Re: Human Subject Research

[Felicia Mitchell <fmitchel@ehc.edu>]

Kate,

I'd call your education department to see how it works things out for
students enrolled in what we call "early field experience" courses here
(one-half semester hour registrations, four enrollments required).  The
description for this course includes "observation and teacher-aiding at the
elementary or secondary levels."  You might also check with the country
office of education. Even call the schools first to ask what they would
require before you visit. Human Subject Research, I suspect, involves
planned and systematic study based on some grand design, or even if it's
observational.  Do you just want your tutors to see how other people tutor
and how other students learn?  If so, look for the precedent.  If the
education and psychology students can go into classes and just watch, then
maybe yours can too.  

The gray area comes when people write about observations for "publication"
(even class papers).  My students often do what I call "action research
papers," mostly surveys or observations, but mostly on campus or at a mall,
whatever.  I explain to them the guidelines, and how they need permission if
they do something experimental (like play different types of music to get
reactions, for example, or do a taste test for coke versus other colas), but
it's more informal.  Will you want your students to record their
observations as learners or as researchers?  That's the key.  Of course, the
two are so interconnected.  You raise an interesting issue, though I
hope/suspect you can work things out for observation if you can use
precedents at your school to help out.  

I know that when he was an infant/toddler, my son was observed a few times
by different classes here at E&H so psychology students could see him doing
developmental sorts of things, like playing with blocks or turning his head
when he heard a noise.  We gave permission (and were there) but didn't fill
out papers.  We understood he was being observed so students could learn,
not so someone could "do" research.  I don't mind E&H students observing his
learning environment, just as I wouldn't mind if graduate students started
observing what goes on in our undergraduate writing lab.  

This is too long.  Sorry.  I should be reading portfolios.

For Florida State University's guidelines on human subject research--
http://mailer.fsu.edu/~research/human.html

There are some other online sites as well.
At 10:48 AM 5/6/97 -0500, you wrote:
>Hi, folks--
>	I just submitted my scheme for a one-credit tutor-training
>course to the English department personnel committee (thanks to
>many of you for your input).  One component of the course
>was observation--enrolled students would be asked to spend two to
>three hours visiting other tutoring centers on campus or at local\
>high schools observing.  The committee pointed out that this
>would require special releases, proposals, all kinds of things
>because such visits would constitute Human Subject Research.
>I would rather be safe than sorry, but wonder, have any of you
>run into this before, and how have you handled it?
>
>	Thanks--Kate Marsters, Gannon U, Erie PA
>
>
Felicia Mitchell
Department of English
Emory & Henry College
P.O. Box 947
Emory, VA 24327-0947
PHONE: (540) 944-6225
FAX: (540) 944-6880
E-MAIL:  fmitchel@ehc.edu