Exploring Methodological and Ethical Issues in Researching Teachers’ Informal Learning on a Social Networking Site

Ab Rashid, Prof. Madya Dr. Radzuwan (2014) Exploring Methodological and Ethical Issues in Researching Teachers’ Informal Learning on a Social Networking Site. Nottingham Jubilee Press. ISBN 978-1-906235-21-5

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Abstract

Internet-based research, especially that which focuses on socialnetworking sites (SNS), is a relatively new and growing field thatpresents a number of methodological and ethical challenges. In light ofa study examining Malaysian English language teachers’ informal learning on Facebook, the methodological and ethical concerns surrounding SNS-based qualitative research are discussed. This paper begins with some contextual background about the study and issues surrounding teachers’ informal learning, followed by a discussion of methods of data generation. The methodological and ethical decisionmaking as informed by existing discussions and guidelines in internetbased research is then presented. This paper concludes that the challenging methodological issues in researching SNS require cautious consideration throughout the research process. It recommends that new ethics guidelines be developed by ethics board members for the reference of researchers who embark on research in this area.

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