Ethics and Applied Linguistics Research (original) (raw)

This chapter is situated within the larger and irreversible trend towards analysing ethical practices in applied linguistics, given the field's enduring commitment to addressing and resolving language-based problems in the real world (Bygate 2005). Indeed, most applied linguists would not disagree with the core principles of (1) respect for persons, (2) yielding optimal benefits while minimizing harm and (3) justice. Put simply, they are generally committed to an ethical protocol that averts harming research participants in any way. However, how applied linguists go about realizing these principles generally differ, and they are often influenced by the methodological paradigm they subscribe to, their training, the area of research in which they work, their individual personality and the macro and micro factors that shape their research process. Taking this constellation of factors into consideration, this chapter explores the distinction between macroethics and microethics before going on to address how ethical tensions can be addressed before, during and after the data-collection process.