Ethical review and reflexivity in research of children's sexuality

Flanagan, Paul G.

Ethical review and reflexivity in research of children's sexuality

dc.contributor.author	Flanagan, Paul G.
dc.date.accessioned	2012-02-28T01:50:49Z
dc.date.available	2012-02-28T01:50:49Z
dc.date.issued	2012
dc.description.abstract	Research in the area of children's sexuality is largely based on observational and retrospective studies. Childhood studies literature increasingly calls upon the inclusion of children's voices, yet with sensitive topics ethical positions often close research possibilities in the territories of children's worlds. Children are perceived as a vulnerable group, especially when the investigation focuses on their sexual development and activity – and it is perceived that this research area is too sensitive and potentially harmful to children. Within the context of beginning a qualitative study on children's sexuality in New Zealand (including interviews with children), this paper reviews a number of studies of childhood research. These studies provide a glimpse at how research focusing on children has been conducted, and explores ethical issues arising in such research. The significance of researcher reflexivity is acknowledged for ethical research practice. The paper concludes that in research on children's sexuality a process of ethical review is limited, and that researcher competence in sensitive investigations is required. Among other difficulties for this researcher (with a professional background in child and family therapy) is the vulnerability of being a man choosing to research children.	en_NZ
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf
dc.identifier.citation	Flanagan, P. (2012). Ethical review and reflexivity in research of children's sexuality. Sex Education: Sexuality, Society and Learning, 12(5), 535-544.	en_NZ
dc.identifier.doi	10.1080/14681811.2011.627731	en_NZ
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/10289/6062
dc.language.iso	en
dc.publisher	Routledge	en_NZ
dc.relation.isPartOf	Sex Education	en_NZ
dc.rights	This is an author’s accepted version of an article published in the journal: Sex Education: Sexuality, Society and Learning. © 2012 Taylor & Francis.
dc.subject	child sexuality	en_NZ
dc.subject	research ethics	en_NZ
dc.subject	reflexivity	en_NZ
dc.subject	sensitive topics	en_NZ
dc.title	Ethical review and reflexivity in research of children's sexuality	en_NZ
dc.type	Journal Article	en_NZ
pubs.begin-page	535	en_NZ
pubs.elements-id	38114
pubs.end-page	544	en_NZ
pubs.issue	5	en_NZ
pubs.volume	12	en_NZ