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This is the pre-print version of: Lim, S. S. (2014). Preparing young scholars of children and media for the ethical review process. Journal of
Children and Media, 8(4), 498-500.
Preparing young scholars of children and media for the ethical review process
Sun Sun Lim, Associate Professor and Assistant Dean (Research)
Department of Communications and New Media, National University of Singapore
Abstract
While securing ethical approval is never an easy process, it is even more daunting when conducting
research on young people, particularly those from vulnerable segments of the population. As we
nurture the next generation of scholars of children and media, academics must prepare student
researchers for this critical step in the research endeavour. Beyond guiding our students on the
substance of ethical review queries which will differ with each study, we need to instil in them two
key attitudinal stances - the import of keeping an open mind about the review process, and the value
of drawing on the multi-disciplinary wisdom of one’s broader professional network of scholars and
practitioners.
Supervising our students’ research is one of the most rewarding aspects of being an
academic, not least in the exciting realm of children and the media. As we take our students through
the process of identifying understudied areas, formulating probing research questions, developing
data gathering procedures, and entering the field, both mentor and mentee benefit from this
journey of introspection, deliberation, and discovery. To be sure, challenges do present themselves
along the way, one of which must be the task of securing ethical/institutional approval for research.
While obtaining ethical approval is never an easy process, it is even more daunting when conducting
research on minors, particularly those from vulnerable segments of the population. As academics
therefore, our duty is to prepare our students for dealing with this inevitable, yet necessary, step in
the research endeavour. Beyond guiding our students on the substance of ethical review queries
which will undoubtedly differ from study to study, we need to instil in them two key attitudinal
stances.
The first is to always keep an open mind about the ethical review process. Academic
researchers are often heard to lambast institutional review boards for being conservative, risk-
averse, obstructive, fastidious, and bureaucratic (Lantos, 2009). While such criticisms may be
justified, they do obfuscate the sound and legitimate reasons for ethical review - to safeguard
subjects from the intrusiveness of the research process by advancing their rights and ensuring their
welfare (Diekama 2006). It behoves us as educators to remind our students of these foundational
principles, even as we commiserate with them on the trials of negotiating with the institutional
review board. Cognizance of these tenets will help student researchers recognise the value of ethical
review and regard it as an opportunity to clarify one's research objectives. Encourage students to
refrain from approaching the review process with a defensive or even adversarial outlook, but to
engage in open and constructive communication with the review board and its representatives. In so
doing, mutual appreciation of both the researcher’s and review board’s objectives can be wrought,
thereby facilitating the collaborative development of a research protocol that meets the study’s
goals, while respecting the rights of subjects and the concerns of the institution.
This is the pre-print version of: Lim, S. S. (2014). Preparing young scholars of children and media for the ethical review process. Journal of
Children and Media, 8(4), 498-500.
This lesson was drawn into sharp relief for me when I conducted research on the media use
of juvenile delinquents (Lim, Chan, Vadrevu & Basnyat, 2013). I was inundated with queries,
including some pertaining to my legal obligations as a researcher interfacing with individuals holding
criminal records. While I was initially resentful about the relentless questioning and developed a
growing sense of self-righteousness about the inherent worth of my proposed research, frank
dialogues with the review board’s representatives helped me realise the complex issues of liability
and oversight that they were navigating. Correspondingly, I was able to convince the review board of
the research imperatives that I needed to address, given the methodological constraints of studying
this vulnerable population. Through these exchanges, a research protocol that accommodated these
varied demands was finalised, and I could confidently enter the field.
The second attitudinal stance that a scholar of children and media should assume is the
importance of exploiting one’s extended professional networks, far beyond one’s immediate
community of media scholars. Obtaining guidance from other disciplines is second nature to
academics because we routinely canvas extant literature from cognate disciplines in our quest for
meaningful research directions. However, multi- and inter-disciplinary expertise is even more crucial
when developing the research protocol and clearing the ethical review hurdle. It is a commonplace
that research on children covers a rich and expansive multi-disciplinary terrain, spanning disciplines
as diverse as psychology, pedagogy, developmental studies, sociology, social work, and paediatrics.
Accordingly, the ethical review process for research on children and media would naturally be
shaped by the precedents set via research conducted in these associated disciplines. Therefore, it
would be astute to consult one’s extended professional network for experience, insights, and
solutions to seemingly intractable problems posed by field research, especially when investigating
areas that are relatively uncharted in one’s home discipline. Besides other academics, speaking to
practitioners such as teachers, counsellors, and child psychologists, can also yield useful inputs for
entering the field.
To illustrate, my research on the media use of juvenile delinquents placed me at the
crossroads of media studies, sociology, social work, and criminology, but media studies research on
juvenile delinquents was scant. Prior research on the media consumption of mainstream youths did
not offer many pointers for studying youths with a history of offence. Dealing with the sensitivities
and idiosyncrasies of this distinct group of young people, as well as the regulatory and rehabilitative
landscape they inhabit, were unfamiliar to me and my media studies colleagues. Fortuitously,
practitioners and academics in the social work sector were very forthcoming when I reached out to
them. I benefited immensely from their tried-and-tested strategies for working with vulnerable
populations, and for tackling the ethical review process.
As we foster the next generation of scholars of children and media, and are vested with the
opportunity to nurture research innovators, we also bear the responsibility of inculcating best
practices in academic inquiry. With regard to securing ethical approval for research on children and
media, we should impress upon our students the import of keeping an open mind about the review
process, and the value of drawing on the multi-disciplinary wisdom of one’s broader professional
network of scholars and practitioners.
References
This is the pre-print version of: Lim, S. S. (2014). Preparing young scholars of children and media for the ethical review process. Journal of
Children and Media, 8(4), 498-500.
Diekema, D. S. (2006). Conducting ethical research in pediatrics: a brief historical overview and
review of pediatric regulations. The Journal of Pediatrics, 149(1), S3-S11.
Lantos, J. (2009). It is time to professionalize institutional review boards. Archives of Paediatrics &
Adolescent Medicine, 163(12), 1163-1164. doi: 10.1001/archpediatrics.2009.225
Lim, S. S., Chan, Y. H., Vadrevu, S., & Basnyat, I. (2013). Managing peer relationships online –
Investigating the use of Facebook by juvenile delinquents and youths-at-risk. Computers in
Human Behaviour, 29(1), 8-15. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.04.025
