Abstract
This book chapter addresses essential ethical principles in cross-cultural research and explores fundamental ethical challenges encountered in both historical and contemporary implementations, using examples. Furthermoree, this book chapter evaluates what the methodological isues and challenges are in cross-cultural research such as construct and measurements equivelance and considers potential solutions and points of attention. The ethical principles, ethical difficulties encountered, methodological problems and issues addressed in this book chapter are presented in each topic, with recommendations and examples for researchers to pay attention to. This book chapter also includes a section on recommendations, and in this section, the main difficulties that cross-cultural researchers may face and possible solutions are brought to the agenda. In addition, researchers are also advised on what to pay attention to in future cross-cultural research (e.g. online research).
TopBasic Ethical Principles In Cross-Cultural Research
The concept of ethics, unlike the notion of morality, is used to denote adherence to behavioral rules or aset of rules or principles (Kimmel, 2007). Ethical considerations in the fields of social and human sciences are encompassed within applied ethics, signifying normative ethics that form the basis for resolving moral issues (Kitchner & Kitchner, 2009). Adopting an approach based on ethical principles in the social and human sciences provides essential resources for addressing potential challenges in cross-cultural research. Furthermore, an ethics-based approach allows researchers to consider various ideas that may sometimes be in tension or conflict with each other, fostering collaboration around fundamental ethical values and principles, and increases scientific productivity
Key Terms in this Chapter
The Equivalence of Data: Accurate, precise, valid and reliable data collection is essential, as is consistent interpretation and meaning across cultures and countries.
Conceptual (Structural) Equivalence: Is the consistency of the meaning and dimensionality of a psychological construct across cultural communities.
Informed Consent: Pertains to the involvement of participants in the research process under ethical guidelines that remain consistent.
Ethical Approach: Developing generalisable theories that can be universally applied and tested for their applicability to different groups is the aim of the ethical approach.
Measurement Equivalence: Similarities in content and psychometric properties (reliability and validity) between measures within different populations.
Macroethics: Refers to ethical research management in the field, encompassing ethical principles established by ethics committees and institutional review boards in universities, such as confidentiality, privacy, respect, and justice.
Emic Approach: Seeks to formulate theory that is suitable for a particular cultural group or to reveal culturally specific factors.
Ethics: Refers to the observance of behavioural rules or a set of principles.
Cross-Cultural Research: A scientific method used to investigate cultural contrasts in action and phenomena across two or more cultures, emphasising systematic comparison.
Microethics: Addresses the daily ethical challenges that arise from the particular roles and responsibilities of researchers.