Doing research in a cross-cultural context : methodological and ethical challenges

Conducting cross-cultural research is rife with methodological and ethical challenges. Researchers are challenged with many issues when carrying out their research with people in cross-cultural arenas. This chapter serves to set the scene of this book and points to several salient issues in doing research in cross-cultural settings. I aim firstly to provide discussion on the essence of cultural sensitivity in cross-cultural research. I will then discuss mailers relating to language issues and the use of bicultural researchers in cross-cultural research. I shall suggest strategies to gain access to research participants in cross-cultural research. Lastly, I will examine moral and ethical issues in cross-cultural research, and discuss the thorny subject of informed consent in cross-cultural research.