Ethical Action Plan (500-750 words)*
This document is a chance for you to begin shaping your project while thinking through its ethical considerations, implications, and responsibilities. We know this might feel early in your action research journey, but this short plan is here to help pin down your ideas and work-in-progress.
Use whatever writing format that suits you – lists, bullet points, statements or paragraphs – and follow the suggested links stated alongside some of the questions for guidance.
A good starting point is the BERA Guidelines for Educational Research, fifth edition (2024) alongside the ‘Ethics Files and Resources’ on Moodle.
When you’re ready, email your draft to your allocated tutor 48 hours in advance of you first group tutorial in the week commencing 6 October 2025, so it can help guide the focus of discussions and support your project development.
Name: Romany Taylor
Tutor: Mallika Kanyal
Date: 26/09/25
| What is the working title of your project? Also write a few sentences about the focus of your project. Unravelling the Norms: Inclusive, Process-Led Approaches to Textile Education This project explores how experimental, process-driven workshops can challenge exclusionary practices in textile education, particularly the dominance of sketchbooks as the primary form of creative documentation. The focus is on designing and running a CPD workshop for secondary school teachers that introduces inclusive, sustainable, and low-cost approaches to mark-making, drawing, and material exploration. The aim is to test how playful, accessible methods can reduce fear of failure, support diverse learners, and broaden understandings of what counts as creativity. |
| What sources will you read or reference? Share 5 to 10. Inclusive and intersectional pedagogies bell hooks (Teaching to Transgress) Paulo Freire (Pedagogy of the Oppressed) Sara Ahmed (Living a Feminist Life). Critical perspectives on art and design education Gray & Malins (Visualizing Research), Steven Scrivener on practice-led research. Neurodiversity, disability, and creativity in HE works by Fiona French, Runswick-Cole, and writings from Inclusive Teaching in HE networks. Sustainability and material practices Kate Fletcher (Sustainable Fashion and Textiles), Louise St. Pierre (Design and Nature). Textile pedagogy CSM/UAL resources on BA Textile Design ethos, recent research on sketchbook practices and inclusivity. |
| What action(s) are you planning to take, and are they realistic in the time you have (Sept-Dec)? -Deliver a 3-hour CPD workshop (From Mark to Material: Explorations in Experimental Textiles) with 30 secondary school teachers, arranged through UAL Insights. -Facilitate activities in experimental drawing, mark making, yarn/fabric making, and reflective group discussions. -Provide a lunch break with catering that takes into account participants’ dietary requirements to ensure inclusivity and accessibility. -Administer pre- and post-questionnaires (developed for this project) to capture participants’ perceptions of accessibility, sustainability, and experimentation. -Collect reflections, outcomes, and feedback as qualitative data to inform analysis. -Write a reflective blog/report to critically analyse outcomes and implications for inclusive textile pedagogy. |
| Who will be involved, and in what way? (e.g. colleagues, students, local community…). Note, if any of your participants will be under the age years of 18yrs, please seek further advice from your tutor. -Researcher (Romany): Responsible for designing and facilitating the ‘Mark to Material’ workshop, managing participant communication, and collecting data in line with UAL’s ethical research guidance. The researcher will also conduct reflective analysis, synthesising data from questionnaires, group discussions, and observation notes. -Participants (secondary school teachers): Participants will be invited through the UAL Insights programme and will take part voluntarily. They will engage in the workshop activities, complete short pre- and post-workshop questionnaires, and may choose to contribute to an informal reflective group discussion at the end of the session. Lunch will be provided, with all dietary needs accommodated to ensure inclusivity and comfort. -As the researcher I will ensure that all participants have received the ‘Participant Information Sheet’ outlining the purpose of the research, what participation involves, and how their data will be used, this will be verbally presented at the beginning of the workshop with the relevant consent forms to be signed if they are happy to participate. -UAL Insights Team: The Insights team will manage participant recruitment and coordinate consent prior to the session. They will also oversee data handling and storage in compliance with UAL ethics protocols. -Institutions (Central Saint Martins ): These institutions provide the academic and contextual framework for the project, supporting reflection on inclusive and process-led pedagogies in textile education. -Ethical Approach to Consent and Participation: Participant consent will be obtained before the workshop begins through signed UAL consent forms, ensuring participants are fully informed of the research aims, their right to withdraw, and how their data will be anonymised. Consent will cover participation in the workshop, completion of questionnaires, and optional inclusion in the group reflection. The group reflection will be guided by a small set of prompt questions designed to encourage discussion around accessibility, experimentation, and inclusivity in creative practice. This reflection will not be recorded, to maintain a relaxed and open atmosphere. Instead, an assistant (UAL student ambassador) will take brief anonymised notes capturing key themes or phrases from the discussion. These notes will later be used as qualitative data and thematically analysed alongside the pre- and post-workshop questionnaires. Participation in the reflection and any shared comments will be entirely voluntary. Participants will be reminded that they can choose not to contribute, and that any feedback or examples shared will not be attributed to them individually in the final report. -Summary of Method -Pre- and post-questionnaires to capture changes in confidence, understanding, and perceptions. -Facilitated reflective discussion with optional verbal contributions, guided by prompts. -Anonymised note-taking by an assistant rather than recording audio, to protect privacy and maintain participant comfort. -Triangulation of data from questionnaires, field notes, and workshop observation to inform reflective analysis. |
| What are the health & safety concerns, and how will you prepare for them? https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/sites/explore/SitePage/42587/health-and-safety-hub https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/sites/explore/SitePage/45761/health-and-safety-policies-and-standards -Materials: Use of scissors, needles, inks/paints, and glue will be monitored; non-toxic materials selected where possible. -Environment: Workshop held at UAL, ensuring compliance with university health and safety protocols. -Physical comfort: Adequate breaks and provision of lunch with dietary requirements considered to support well-being. -Accessibility: Ensuring the venue is physically accessible and all participants can fully take part. -Emergency procedures: Follow UAL venue guidance (fire exits, first aid). -Risk management: Clear demonstrations of tool use, provision of protective coverings (aprons, wipes), and safe disposal of waste materials. |
| How will you manage and protect any physical and / or digital data you collect, including the data of people involved? https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-fifth-edition-2024-online#consenthttps://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-fifth-edition-2024-online#privacy-data-storage -All participants will be informed that insights from the workshop will contribute to my PgCert Action Research Project, and that their participation helps explore inclusive, process-led approaches to creative education. This will be clearly stated in the Participant Information Sheet and consent form, so that participants understand how their anonymised data may be used in reflective analysis, academic writing, or presentations related to this research. -All participants will sign consent forms managed by UAL Insights, who will ensure compliance with institutional ethics and data protection procedures. -Physical data (e.g. completed questionnaires, workshop artefacts, anonymised notes from group reflections) will be stored securely in a locked folder or cabinet and digitised where appropriate for analysis. – Digital data(e.g. scanned documents, anonymised notes) will be stored on encrypted university servers or password-protected devices, in accordance with UAL’s data protection policy. -Identifiable data will never be shared in reports or presentations. All findings will be presented in aggregated or anonymised form, ensuring participant confidentiality is maintained throughout the research process. |
| How will you take ethics into account in your project for participants and / or yourself? https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-fifth-edition-2024-online#responsibilities-participants https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-fifth-edition-2024-online#responsibilities-sponsors https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-fifth-edition-2024-online#responsibilities-wellbeing See Emotionally Demanding Research PDF on Moodle –Participant well-being: The workshop is designed around accessibility, low-pressure engagement, and the principle of “no right or wrong,” aiming to reduce performance anxiety and fear of failure. Providing lunch, with all dietary requirements accommodated, further supports inclusion, comfort, and care. –Inclusivity: Activities and documentation methods are multimodal, allowing participants with diverse learning styles, needs, or access requirements to engage meaningfully. –Voluntary participation: Participation in the workshop and associated research is entirely voluntary. Teachers are free to withdraw at any time without consequence. However, as the workshop involves group discussion, it may not be possible to fully remove contributions already made in that shared context. –Scope of consent: Participants’ consent covers the use of their questionnaire responses and reflections solely for this PgCert Action Research Project and associated professional development assessment. Their data will not be used for any other research or publication without renewed consent. –Anonymity: All reflections, data, and examples will be anonymised before inclusion in written analysis, presentations, or assessment submissions. No individual participant will be identifiable. –Researcher reflexivity: Ongoing self-reflection will ensure sensitivity to positionality, power dynamics, and the potential emotional impact on participants. –Institutional oversight: Ethical compliance and data protection are supported and overseen by UAL Insights, who manage consent and safeguarding structures in line with university policy. |
* The form itself is around 300 words, so with your additions the total length will come to a maximum of about 1,050 words.