The process of engagement, discovery, and understanding
the phenomenon being studied relies on dynamic
human interaction. Current regulations and
standards for protecting humans in research are, as
Lincoln (1990) clearly points out, wholly inadequate
for qualitative research. The "granting of rights of
dignity, agency, freedom and independence to our
respondents creates a situation where our own, often
specialized, knowledge is nevertheless only one form
of knowledge that is available" (p. 83). How the researcher
behaves, how the respondent is invited, and
how the respondent is viewed as an active participant
in the research process create new and more difficult
ethical responsibilities for the researcher. There can be
no deceit, no injury, or disregard for the respondent as
has been documented in quantitative research.
Embedded in this concern for researcher-respondent
ethics is the question: to what degree are people
used as a means to further knowledge? In duty-based
ethics of nursing, individuals are seen as ends in
themselves. Although this problem may seem