400008 SE Methodological challenges in doing research with vulnerable groups (2025W)

Vulnerability is part of being human. Some persons are extraordinary vulnerable, such as young children, people with disabilities, refugees, people with dementia, or people at the end-of-life, to give only a few examples. Research with vulnerable groups presents certain challenges and requires special attention to the participants and to research methodology and ethics. Qualitative research methods therefore have to take these characteristics into consideration.

In the interdisciplinary seminar, we will discuss concepts and theories of vulnerability, of research ethics and of care ethics and their relevance for research with vulnerable groups. We will make experiences in the seminar with photo voice and storytelling café - two methods suitable for research with vulnerable groups - in order to better understand: What makes the research participants in my PhD-project extraordinarily vulnerable?

Students will be offered extensive opportunities to discuss methodological and ethical issues embedded in their own specific PhD research. The lecturers will present examples from their own research practice, particularly with people with dementia and people at the end-of-life.
We will work on and discuss the following questions depending on the interests of the students:
- What are the methodological prerequisites for participation of vulnerable groups in research?
- What are specific challenges for communication with vulnerable groups in research and how can they be encountered?
- How can we as researchers secure informed consent of vulnerable participants?
- What are the relevant ethical issues based on research ethics and care ethics?
- How do we best care for our own vulnerability as researchers and our emotions involved in research?
- How can we provide reflexivity in the research process and the qualitative methods that are applied?