Being a teacher-researcher: reflections on an insider research project from a virtues-based approach to research ethics

A virtues-based approach to research ethics offers an alternative perspective to the rule-based approaches that dominate many current ethical regulations. For researchers engaging in insider research where ethical dilemmas can be complex and unpredictable, ethical decisions often need to be made on a case-by-case basis. This requires researchers to have greater awareness of the dispositions of their character to ensure appropriate and just decisions are made. In this paper, a virtues-based approach to research ethics is used as framework for reflecting on research conduct. Past experiences as a teacher-researcher engaging in an insider research project are drawn on and used to demonstrate the usefulness of this framework for reflection. It is argued that by engaging in such reflection, a researcher may be able to strengthen their awareness of the excellences of character required to navigate ethical dilemmas confidently and safely in future research endeavours.