Ethical issues when interviewing children in remedial classes.

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Research Ethics

Background:

• Interviews with children present distinct ethical challenges compared to adults.
• Children are considered an overexposed group due to their age and dependence on adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the ethical issues inherent in conducting interviews with child participants.
• To examine the specific ethical dilemmas faced by researchers during child interviews within the BASTA project.

Main Methods:

• A substudy of the Basic Skills, Social Interaction and Training of the Working Memory (BASTA) project.
• In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 children aged 10-12 years.

Main Results:

• Child interviews necessitate a greater consideration of ethical issues than adult interviews.
• Researchers may face ethical dilemmas balancing professional secrecy with legal reporting obligations.

Conclusions:

• Ethical guidelines for interviewing children must address their vulnerability and dependent status.
• The conflict between professional secrecy and mandatory reporting is a critical ethical consideration in child research.