James conducted a qualitative study in a Fraternity House. As a researcher, he pledged the Frat and conducted an ethnography about the nature of fraternity life at a large University. When he wrote up the study he did not use 'real' names of the other members. He also did not identify the University in his research report. He did not tell the other Fraternity members he was a researcher and that he was collecting data. Which of the following addresses ethical considerations of James study.
A) There are not ethical violations, it was an ethnography and participants were kept confidential.
B) There are not ethical violations, it was an ethnography and the participants were kept anonymous.
C) There are ethical concerns, participants did not given their informed consent for the study.
D) There are ethical concerns, clear potential to harm participants was included within the study design.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

James did not obtain informed consent from the participants of the study, which is an ethical concern. Even though he kept the participants anonymous in his report, they still should have been informed that they were being studied and given the opportunity to consent or decline participation in the study.

James Conducted a Qualitative Study in a Fraternity House