Introduction
The parent-involvement study was in Quebec, Canada. Consequently, the permission they sought revolves around legal codes in the country. However, the researchers also needed to consider general ethical concerns in research as well as bureaucratic issues when seeking permission.
Permission for the five schools
In Canada, a researcher must obtain permission from the Research and Ethics Board in one’s tertiary institution. If an investigator comes from a university or a college, then he or she needs to speak to The Research and Ethics Board (REB) in his university or college respectively. All REBs abide by the Tri-Council policy on conducting research involving humans. Therefore, Deslandes and Bertrand (2005) would have to prove to the REB that they have followed this ethical policy. The REB often looks for certain qualities before granting approval. The research application process needs to be done to completion. Investigators should provide sufficient detail about the study. The authors of the parent-involvement study should have described all the relevant details about their research(Knipping & Reid, 2006). Otherwise, the REB would have requested them to resubmit their application with better clarification. To secure approval, the investigators should ensure that they adhere to rules on informed-consent. Additionally, methods involved in the research should not be overly disruptive in the classroom. The REB attempts to balance between the benefits accrued to students from the research and the degree of interference in classroom activities. Therefore, Deslandes and Bertrand (2005) should have submitted the overall value of the research to the REB. If other investigators were already studying this subject matter, then chances are that the Board would have rejected the application.
According to the Tri-Council guidelines, researchers ought to follow the principle of informed consent. Subjects should participate in the research only after receiving adequate information about the research. Investigators should also give them room to choose to participate or not. Since most of the children involved in classroom settings are below the age of eighteen, then the researchers ought to seek permission from their parents or guardians. Therefore, Deslandes and Bertrand (2005) would have shown a signed permission letter by the parents and the students involved in the study.
In the event that a parent or child refuses to sign the permission letter, then researchers can still proceed with the study; however, they must not use data from the non-consenting child (Ungar et. al., 2006). Therefore, the investigators cannot interview, observe or tape such an individual. One should note that children lack parental consent due to technical difficulties. Sometimes, a parent may be illiterate, and may not know how to give informed consent. Alternatively, others may not understand the full implications of the research. Investigators should try to use methods of permission-seeking that do not exclude certain populations. Deslandes and Bertrand (2005) conducted their research in rural and urban areas. It is likely that they encountered such populations. Therefore, they should have informed them about the usefulness of the research verbally in order to secure their support.
The sources of funding for the research were not clearly stated in the paper. However, if they used an external body, then they also required informed consent from the funding institution, as well. In addition to this group, the authors also required permission from the District School Board in which they were carrying out the research. This is especially necessary for public schools that have a firm control over the extent and number of research done on such programs. First, the Board would need to ascertain whether the topic of concern was worthy of the school’s time. In other words, it must improve teaching or at least support student learning. Getting permission from the District School Board of all the five middle schools would have been necessary as it protects educators from disruptions from excessive researchers. This is a way of curtailing and controlling learning interruptions in the classroom setting (Knipping & Reid, 2006).
Perhaps the most critical source of consent in the parent involvement study is the school itself. The two researchers needed to write a letter seeking permission to carry out research in a certain school. They should have addressed the letter to the head of the school or the principal. In this process, Deslandes and Bertrand (2005) would need to specify their sponsoring institution and the purpose for carrying out their research. Their intention was to publish the information in a journal so they could have cited contribution to knowledge as their main reason. They would also have stated the research topic and the processes involved in carrying out the research. It is imperative to include the number of children that the research requires, and a breakdown of the children’s demographic variables. Furthermore, one needs to outline exactly how the children will participate in the study. If they will have to respond to interview questions, or fill in questionnaires, then this should be clarified. It should also contain information about parental involvement. During the permission-request process, the investigators should also specify the settings in which they conduct the survey; this should entail geography and time. Cost-expectations ought to be outlined, as well since the school would need to know in advance if any cost implications exist (Cresswell, 2008). The end of the permission letter should have an explicit request for permission and means with which the school head can contact the researcher. The investigators should leave room on the printed letter for an approval signature.
Conclusion
The main idea behind seeking permission is to prepare all the stakeholders, affected by a study, for the intricacies involved in the study. In the parent-involvement research, the authors should have started with the top-ranked bodies and worked their way downwards. Therefore, the REB, school district boards, and funding bodies should have provided permission for the study. Thereafter, the investigators should have focused on the school administration through a school head or principal. Permission from parents and students should also have been sought.
References
Cresswell, J. (2008). Educational Research: Planning, conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research. NY: Pearson Education.
Deslandes, R. & Bertrand, R. (2005). Motivation of parent involvement in secondary-level schooling. Journal of Educational Research, 98(3), 164-175.
Knipping, C. & Reid, D. (2006). Ethical and political issues in classroom-based research. Web.
Ungar, D., Joffe, S. & Kodish, E. (2006). Children are not small adults: Documentation of assent for research involving children. Journal of Pediatrics, 149(1), S31-S33.