Ethical Considerations and Dilemmas for the Researcher and for Families in Home-Based Research: A case for situated ethics

This paper is based on reflective accounts of four research projects, two in the UK and two Australia which examined ethical dilemmas identified when engaged in home-based research with young children. The paper explores existing literature on ethical considerations and tensions between formalised, official ethical codes and practicalities of home-based research. Using a synergy of ecocultural theory and Foucauldian ideas of Heterotopia as theoretical conceptualisations, the authors employed reflective lenses to guide their approach and examine dilemmas and complexities when conducting research in the home. Findings suggest that these ethical dilemmas are multifaced in terms of the physical, emotional, social and identity spaces that researchers and families occupy. Thus, we conclude that although ethical codes are valuable when researching families at home, researchers should plan for and forefront their methodological approaches in ways that are family-centred, whilst also framed by practices that are ethical, respectful and reflective to the situated contexts of family’s ecologies and heterotopias.