Question 1

William was conducting a study on preschool children's problem-solving and one of his participants unexpectedly broke into tears and sobbed uncontrollably saying, "I'm so stupid I can't get it." and ran out of the session. William was unsure what to do next. His study has violated which of the following Legislative Acts?

Accepted Answer

The National Research Act requires researchers to ensure the welfare of participants, including minimizing distress. The child's reaction indicates a potential breach of ethical guidelines related to participant welfare.

Question 2

Kyle, age 10, heard about a great research study and wants to participate. His parents do not wish him to participate and have not signed a consent form. Can Kyle participate?

Accepted Answer

In most cases, parental consent is required for minors to participate in research studies, regardless of the child's age. Without parental consent, Kyle cannot participate in the study.

Question 3

The primary role of the IRB is to

Accepted Answer

The primary role of the IRB (Institutional Review Board) is to ensure the protection of research participants from harm and invasion of privacy. This includes reviewing research proposals and protocols to ensure that they meet ethical standards and comply with federal regulations. The IRB is responsible for evaluating the risks and benefits of participation in a study and ensuring that participants provide informed consent.

Question 4

While conducting a study in a school setting a parent who provided consent for her child to participate asks to see her child's test results. Should you share these results?

Accepted Answer

Confidentiality requires that you cannot share the results without the child's consent.

Question 5

Michele wants to conduct a study in a local charter school. Which of the following is likely a 'first step'?

Accepted Answer

Before any research can be conducted in a school, it is important to determine the necessary procedures for gaining entry into the school for research purposes. This may include obtaining approval from the school administration, obtaining consent from parents, and following any guidelines or regulations set by the school or district. Without first determining these procedures, it is not appropriate to contact parents, send letters, or observe classrooms.

Question 6

Zareb studies children's social standing in their classes. He is interested in students who are rejected by their peers. He has designed an intervention to help such children. He is concerned, however, because he fears the potential effects of telling learners that their peers don't like them. Therefore, he thinks it is important to deceive his study participants, and tell them that they were randomly selected to participate in his intervention, to maximize the study benefits and minimize the harm to the students. This decision best falls under which APA ethical principle?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Zareb studies children's social standing in their...

Question 7

Bruce studies the effects of class size on standardized test scores. He recently approached a school district about conducting a study in their school. The school personnel were really excited to work with Bruce so they provided hard copies of students' individual standardized test results. Although the school district was being helpful this illustrates a violation of

Accepted Answer

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of student education records, including standardized test scores. Providing hard copies of students' individual standardized test results without obtaining appropriate consent is a violation of FERPA. The National Research Act is related to the protection of human subjects in research. The Family Research Act and National Family Rights and Privacy Act are not actual laws.

Question 8

Of the following, informed consent accurately refers to a

Accepted Answer

Informed consent in the context of research, especially involving minors, refers to the legal permission granted by a parent or guardian for their child to participate in a study. This consent is based on a full understanding of the nature and risks of the study.

Question 9

You have approached a school about doing a study that assesses their middle school students' proficiencies with advanced computer technologies. The school agrees but states their agreement is contingent on you 'giving back' to the school. Of those provided, which is the most ethical means of 'giving back'?

Accepted Answer

Providing sessions for teachers and parents on emerging technologies in education is ethical as it benefits the entire school community without compromising individual student privacy.

Question 10

Generally, in IRB approved classroom-based studies participants'

Accepted Answer

In classroom-based studies, confidentiality is typically maintained by ensuring that personal data is not disclosed without consent. Anonymity, however, may not always be possible if the researcher knows the participants.

Question 11

In order to conduct a study in a school setting that uses student data, researchers generally need to obtain permission from

Accepted Answer

Researchers need to obtain permission from a representative of the school, the parents, and the children to ensure ethical standards and legal compliance, including informed consent and assent.

Question 12

Frank conducted a survey during first-year orientation. He asked students to answer questions about what made them decide to attend college. He did not ask for any identifying information on the survey and students dropped it off in campus mail so he could not identify any participants. Frank's study illustrates

Accepted Answer

Anonymity refers to the protection of participants' identities, while confidentiality refers to the protection of the information they provide. In this case, Frank's study illustrates both anonymity (since students were not asked for any identifying information) and confidentiality (since the surveys were dropped off in campus mail so that Frank could not identify any participants).

Question 13

Of the following which is true regarding confidentiality and anonymity?

Accepted Answer

Anonymity means that the identity of the participant is not known, while confidentiality means that the identity is known but protected. If anonymity is ensured, confidentiality is inherently maintained because the identity is not known.

Question 14

Genna has told parents that their children's responses to a spatial ability measure that she used in research will not be reported in the research report. However, she intends to report the data. Genna is illustrating

Accepted Answer

Confidentiality refers to the researcher's promise to keep the data collected from participants private and not to disclose it to anyone without their consent.

Question 15

In addition to researchers the IRB or Human Subjects Board must include

Accepted Answer

The IRB or Human Subjects Board must include a nonscientist, who can provide a different perspective and ensure that the research is ethical and safe for all participants. While a University administrator may be helpful in dealing with administrative issues, a State Legislator may not have the expertise in research ethics, and a psychiatrist may not be necessary for every study.

Question 16

Julie has proposed to do research with socially rejected children. She wants to use a selection procedure where peers identify students who are socially rejected and then they become part of Julie's social skills intervention study. She will tell the children that they are participating in a study of children's social skills but she will tell them they were randomly selected for the study, not that they have been identified as needing an intervention. Of the following, which is true regarding the IRB review Julie will likely encounter?

Accepted Answer

The study involves deception because the children are being told they were randomly selected rather than being identified as socially rejected. The IRB will likely require a full review to ensure that the deception does not cause harm to the participants and that the benefits of the study outweigh any potential harm. Informed consent is not an issue in this scenario because Julie is still obtaining consent from the participants, even though she is not disclosing the true reason for their selection.

Question 17

One of the reasons why ethical concerns for qualitative researchers are enhanced is because

Accepted Answer

The answer of One of the reasons why ethical concerns...

Question 18

The IRB has _____levels of review of research proposals that vary based upon level of risk.

Accepted Answer

The IRB has three levels of review of research proposals that vary based upon level of risk. These levels are exempt, expedited, and full review.

Question 19

Sara conducted a study in her sixth grade classroom. The study focused on students' interests in Science classes. Sara shared what individual students said about their interest in science with the seventh grade teachers to help place students in next years' classes. What can one conclude about Sara's sharing this information?

Accepted Answer

Sara's sharing of individual students' interests without consent is unethical as it breaches confidentiality.

Question 20

James conducted a qualitative study in a Fraternity House. As a researcher, he pledged the Frat and conducted an ethnography about the nature of fraternity life at a large University. When he wrote up the study he did not use 'real' names of the other members. He also did not identify the University in his research report. He did not tell the other Fraternity members he was a researcher and that he was collecting data. Which of the following addresses ethical considerations of James study.

Accepted Answer

James did not obtain informed consent from the participants before collecting data from them. It is ethically required to obtain informed consent from participants in a study. Additionally, while James kept the identities of the participants confidential, there is still a clear potential for harm if the identities were to be revealed in the future.

Quiz 1: Introduction to Educational Research