Uncovering ethical concerns through reflexivity—ethics in practice in fieldwork

Abstract

ABSTRACT Reflexivity is a practice through which researchers engage themselves fully in their studies. It opens up different aspects of research that can shed light on important accounts that may otherwise be dismissed. It was through reflexivity that I observed ethical concerns emerge during my fieldwork in Korea. Despite academic ethics being discussed frequently, ‘ethics in practice’ has received limited attention. Such ethics highlight the ethical dilemmas that researchers confront, which are often dismissed in procedural ethics. Ethics in practice are thus tied to researchers’ morals – the ongoing internal debate about whether something is right or wrong. Procedural ethics do not necessarily prepare researchers for unforeseen situations in fieldwork. In this paper, I examine the following two points related to ethics in practice based on my fieldwork in Korea: (1) the interviewing process within hierarchical relations – an academic interviewing students, and (2) the recruitment process when there is a hidden cultural code.