researcher. As researchers, we not only have a duty to protect participants’ anonymity and confidentiality, but we also have a duty to report disclosed instances of (potential) harm by or towards participants and others.

It’s therefore crucial to have processes in place explaining, in detail, how these instances will be handled, and that this process (and why this process exists) is clear to participants before they give consent to participate, and also throughout the research.

This preparation can help researchers feel confident to enter the field, and reassure participants, their parents/guardians and teachers/school staff, that the wellbeing of participants is of primary importance.

Have there been any resources, training, or sources of support that have helped you to navigate research ethics during your PhD journey so far?

The training I accessed both through the LBU researcher development programme and external training on the use of ethnographic methods and conducting research with young people helped me to consider usual practice and common ethical considerations I would need to make for my own research and prepared me for submitting my ethics application and for conducting the research more broadly.

When conducting research within an institution (e.g. a school, college, workplace, etc.) I have found it most helpful to consult members of the institution themselves (e.g. gatekeepers) to get a sense of usual practice in their school, to base your research design around the context itself.

Although reading previous research – particularly looking at PhD or Masters’ theses which often go into detail as to their exact ethical processes - is beneficial, the viability and suitability of your own ethical processes (e.g. around seeking informed consent) to the research context can only be known from engagement with this context and the individuals within it.

Connecting with colleagues who have used similar methods and worked in similar contexts has provided me with great insight into conducting this research and hearing their experience and having their support has proved invaluable. Working as a research assistant with colleagues on the collaborative project between Leeds Beckett and Barnardo’s especially helped me get to grips with the inner workings of co-research with young people in a school context, prior to embarking on my own research.

Reflecting on your research journey at LBU, from starting as an undergraduate student to now, what key advice would you give to new PhD students about approaching ethics in psychology research?

I’d say that it’s never too early, or late, to be considering ethics in your research. The ethics of your research should be considered throughout. Even if you feel that your research is ‘low risk’, (e.g. working with ‘non-vulnerable’ participants) there are always considerations to be made, for example, the way in which your participants will be represented in outputs from the research and the potential implications of this.

The word ‘ethics’ can feel daunting in and of itself, but really, it’s about considering how your research might play out and the ways in which you, as the researcher, can ensure you are acting in a consensual and ethical manner for your participants who are placing trust in you and granting you access to parts of their daily lives.

LBU colleagues and students can find more information guidance and templates around research ethics on our Research and Enterprise staff website; and Student Information website.

LBU Research Voices is a blog series to celebrate the experiences, journeys, and expertise of our LBU research community. Through this series, we’re exploring the knowledge our researchers have gained - not just from their work, but from their lived experiences, career paths, and the communities they engage with. By sharing their stories, we hope to inspire learning, reflection, and connection across our LBU research culture.