Background:
Transformation-oriented research (TR), including socially engaged, transdisciplinary, and action-oriented research, is built upon collaboration with societal stakeholders to transform the status quo in pursuit of just and sustainable futures. As TR gains traction in academia, understanding the evolving ethics of research and collaboration that shape academics’ socially engaged work becomes increasingly vital. Involving diverse stakeholders in knowledge co-production inevitably leads to ethical questions concerning how to balance between scientific rigor and practical relevance, avoid perpetuating existing inequities and injustices, and navigate competing imperatives such as career needs (e.g. generating ‘publishable’ data within a given timeframe) and commitments to longer-term societal impact. Our recent study, along with others in the literature, shows that TR researchers often feel ill-equipped to navigate these ethical dilemmas in practice, and expect guidance from university ethics review processes and institutional research boards (IRBs). The goal of this study is to respond to this need.
Research Objectives & Questions:
The present study is aimed at (1) creating a joint understanding between TR researchers and IRB leadership regarding the role of IRBs and underlying premise of institutional ethics review protocols, and (2) developing the practical wisdom among TR researchers to navigate ethical questions arising in practice. To this end, this research poses the questions: What ethical dilemmas are unique to TR researchers, compared to other research methodologies? How can we facilitate reflexive dialogues to help TR researchers become more attuned to these aspects and develop practical knowledge of navigating them in situ? How can institutional environments be adapted or transformed to better support TR researchers in navigating these aspects?
Study Methods:
A multi-site action research is used to generate theoretical insights and practical knowledge from research activities initiated at Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) and McGill University – the two study sites to date. Specific activities across sites include: (a) Dialogues sessions with IRB leadership and the wider TR community to establish a collective learning arena, jointly identifying areas where TR researchers feel ill-prepared and where institutional support might have fallen short; (b) Semi-structured interviews with IRB personnels and academics involving in the review processes to gain an in-depth understand their perspectives on the role of IRBs within the university and the broader ecosystem pushing for TR; and (c) An action-reflection process to re-examine and possibly advance the institutional ethics review processes and protocols based on the results from the dialogues and interviews, and to experiment with proposed solutions (e.g., employing mentors for TR ethics, adopting ethical review as an ongoing process, or investing in moral education).
This research is part of a broader research project titled “Transforming the university? Reflexive monitoring of the DIT platform as institutional experiment” initiated at the Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Research Leads and Contact:
Principal Investigator: Dr. Julia Wittmayer, Associate Professor, ESSB, Erasmus University Rotterdam, j.m.wittmayer@drift.eur.nl
McGill Lead Researcher: Dr. Ying-Syuan (Elaine) Huang, Postdoctoral Researcher, McGill University, Canada, ying.huang6@mcgill.ca
Collaborators at McGill University: Dr. Blane Harvey (Education), Dr. Christopher Luederitz (Management and Education), Prof. Elena Bennett (Sustainability Science)
Research Period: April 2024 – October 2025
Funding Sources: Mitacs Globalink, McGill’s Bieler School of Environment (Spark Grant)