ETHICS
Ethics are a vital part of research. Without the trust of the participants and the consumers of
research, the process would be useless. The following set of procedural safeguards is posted on
my website for teachers and paraprofessionals who are involved in our current federally funded
grant. It is also explained to them verbally, and given to them in the letter of permission to
participate. We do not engage in deceptive research, and all data gathered from a participant is
available to them at any time. They also have the final say over who may and may not see it. For
example, in the paraprofessional observation study, the paraprofessional has control over
whether the parent sees the data describing the paraprofessional’s activities. The parents, of
course, have access to data on their children.
Procedural Safeguards
The following procedures and safeguards will be used in the observations for this study. It is
our intention to keep you
informed of all our procedures. The following safeguards are in place for protecting the
faculty, staff, and students in the
classrooms:
All written information gathered during an observation will be made available to you upon
request. The results of the
observations in a tabular and graphic form will be given to you upon completion of the
observation and analysis. We
will be available to talk with you about the results and to assist you drawing conclusions
appropriate to the data, if any.
All observation forms will be coded with an identification number and subsequently with a
pseudonym for the staff
member that is being observed. The originals of the forms will be kept in locked file cabinets
at Appalachian State
University. Only research staff and representatives from the U.S. Department of Education
will have access to the
records. The data from the observations will be entered into a specially designed database and
stored on the hard
drive of a personal computer and on floppy disks. The data will not be stored on a University
server until it is deemed
secure.
Under no circumstances will specific information about activities in your classroom be
discussed with anyone outside
of the research staff with the exception of the specifically designated activities on the code list
and recording sheets.
These will be analyzed separate from any information on a specific staff member or school
excepting grade level and
age and diagnosis of the child with disabilities. Other information that may be included in
tabular form in a written
article includes amount of experience, education level, and gender. Only pseudonyms will be
used in any written
reports or articles. You will have the opportunity to read the articles prior to submission if you
so desire. If there is any
inaccurate information in the article, you have the opportunity to discuss it with the research
staff and we will change it.
The parents or guardians of the child with disabilities will also be asked to give written,
informed consent for the
observations and if they do not wish to have their child observed we will not observe the
paraprofessional in that
child’s classroom.
The teacher in the classroom also has an option to stop the research at anytime, either for a
specific observation day
or for the remainder of the project in that classroom.
Each paraprofessional to be observed will consent to the observation and will be asked to sign
a letter indicating that
the procedures, the intent of the research, and the use of the data have been explained. The
letter will also state that if
the paraprofessional wishes to withdraw that permission at anytime they are free to do so.
There will be no
repercussions for not signing or for withdrawing from the research.
The following set of parameters is used to select participants for each of the studies that are
conducted in school settings. Each school has particular questions and needs as well but we use
this format as our basis. Some districts require and IRB report before a decision will be meds
and we follow whatever the administration asks us to do. It is important to remember that, as
researchers in schools, we are guests there and not necessary to their program. These
procedures are also posted on the website and are given to administrators and teachers as a part
of the introductory packet for each project.
Selection of Participants
The following procedures will be used, as appropriate in each district, to select students,
paraprofessionals, and teachers to
participate in the study.
1. We will meet with the appropriate administrators to determine whether (a) it is feasible
to conduct the study
in their program, (b) they have a sufficient number of suitable participants available, (c)
their teachers and
paraprofessionals would be interested in the study, and (d) they have any clearances that
must be obtained from
their governing board or entity for the conduct of research in their district. We will comply
with any such
procedures to obtain clearances as required.
2. We will work with staff in contacting families about the nature of the study. Usually, we
work with the
teachers or the principal to draft a letter that notifies the parents that research may be
conducted in their child's
classroom and that their child will not be a participant without them first being contacted.
3. We will contact the families of the children who would be most appropriate for
participation (in the view of
the administrators and the teachers). We will (a) state that we want to include their child in
the study, (b)
describe the study, (c) invite them to telephone us if they have questions or want to
schedule a time to meet with
us to discuss the study and their child's participation in it. We will also include the
informed consent form with
the letter.
4. We will meet and/or talk with any parents who wish to discuss the study. We will
provide a verbal
description of the study and answer or address any concerns or questions.
For the Student:
1. Each student will be enrolled in a school program that is serving children with
disabilities.
2. The students will each have an identified disability and a written Individual Educational
Program (IEP).
3. The students must have a history of regular attendance in the school. This criterion is
used to ensure that
adequate attendance will occur so that (1) our time in the classroom is kept to a minimum,
and (2) our
resources devoted to conducting the study will not be wasted.
4. No student will be included or excluded from participation in the study based on their
gender,
socio-economic status, or ethnic background. Since the procedures are not likely to interact
with these
variables, these factors will not be used as selection criteria; however, descriptions of these
factors will be
included in reports of the research.
5. No student will participate in the research without informed consent by the child's
parents/guardian.