Representing Illiteracy: Methodological Challenges and Ethical Ramifications in Research on Illiterate Refugees

Researching vulnerable groups in social sciences is a balancing act of lifting their perspectives while protecting participants’ integrity from thoughtless methods. Newly arrived refugees with limited literacy face challenges in making their voices heard in both society and research. Yet, the methodological and ethical difficulties of meeting such challenges may also deter researchers from studying these groups, resulting in their exclusion from collective knowledge. The aim of this literature review is to explore methodological challenges of representing newly arrived refugees with limited literacy in social science research, and the ethical ramifications that come from them. Initially, we made a mapping review of language education research relating to refugee illiteracy. Secondly, we conducted a critical review of social science literature on the subject. Lastly, we analysed how various methods make these groups visible and accurately represented. Our findings show a significant gap in research involving both refugeehood and illiteracy. Moreover, we find that the limited supply of existing studies seldom account for methods and ethical practices to make the target group substantively represented. We also highlight studies with well thought out methodological and ethical practices, pointing towards a possible ethics of engagement.