University of Phoenix Institutional Review Board Application to Conduct Research Using

University of Phoenix Institutional Review Board Application to Conduct Research Using Human Subjects

The University of Phoenix Institutional Review Board (IRB) must review all requests to conduct research involving human subjects. Present the request in typewritten form and in non-technical terms understandable by the IRB. If this is a pilot study, the IRB application must be approved prior to conducting the study. If the study is based on a developed instrument, the IRB application may be turned in with the proposal.

Please note that it is the researcher’s responsibility to give complete information about the benefits and risks entailed by the proposal. To assist the IRB in its review, please submit a copy of your complete proposal and the informed consent forms, along with all materials and background information. If you are faculty and/or staff, a copy of your curriculum vitae or biographical sketch is also required.

Name of Researcher(s) / City, State, and Country / School or College and University / Affiliation
(student, faculty, or staff) / Type of Research
(research study, *funded research, or other)
1. Claire W. Wilson / Phoenix, AZ US/ School of Advanced Studies
University of Phoenix / StudentFacultyStaff / Research StudyFunded ResearchOther
* If research is funded, please complete the following agency information:
agency submitted to / submission date / location of project
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2. Dissertation Title: A Quantitative Study on The Effects of Class Size on Students’ Academic Achievement.
3. Purpose of Study:
The purpose of the proposed quantitative correlational research study will be to examine the effects of class size on students’ Language Arts and Mathematics scores as measured by city wide test scores while controlling for various variables.
4. Project description: Summarize the proposed research method and data collection procedure. The IRB must have complete and detailed information about what will happen with, or to, subjects in order to evaluate or estimate the potential risks.
The proposed quantitative study will involve the use of the 2009-2010 New York City language arts and mathematics test scores of approximately 200 students from four to six elementary schools in Brooklyn, New York. Demographic information at the individual student and classroom level is available from classroom rosters provided by the individual schools. Relevant school and district level information involving test data will be obtained from the schools’ websites with permission from the Department of Education Research Division. To determine whether class size is significantly related to scores in language arts and mathematics, student scores on citywide assessments on language arts and mathematics scores will be recorded for each student. Students will be identified by using a number as a representation for each subject. Coding for student-level and classroom level demographic variables is illustrated in Table 1.
Table 1
Variable Coding
Variable – Student Level / Code
Gender / 0 = Male, 1 = Female
Ethnicity / 0 = White, 1 = Black, 2 = Hispanic, 3 = Other
Grade level / 3 = Third Grade, 5 = Fifth Grade
Variable – Classroom Level / Code
Teacher Experience / __ Number of years teaching
Classroom Type / 1 = Special education, 2 = Inclusion, 3 = Gifted,
4 = General
Amount Spent Per Student / Dollar amount spent per student per year
Explain whether subjects will encounter the possibility of stress or psychological, social, physical, or legal risks that are greater than those ordinarily encountered in daily life or during the performance of routine physical or psychological examinations or tests. Assurance from the investigator, no matter how strong, will not substitute for a detailed description of the transactions between investigator and subject(s). If a questionnaire is used, attach a copy. Describe when visual or auditory stimuli, chemical substances, or other measures might create a risk. In all cases, the IRB will require documentation.
Subjects will not encounter the possibility of stress or psychological, social, physical, or legal risks that are greater than those ordinarily encountered in daily life or during the performance of routine physical or psychological examinations or tests because there will be no physical contact with subjects. Students’ test scores will be obtained from school data, and retrieving these data will have no immediate impact on subjects’ actual performance on the tests. The city-wide tests will be administered before this study is brought to the subjects’ attention, should that occur. While administrators and faculty will be notified of the research study, the children will not be directly involved.
5. Will the subjects to be recruited fall under the federal guidelines for vulnerable subjects listed below: (The guidelines are defined at www.citiprogram.org)
5. Will the subjects to be recruited fall under the federal guidelines for vulnerable
subjects listed below: (The guidelines are defined at www.citiprogram.org)
a. Age less than 18 years? / Yes ( ) / No (x)
b. In prison? / Yes () / No (x)
c. Pregnant women? / Yes () / No (x)
d. Cognitively impaired? / Yes () / No (x)
Additionally,
e. Will the subjects be deceived or misled in any way?
f. Will subjects be students of University of Phoenix?
g. Will subjects be faculty or staff of the University of
Phoenix?
h. Will information be requested that is personal or sensitive? / Yes () No (x)
Yes () No (x)
Yes () No (x)
Yes () No (x)
6. Selection: How will subjects be selected, enlisted, or recruited?
Subjects will be selected based on classroom size, school population, geographic school location, and administrators’ and parents’ willingness for students to participate in this research study. The researcher will take into consideration the number of classrooms in every school, and using the class roster, select the number of students for the study in order to obtain a sample of males and females. The socioeconomic and ethnic makeup of neighborhoods will also be part of the selection, enlistment, and recruitment of subjects.
Who will be excluded from this study and why?
In this research study, youth who are younger than 18 years of age will be excluded, according to the research design and purpose. All test scores of classes other than third grade and fifth grade classes of the selected schools will be excluded from the study.
7. Informed consent: How will subjects be informed of procedures, intent of the study, and potential risks to them?
Administrators and staff will be informed of the study as their support will be important for the study There will also be a parent meeting at the respective schools to make parents aware of the study and what it entails. The procedures will be explained in detail with a handout for parents to read concerning how the data will be collected for the study and what will be done with the data. Parents will be told that a copy of the study will be presented to the Board of Education and the School Board. Participants will also be told that the results of the study will show whether or not class size has any effect on their child’s Language Arts and Mathematics scores. Participants will have the freedom to withdraw from the study at any time, and they will be assured that all information will be kept confidential.
Parents will be assured that students’ names will not be identified in the study. Students’ test scores will be coded for use during the analysis. Only the researcher will have access to the student-code match. Findings will be reported in the aggregate, eliminating any reporting of individual results.
Describe how subjects will be informed of withdrawal procedures before the study begins. Then, describe the withdrawal procedure.
Parents will have the option of withdrawing their children from the study at any time if they feel that they are not comfortable with the study. They will be informed at the formal meeting about the withdrawal process which involves notifying their intent to the Parent Coordinator at the school who will inform the researcher.
Parents will sign the consent form, giving their approval for their child to be a part of the study. They will be given a copy of the consent form and an attachment which will state the researchers’ information and a statement to be signed if for some reason they decide to withdraw from the study. They will be asked to fill out this form and give it to the school Parent Coordinator who will make all contact with the researcher. This can also be done through email or phone to the researcher.
Describe how subjects will be informed of the procedure for contacting the researcher, should they have any concerns during or following the study.
The researcher will leave her work information, including her e-mail address, at every school with the contact person at the school who will be the Parent Coordinator. The Parent Coordinator will be the one contacting the researcher, and the researcher will visit the school periodically to give feedback on how the research is going and that of collecting the data for analysis purposes.
Letters explaining the study and its purpose will be distributed to all parents whose children’s scores will be collected for use in the study. The distribution will occur by means of e-mail, U.S. Postal Service, and by hand at meetings. The letters will include the name and contact information of the Parent Coordinator at the school.
8. What are the potential benefits to a subject?
Participants will be informed that there may be no direct benefit from participating in the proposed research study. An identification of the influence of overcrowded classrooms on students’ test scores, taking into consideration school location, staffing, ethnicity, and teachers’ qualifications, may aid in program planning and staffing within elementary schools. As an incentive, the students from each classroom which is included in the study will be treated to a sponsored educational trip to be decided by the classroom teachers and the researcher.
9. Privacy:
Will information be gathered that may identify individual subjects (other than the
consent form)?
The information to be gathered will consist only of the participants’ test scores, sex, age range, grade, and ethnicity. Student names will not be a part of the study; they will be represented by codes assigned when downloading the test grades for the research study. The researcher is not a teacher is any of the selected classes.
How will subjects’ privacy be maintained and confidentiality guaranteed?
Subjects’ privacy will be maintained as their names will not be identified in the study. Findings will be reported in aggregate format. All information collected will be kept in a locked cabinet and will be available only to the researcher. Subjects will be identified only by numbers. After three years, all information will be shredded, destroyed, and incinerated.
10. Proposed research start date: 02/01/2010 End date: 02/01/2011*
*End date should be one year from start date. Research extending beyond one year from IRB approval will require that an updated application be submitted for IRB review.
11. Attachments: Please check all that apply.
Proposal / (x) /

Informed consent forms

/ (x)
Data collection tool / () / Assent form (as child subject will view it) / ()
Communication with subjects (introductory letters) / (x) / Curriculum vitae or biographical sketch / ()
Verbal script / () / Other documentation / (x)
In making this application, I certify that I have read and understand the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (45 CFR 690) and that I will comply with the University policies governing the same. I will submit proof of training in the protection of human subjects, found at www.citiprogram.org
I also agree to submit a progress report as requested.
Principal investigator:
Name: / Signature: / Date:
Claire Wilson / /s/ Claire Wilson / 02/01/2010
E-mail Address: / Telephone #:
/ (347) 413-6388
Mailing Address:
542 Vandalia Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11239
Significant changes in protocol must be submitted to the IRB for written approval prior to such changes being put into practice. Informed consent/assent records of the subjects will be kept by the researcher for three (3) years after completion of the research.
Faculty/advisor: (Complete this section if researcher is your student). I agree to provide the proper oversight of this project to ensure that the rights and welfare of all human subjects involved are properly protected.
Name: / Signature: / Date: / E-mail Address:
Karen K. Johnson / /s/ Karen K. Johnson / 02/01/2010 /
Phoenix, AZ / University of Phoenix, School of Advanced Studies / (708) 250-8475
In your opinion, is the research: / Exempt / Archival Data: Yes No
Non exempt
Why?
Student records will be reviewed, but there will be no direct contact with the students. No other exempt groups will be included in the study.
This application has been reviewed by the University of Phoenix IRB:
Full review board () / Exempt () / Expedited / ()
Approved () / Deferred () / Disapproved / ()
Approved with changes. See required changes below* / ()
Third party verification sought / ()
Project report date / # / / / ()
*Changes or modifications/conditions for approval, or reasons for disapproval:
This application is good for one year from the start of the study.
Reviewer’s Name: / Reviewer’s Signature: / Date:
/s/ / //
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