Research as a respectful practice: an exploration of the practice of respect in qualitative research

Abstract

This article explores the practice of respect within qualitative research methods. As interpersonal respect plays a significant role in the esteem felt within a relationship, it can also serve to cultivate trust between researchers and their participants in a research study. This article details the findings of a research study examining respect between a teacher and her pupils by extending the investigation into their experiences of feeling respected during the research process. The emerging data found that participants believed respect to be linked with an esteem of their contribution as well as the relational capacity of the researcher to fully convey this esteem. The reciprocation of esteem by participants was cited helping them to trust a researcher and to a more honest engagement with the study. However, unintentional collusion through this increased rapport emerged as a salient issue and therefore possibly diminishing the validity of the research findings.