a. To what extent is personal identifiable information being collected
as part of this research?

The teacher-researcher intends to document classroom activities (e.g. copying students’ journals, video recording in-class role plays) and conduct interviews with students and their parents/guardians. Observational data gathered during the study (e.g. captured in the video recordings of in-class activities, students’ journal entries) will contain images, voices and details about students and/or other individuals in the classroom. Recordings of the interviews will contain identifiable voices and details, but the transcripts of these interviews can be stripped of identifying information. In addition to obtaining appropriate free and informed consent from the individuals involved (including parents/guardians, if applicable), the teacher-researcher will need to outline how these data will be used and who will have access to the data (e.g. whether the videotapes will only be seen by the teacher-researcher or publicly disseminated in any form). The teacher-researcher will need to clarify whether individuals (or the school) will be named and identified in the recorded data or whether identifying information will be removed (e.g. by blurring students’ faces in the video, altering voices heard on the tape, using theatrical masks). The teacher-researcher is responsible for ensuring the security of all data collected and stored.

It may be appropriate to seek free and informed consent from students (and their parents/guardians) to identify them in published reports of the study. Allowing individuals the right to be named (rather than anonymized) is an important issue that the teacher-researcher must explore. However, when some participants wish to be identified while others do not, the situation can be complicated (e.g. in the group video recordings). In addition, naming an organization or a small community may inadvertently identify participants in the research project (e.g. where the principal of the school is interviewed and wishes to remain anonymous). In this case the teacher-researcher may wish to anonymize the school or community to protect individuals’ identities, or may need to note that an individual’s identity cannot be anonymized due to the person’s role within the organization or community. The teacher-researcher must develop strategies for these different scenarios and explore the various options with participants, students and parents/guardians as part of the free and informed consent process.

b. What steps might help to ensure that the privacy and
confidentiality of individuals are protected?

Individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy and should only be approached to participate in research by someone who has a justifiable reason to have access to those prospective participants and has a reason to know why they might participate in the research study.

The teacher-researcher knows the students and their experiences with antiracism curriculum, so she can approach students (and their parents/guardians) directly to invite their research participation without interfering with their privacy in any way. If the teacher-researcher decides to involve a third party in the recruitment process, then that should probably be another individual who would reasonably have access to the students (e.g. a school secretary).

The use of pseudonyms and technology to blur identifiable facial features and voices can help protect confidentiality during data collection and dissemination.

The use of demographic information in the form of racial or ethnic identifiers may be important in understanding interracial interactions and the success of the antiracism strategies in the classroom. However, depending upon the ethnic mix within the classroom, racial or ethnic identifiers could permit identification of student participants. The teacher-researcher will need to take care to ensure the protection of students’ confidentiality to the fullest extent possible. For example, student participants may be asked to review research reports or the play script before dissemination to assist in avoiding potential breaches of confidentiality.

c. Might there be any limits on the researcher's ability to protect
the confidentiality of the data in this study?

Subject to legal requirements and policies regarding privacy and confidentiality that apply in her jurisdiction, the teacher-researcher must ensure the protection of information obtained from research participants and the privacy of those individuals. The teacher-researcher may wish to show videotapes of the in-class role plays at conferences and/or include images from the classroom in her Master’s thesis. Likewise, the school play could include incidents that are known within the school community, which could result in audience members being able to identify student participants. Identifiable images/voices can be used with permission from the student participants (and their parents/guardians, if applicable). Where students wish to remain anonymous, blurring of students’ faces in the video or in still images could help to minimize the risk of identification or the teacher-researcher could ask participants’ to wear theatrical masks and costumes during the role-plays to protect individuals’ identities.

It is possible that instances of racial bullying, for example, could be documented and reported through the research. The teacher-researcher will need to decide to what extent she is willing or able to protect this information in the event of any potential disciplinary or legal proceedings. The teacher-researcher will also be bound by professional obligations to disclose particular information (e.g. in the case of suspected abuse). The teacher-researcher will need to plan for reasonably foreseeable events (e.g. racist bullying between students) and for managing these types of circumstances and to minimize potential harms. She will also need to communicate her commitments to prospective research participants (students and parents/ guardians, as applicable). Consideration of such proposed commitments to protect information and the clarity of their communication during the free and informed consent process would constitute part of the REB ethics clearance process.

d. How will public enactment of the play affect the privacy and
confidentiality of research participants?

Members of the cast and the audience should be informed that student actors are performing roles in the play that may or may not reflect their own experiences. If scenarios are drawn from actual classroom activities and interactions, particular care will need to be taken to ensure that strategies are in place to minimize the possibility of identification of the individuals involved. Student participants could help the teacher-researcher by reviewing the play script before dissemination to assist in avoiding potential breaches of privacy or confidentiality.