Whispers Behind the Classroom Door: Exploring Ethical Tensions in Qualitative Research within Religious Girls’ Education

• In Event: Spirituality and transcendence

Abstract

This study explores the ethical tensions in conducting qualitative research within conservative religious girls’ schools in Israel. Drawing on interviews with 12 female graduate students and 10 retired teachers/principals, it investigates how discourses of academic excellence interact with traditional values of modesty, obedience, and communal responsibility. Using a composite framework—Foucault’s discourse theory, Ross’s “feminism of loyalty,” Mahmood’s quiet agency, and reflexive ethics—the study reveals patterns of self-censorship, strategic silence, and subtle resistance. It raises pressing ethical questions: can research unintentionally undermine cultural integrity? How can scholars respect ideological boundaries while advocating for educational equity? This work contributes to ethical qualitative research by highlighting how power, identity, and voice are negotiated in ideologically bounded educational contexts.

Author

• Zehavit Gross, Bar-Ilan University