Gathering sensitive stories: Using care theory to guide ethical decision-making in research interviews with young people

Abstract

Discussions of research ethics are often focused on research ethics guidelines. These guidelines are useful in designing ethical research projects but are not designed to guide the interpersonal interactions that occur once researchers are out in the field. Drawing from Noddings' care theory, this article argues that making ethical decisions when conducting in-depth interviews needs to be done on a case-by-case basis. The author's case study focuses on two key issues associated with research participants, over-disclosure and intense emotional responses, and concludes that relational ethics is the most suitable theoretical framework for guiding researchers' interpersonal practice