Ethical issues and considerations in emotion research in second language learning and communication
The study of some concepts such as emotions and linguistic identity from the perspective of Applied Linguistics raises some reflections on their deep meaning. Therefore, regardless of the discipline from which we approach their research, it is worth reflecting on the implications for both theory and practice. In other words, it is worth progressing with “epistemological vigilance” in order to ask old questions with a fresh look.
Cohen (2012) points out in the Preface to his second edition that the funny – or not so funny – thing about ethics is that people are more interested in it when things start to go wrong than when they go right. In this article, we are not going to talk about the current state of “things”, but about the interconnected object of study that occupies our research team on communication, emotions and identity in Spanish as a second language.
It would be easier to raise the difficulties we will face as a research team at the end of the project (in 2021) or even in a short section of the contributions, in the form of a publication or communication, to show that they have been present. However, it would not capture the attention it deserves, let alone make us reflect on the relevance it may have for our research. In a broad sense, talking about ethics means talking about decision-making, and important decisions raise dilemmas. In this regard, approaching the realm of emotions from the essence of human beings, their language, can be overwhelming. This, however, is the reason why, as a multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary team, in the spirit of a long-term cross-disciplinary dialogue, we have asked ourselves about the relevance of emotion in the process of learning Spanish and its linguistic value itself from a semantic point of view (emotional valences). This search is not free of epistemological, methodological and ethical crossroads. It is to the latter that we dedicate this brief article.
If we mentioned that ethics is concerned with decision-making, it seems necessary to ask whether ethics is about doing or not, or about ought to do or ought not to do. So, regardless of the difficulties that arise, when should we start reflecting on ethics in our project? Should we start doing without considering the appropriateness of such actions to other aspects of the study? In general, these and other questions are asked in the research process without highlighting the reflections that have led to the adoption of one position or another. In our opinion, posing them, considering them and making them explicit can provide the coherence necessary for a research to contribute to the advancement of our disciplinary field as part of science as a whole. A methodology researcher at the Federal University of Viçosa (Brazil) uses an expression that may well summarise what we are describing: “epistemological vigilance”. Are we epistemologically vigilant? Are we asking ourselves enough and necessary questions in relation to the object of study we are investigating, the decisions we are making or the path we are following?
Are we considering the vulnerability of those who participate in our studies? And that of those who conduct the research, as participants in the research as well?
More than a decade ago, Ortega (2005a/b) raised in the field of Applied Linguistics a debate that had already been inaugurated in other areas of scientific knowledge: for whom and for what purpose do we carry out the research we produce? He raised questions that may well be familiar in other scientific circles, but which had hardly been debated in our field, at least openly. The ethical “gaze” Ortega reflects on and its scope is still a matter of debate in our discipline, Applied Linguistics, but fortunately, it seems to have been enlivened in the light of new epistemologies emerging as a result of cross-disciplinary research interests. For example, the study of emotion and identity in Applied Linguistics calls for a broader view of the boundaries of the sciences, prompted by the nature of language and languages. The approach to communication in the process of language learning in a multicultural and linguistically globalised society raises questions not only about the value of our lives as researchers (Banks, 1998) but also about the contributions of language teachers (Kubanyiova & Crookes, 2016). From these statements, we do not seek to put these questions to sleep by providing answers; rather, we seek to generate further questions that will allow us to clarify what we do not yet know about these issues.
References
Banks, J. A. (1998). The lives and values of researchers: Implications for Educating Citizens in a multicultural society. Educational Researcher, 27 (7), 4-17.
Cohen, M. (2012). 101 dilemas éticos. Madrid: Alianza Editorial. 2ª ed.
Kubanyiova, M. y Crookes, G. (2016). Re-envisioning the roles, tasks, and contributions of language teachers in the multilingual era of language education research and practice. The Modern Language Journal, 100, 117-132.
Ortega, L. (2005a). For what and for whom is our research? the ethical as transformative lens in instructed SLA. The Modern Language Journal, 89, 427-443.
Ortega, L. (2005b). Methodology, epistemology, and ethics in instructed SLA research: an introduction. The Modern Language Journal, 89, 317-327.
