School-based research that has used digital technologies and devices to gather qualitative information during the COVID-19 pandemic, at an international level in the field of education , reveals little or no in-depth discussion of ethical implications. This is one of the results of a systematic mapping of the literature carried out by two CeiED researchers, Leanete Thomas Dotta and André Freitas, and one researcher from CIIE (Centre for Research and Intervention in Education), Rita Tavares de Sousa.

The publication of the scientific article, in the prestigious journal London Review of Education published by UCL Press - University College London (UK), also reveals that one of the weaknesses of the studies carried out during the pandemic is the direct transposition of traditional methods of gathering qualitative information to virtual environments, at a distance. The difficulties are related to reading the participants' body language, building trust between researchers and participants, and less contextual understanding of the participants.

With regard to ethical issues, the few studies that do address them reveal difficulties such as protecting the confidentiality of participants in virtual, long-distance connections, as well as the challenges of obtaining free and informed consent from vulnerable populations. Given the specificities involved in this type of data collection, greater attention to the ethical dimension is unavoidable.

Most of the implications mentioned by the authors of the research analysed, regarding the collection of qualitative information through digital technologies/devices during the COVID-19 pandemic, are the same as those identified in research prior to the pandemic context. Despite this scenario, it is important to emphasise that these studies can be considered notable examples of social and scientific commitment to the continuity of research in education.

Generally, ethical reflection occupies a peripheral place in the methodological section of scientific articles resulting from empirical work in the field of education at international level. However, this scenario is undergoing a reconfiguration. Although the word limits imposed on researchers in these types of publications partly explain the superficial approach or the absence of a deeper ethical discussion, this does not justify their omission. Ethical reflection has become fundamental, particularly in a COVID-19 pandemic scenario that has severely impacted the educational processes experienced at school, by political decision and action of the educational community, transforming times, spaces and experiences with limits on face-to-face interaction.

Leanete Thomas Dotta and André Freitas, along with the co-author Rita Tavares de Sousa (U.Porto), believe that, as we are dealing with distance information gathering mediated by digital technologies/devices, it is essential that discussions address issues of representational justice in the studies carried out.

This could involve people and communities who may be excluded from taking part in studies due to the lack or absence of access to digital technology, or people who may be subjected to coercive participation.

Despite the results obtained by this systematic mapping, the authors warn that these results must be interpreted within the methodological limitations of the study. They should therefore be considered as indications that encourage further reflection and analysis on the subject.

Full and free access to the scientific article, in English, here.

Cite this work: Thomas Dotta, L., Freitas, A., & Sousa, R. T. (2024). Methodological issues in technology-mediated qualitative data collection: A mapping of research undertaken in schools during the Covid-19 pandemic. London Review of Education, 22 (1), 34. https://doi.org/10.14324/LRE.22.1.34