Ethical Research in the Erin Brockovich Film

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Table of Contents

Abstract
Survey Research
Data Gathering
Needs Assessment
Needs Assessment and Variables
Ethical Implications
References

Abstract

The film Erin Brockovich (2000) dwells upon a dispute between a company and a community where people managed to make the organization pay for the caused harm and change their operations to prevent any negative effects in the future. The film is an illustration of the implementation of proper research based on the major ethical and scientific method principles. The protagonist gathered data and conducted needs assessment effectively, which enabled her to identify variables correctly and measure them. She collected a sufficient amount of sound evidence to support her claims and accusations, as well as make the company pay the necessary sums to address the aftermaths of its unethical activities. Erin was an ethical researcher although she was rather biased. However, her bias did not have a negative impact on the research.

Keywords: survey research, data gathering, needs assessment, Erin Brockovich.

Survey Research

Survey research is widely used in social science, and this method is applied in diverse areas, including but not confined to business, healthcare, and education. This research method enables the investigator to obtain a considerable amount of data within an established period of time (Ruel et al., 2015). Survey research can help in exploring people’s demographic data, attitudes, behavioral patterns, and other aspects. Therefore, this method is utilized in both qualitative and quantitative research designs. In terms of this design, participants respond to a provided set of questions, which can take different forms.

These can be pen-and-paper questionnaires, face-to-face interviews, online questionnaires, and phone surveys. Online surveys are preferable when a large sample is involved, and high flexibility is required. Face-to-face interviews are conducted when the researcher aims at gaining insights into a problem or phenomenon. Two major types of surveys, based on the time scale, exist, which are longitudinal and cross-sectional survey research methods (Ruel et al., 2015). The former is conducted over a considerable amount of time which can be up to several years and even decades. The latter is implemented at a specific time interval. The utilization of this research method is featured in Erin Brockovich (2000), and this paper includes a brief analysis of the research instruments used in the film.

Data Gathering

The film in question dwells upon a dispute between a large corporation and people living in the area contaminated by the plant owned by its division. Initially, the characters, employees of a law firm, utilized a common data gathering method by examining the available records (Soderbergh, 2000). The client provided all the records she had regarding her case, and Erin, the protagonist, reviewed all of them, which is essential for any research and is the basics of the scientific method. Erin paid the necessary attention to all details and found a substantial amount of health records, which was rather unusual for such cases, and that became the ground for further litigations.

When primary data was collected, the researcher needed more insights, so she employed a survey to get more information. She had an interview with the client and learned about the underlying reason for the health issues of the client, as well as hundreds of people in the area. In the course of the investigation, Erin extracted data from other sources including the review of more health records and water quality papers. Finally, correspondence proved to be an important, or rather critical, source of information that played a decisive role in the case. According to the internal correspondence of the company, it became evident that the headquarters’ executives were aware of the issue and ordered to keep it secret.

Needs Assessment

The needs assessment is another research method featured in the film under analysis. The needs assessment is a common instrument in social science research aiming at identifying the exact needs of the target population (Rubin & Babbie, 2015). Erin utilized triangulation to get more information and ensure its validity and reliability. In simple terms, she used several data collection methods to have a clear picture. The main character employed the key informants and the rate under treatment approaches, as well as elements of the community forum methodology. First, she had interviews with the clients and later interviewed other affected people in the community. She also received data from an expert who explained the outcomes of prolonged exposure to the hazardous element. The researcher understood that she needed to know the scale of the problem and had to get sound evidence. Therefore, she analyzed health and water quality records, which was an illustration of the use of the rate under the treatment tool. As for the elements of the community forum approach, she talked to several families to explore their perspectives and ensure their readiness to take action.

Needs Assessment and Variables

The needs assessment can help in obtaining data regarding the prevalence, distribution, as well as interrelations of variables. It is noteworthy that the identification of the sample is an important stage that can affect the research outcomes (Rubin & Babbie, 2015). Erin managed to identify samples effectively by convenience sampling as well as studying the company’s real estate records (Soderbergh, 2000). As mentioned above, Erin utilized several data-gathering strategies, which made the case successful for the clients. The variables of the investigation were clients’ health issues and the hazardous element, hexavalent chromium. The prevalence and distribution of such variables as the health condition of the target population were identified by the analysis of clients’ health records and water quality papers. The law firm detected the scale of the contaminated area and the number of affected people. The identification of the relationship between the variables was also facilitated by the conduction of a needs assessment. Erin analyzed the location of the property and the corresponding families’ health concerns.

Ethical Implications

Researchers have to pay considerable attention to ethical aspects when conducting their studies. First, they should make sure that the research does not cause any harm (Christensen et al., 2019). In Erin’s case, she unveiled the truth and proved that the company’s operations led to the serious contamination of the water and adverse health outcomes for the people who live there. The protagonist acted ethically when interviewing people putting clear and ethical questions, trying to be unbiased (Soderbergh, 2000). It is necessary to admit that the researcher was rather biased as she was on the side of the community. In true research, no bias is acceptable, and scholars have different instruments to achieve this goal. The researcher also provided comprehensive details regarding the case to the participants, and they were properly informed about the characteristics of the case and possible implications. This transparency is one of the major priorities of the researcher and a sign of the implementation of ethical research (Christensen et al., 2019). The film under consideration can be regarded as an illustration of effective and ethical research.

References

Christensen, G., Freese, J., & Miguel, E. (2019). Transparent and reproducible social science research: How to do open science. University of California Press.

Rubin, A., & Babbie, E. R. (2015). Empowerment series: Essential research methods for social work (4th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Ruel, E., Wagner, W. E., & Gillespie, B. J. (2015). The practice of survey research. SAGE.

Soderbergh, S. (Director). (2000). Erin Brockovich [Film]. Universal Pictures.

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