Ethical learning from an educational ethnography: The application of an ethical framework in doctoral supervision

Doctoral research entails ethical as well as methodological learning in relation to project planning, fieldwork and reporting. Ethical considerations can be especially complex with respect to ethnographic research in an international context. This empirical study explores the application and development of an ethical framework which was used to guide reflection and dialogue between a PhD researcher (Rafael) and supervisor (Alison) through a series of ‘Ethical Discussions’ outside formal supervision meetings. The chapter offers an account of the extended dialogue focusing on ethical reflexivity which occurred in these sessions, and the spaces around them.

Through thematic analysis of transcripts from these discussions and related documentary artefacts, we explore the explicit, meaningful and mutual ethical learning which occurred in relation to the ethnographic study of schools in Ethiopia, and the effective use of the ‘CERD’ framework to scaffold and support researcher development. Implications are drawn for doctoral research, ethical review boards, and researcher development more generally.