TY - JOUR

T1 - Using Skype to research literacy practices:

T2 - providing opportunities for participants with mental health conditions to share their experiences

AU - Peach, Emily

N1 - This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Emily Peach (2021), Using Skype to research literacy practices: providing opportunities for participants with mental health conditions to share their experiences. Literacy. doi: 10.1111/lit.12248 which has been published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/lit.12248 This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.

PY - 2021/9/30

Y1 - 2021/9/30

N2 - Research exploring the literacy practices of diverse participants is integral to developing our understanding of literacy. Diverse groups of participants, for example participants with mental health conditions, bring specific ethical considerations and methodological challenges. This paper presents the use of Skype to research literacy practices through qualitative interviews as a solution to such methodological challenges, focussing this discussion on a research project into the mental health literacy practices of students. The ethical concerns of working with participants with mental health conditions are discussed, particularly issues with confidentiality and safety which mean that interviews in both public and private locations could be inappropriate. This paper argues that using Skype allows both participants and researcher to be in private but separate locations, reducing barriers to participation for participants with mental health conditions and minimising the intrusion and anxiety of qualitative interviews. Vignettes from research into the literacy practices of students with mental health conditions are presented to show that using video calling to research literacy practices allows researchers to learn more about participants' literacy practices and the role these practices play in their lives, whilst maintaining comfort and ease for participants.

AB - Research exploring the literacy practices of diverse participants is integral to developing our understanding of literacy. Diverse groups of participants, for example participants with mental health conditions, bring specific ethical considerations and methodological challenges. This paper presents the use of Skype to research literacy practices through qualitative interviews as a solution to such methodological challenges, focussing this discussion on a research project into the mental health literacy practices of students. The ethical concerns of working with participants with mental health conditions are discussed, particularly issues with confidentiality and safety which mean that interviews in both public and private locations could be inappropriate. This paper argues that using Skype allows both participants and researcher to be in private but separate locations, reducing barriers to participation for participants with mental health conditions and minimising the intrusion and anxiety of qualitative interviews. Vignettes from research into the literacy practices of students with mental health conditions are presented to show that using video calling to research literacy practices allows researchers to learn more about participants' literacy practices and the role these practices play in their lives, whilst maintaining comfort and ease for participants.

KW - methodology

KW - interviews

KW - ethics

KW - literacy practices

KW - video calling

U2 - 10.1111/lit.12248

DO - 10.1111/lit.12248

M3 - Journal article

VL - 55

SP - 201

EP - 209

JO - Literacy

JF - Literacy

SN - 1741-4350

IS - 3

ER -