Piedmont College
School of Education
Syllabus for EDEC 699

Fall 2000 

Mastering the art of teaching: Preparing proactive educators to improve the lives of children

I. Course

Title:Methods and Interpretation of Educational Research
Number:EDEC 699.1

II. Instructor

Name:Dr. Bob Cummings
Office Location:L-120

Phone:(706) 778-3000 ext. 1265

Email: bcummings@piedmont.edu

Fax # (706) 776-9608 for Demorest and (706) 546-8223 for Athens

Office Hours:

Monday1:00 pm-5:00pm

Tuesday by appointment

Wednesday1:00 pm-5:00pm
Thursday2:00 pm-5:00pm

Fridayby appointment

III. Time and Place

Day(s):Alternating Mondays, beginning August 28th 2000
Time:5:00pm ¿ 9:20pm

Class Location:Lane Education Center, Computer Lab

IV. Text(s)

Required

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (A.P.A. 4th ed.)

Calhoun, E. F. (1994). How to Use Action Research in the Self-Renewing School.Alexandria, VA: ASCD. 

Mills, Geoffrey E. (2000). Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher. New Jersey: Merrill/Prentice Hall. 

Sagor, R. (1992).How to Conduct Collaborative Action Research.Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

V. School of Education Mission

Piedmont College Mission:

Inspired by the liberal arts tradition and a historical association with the Congregational Christian Churches, Piedmont College cultivates a diverse, challenging and caring intellectual environment to encourage academic success and spiritual development.

To accomplish this mission, the college offers a number of major fields of study that are informed by the liberal arts, including specialized professional programs and selected graduate programs.Instructional opportunities are also provided at distant locations to meet student needs.

.

School of Education Mission & Philosophy:

The theme of the School of Education is ñPreparing Proactive Educators to Improve the Lives of Children.îReinforcing the mission of Piedmont College, the School of Education strives to prepare reflective, scholarly, proactive educators.These practitioners effectively educate their own students to become knowledgeable, inquisitive, and collaborative learners in diverse, democratic learning communities. 

Specific ideals under-gird our conceptual framework.We advocate the democratic ideals of: equal rights and opportunities; individual freedom and responsibility; responsibility for the greater good; respect for diversity; openness to possibilities; and open, informed discourse. 

We endorse the following processes as a means of striving for our democratic ideals: engaging in participatory decision-making; collaborating in teaching and learning; collecting information from all constituencies; examining options and projecting consequences; nurturing open discourse; providing for field experiences; assessing processes as well as products; modeling democratic ideals in the classroom; forming communities of learners; and constantly revising the curriculum to reflect new insights and understandings.Further, we endorse the development of a sense of personal integrity and of strong habits of mind (e.g., reflectiveness, persistence, clarity, accuracy, and responsiveness to feedback). 

Graduate MAT and MA Program Goals:

The goal of the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and Master of Arts (MA) programs at Piedmont College is to provide the graduate candidate knowledge in the social and educational development of students.Through an individualized program of study based on the candidateÍs undergraduate program, experience, and professional goals, the programs seek to:

Øprovide the candidatewith the ability to communicate and teach effectively using an interdisciplinary knowledge base and understanding of multidimensional classrooms;

Øuse and facilitate critical thinking skills;

Øenhance candidatesÍ content knowledge, integrating it with instructional technology;

Øenable candidates to interpret and assess educational research, and conduct their own classroom-based research; and to provide experiences that enable candidates to assume roles as scholarly practitioners and develop their skills and abilities as professional teachers.

VI. Course Description & Purpose

The purpose of this course is the study of current research methods and theories, procedures and designs with an emphasis on critical thinking, assessment, and action research.Included in this course will be the evaluation, interpretation, and application of educational research methods.The focus of this course is the critical understanding of the knowledge, skills, and production of educational research, which can contribute to the knowledge base or can be applied to professional practice, with a special emphasis on students becoming competent consumers of research.In addition, considerable attention will be paid to action research and collaborative research.

As producers and/or consumers of research, it is necessary to critically understand the basic logic and procedures of research in order to better the research.The public and public officials hold schools accountable for what is accomplished, and as educational practitioners seek to improve their activities, research (especially action research and assessment) takes on increasing importance.Through the use of research (action research), educators are in a better position to undertake educational improvements and assess their outcomes to improve the quality of education.

VII.SCHOOL OF EDUCATION OUTCOMES:

Core Candidate Learning Outcomes :

The following outcomes, adapted from the 1994 INTASC standards (Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium), are addressed in this course.

1)Learning Environment: The proactive teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation to create a caring learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, self regulation and collaboration.The teacher additionally fosters the ideals of a democratic classroom by treating students fairly and justly, providing intellectual challenge, and supporting students as they pursue knowledge and understanding.CO: 2, 3, 9, 10, 11

2) Subject Matter: The scholarly teacher understands and can model the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students. CO: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12, 14

3) Student Learning: The reflectiveteacher understands how students develop and learn and can provide well-managed learning opportunities that support studentsÍ intellectual, social, and personal growth.

CO: 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 12, 13, 14

4) Diversity: The teacher committed to the ideals of the democratic classroom understands that learners are the products of their innate talents/disabilities, preferred learning styles, and cultural experiences and can adapt instruction to meet diverse needs. CO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,10, 11, 12, 14

5) Instructional Strategies: The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional stratagies to proactively encourage the development of student critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills. CO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 12, 13, 14

6) Assessment Strategies: The teacher understands and uses a variety of assessment strategies to encourage the continual intellectual, social, and personal growth of students to become knowledgeable, inquisitive learners. CO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 13, 14

7) Communication and Technology: The proactive teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal, non-verbal, and media communication techniques and technologies to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom. CO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 13, 14

8) Planning Instruction: The reflective, scholarly, and knowledgeable teacher plans and manages instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter/pedagogy, students, the community, and curriculum goals. CO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14

9) Reflection and Professional Development: The teacher is a reflective practitionerwho continually evaluates the effects of her/his choices and actions upon others, and who proactively seeks opportunities for the continual development of a personal pedagogy. CO: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 14

10) Collaboration and Relationships: The proactive teacher communicates and interacts through democratic processes with other educators, parents/families, and the community to support student learning and well being. CO: 6

Early Childhood Graduate Candidate Learning Outcomes:

11) Constructivist Practices: The proactive, scholarly, and reflective teacher models and provides opportunities for constructivist practices. CO: 5, 6, 8, 9, 13

12) Informed Teachers: The proactive, scholarly, and reflective teacher is an informed professional.

CO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12

13) Scholarly Work: The proactive, reflective teacher actively engages in scholarly work. CO: 2, 6, 14

14) Action Research: The proactive, scholarly, and reflective teacher participates in action research.

CO: 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14 

SECONDARY EDUCATION MASTERS-LEVEL CLOs

To complement the 10 [Core] Candidate Learning Outcomes
For both Initial and Advanced Certification Programs

*Research:The teacher refines instructional practices informed by critical consideration of relevant research and by the application of action research as an ongoing aspect of practice. 

Democratic Classroom:The teacher guides students toward involvement in activities which provide skills and dispositions to fulfill the roles of a citizen engaged in pursuing the ideals of democracy. 

*Philosophical Orientation:The teacher studies initiatives, patterns, trends and policies for their philosophical underpinnings as part of an continuing assessment of the efficacy of those underpinnings. 

*Integrity:The teacher pursues her/his professional practices with a strong sense of mission beyond keeping a job, and with a keen sense of ethical integrity. 

*Philosophical Pragmatism:The teacher maintains an intellectual spiral in which practices are improved by conceptual refinements, which are in turn refined by assessing the results of implementations over time. 

For Advanced Certification Programs

Modeling and Mentoring:the teacher both models best practices and accepts responsibility to mentor new and veteran teachers. 

*Professional Discourse:The teacher participates actively in the professional discourses related to the field of certification--at the school and in regional and national venues. 

*Proactive Involvement:The teacher takes advantage of opportunities to influence the school toward curricula, instructional practices, policies and professional climate which result in students acquiring more durable knowledge and skills and in-depth understanding, as well as positive dispositions toward learning. 

The ñ*îSecondary Graduate outcomes are a focus of this course. 

VIII. Course Outcomes Addressed in the Class

The Candidate will be able to demonstrate a knowledgeable understanding of research methodologies through application, analysis, and evaluation of research by performing and reporting an authentic collaborative action research project in an educational environment. At the conclusion of the course, students should be able to:
a. (CLO 2,) describe and apply the procedure of scientific research;

b. (CLO 2,)apply the basic vocabulary of research;

c. (CLO 2,)utilize various kinds of research methods;

d. (CLO 2,) comprehend, apply, analyze, and evaluate quantitative and qualitative methods and designs;

e. (CLO 2,)perform data analysis and interpretation;

f. (CLO 2,7,)synthesize the use of computers with research;

g. (CLO 2, 6, 10,) conduct, implement, evaluate and present action research;

h. (CLO 2, 6, 9, 10,) comprehend and apply collaborative action research and how it assists teachers to make changes in their educational practices.

i. All the above-mentioned Graduate Outcomes are examined and produced in this course. 

IX. Course Policies & Procedures

X. Class Attendance & Participation

Attendance/Participation:
Attendance, timeliness, and participation are required and part of your grade.The School of Education policy states that more than the allotted number of excused absences for any reason will result in failure of the course.The allotted number of excused absences is as follows:

·Day classes meeting three times a week for entire semester: 6 absences

·Day classes meeting two times a week for entire semester: 4 absences

·All eight-week classes: 1 absence

·Evening classes meeting for entire semester:3 absences

Only those absences due to emergencies will be excused.Work missed due to an excused absence may be made up.It is the studentÍs responsibility to inform the professor in writing how he or she plans to make up the work.Any student who misses more than the allowable number of classes will be asked to drop the course or will receive an F at the end of the semester.Please contact the professor prior to absence when possible.

 ActActiActive Active participation means that every student prepares for class by reading the text and/or other assigned readings and that each student actively participates in discussions and activities conducted during class.

XI. Academic Honesty

Written Work:
Use APA style (4th ed.).All papers for the course are to be typed using size 12 print and one of the following fonts: Bookman, Times New Roman, or Geneva.Papers should be double-spaced, error-free, and grammatically correct (including punctuation, spelling, capitalization, etc.).Make good use of writing references such as dictionaries, writing handbooks, and computer spelling and grammar checks.Each paper should have a cover sheet with your name, course number and name, assignment, and date clearly typed on the front.

Academic Integrity:

By accepting admission to Piedmont College, each student makes a commitment to understand, support, and abide by the "Academic Integrity Policy" without compromise or exception. This class will be conducted in strict observance of the policy. Refer to your Piedmont College Student Handbook for details.

All work submitted must be your original work created in and for this course. It should be properly referenced using APA (including information from the internet).Double dipping (to be explained in class) is not permitted. 

c.Special Considerations:

Students with any special needs (disabilities, problems, or any other factors that may affect their performance or that require special instructional strategies) should make these special needs known to the instructor during the first class session. 

XII. Course Outline and Student Expectations

a.Schedule & Topic Outline


 
Date & Day
Topic
Assignment
Assessment
Week 1
Introduction/Action Research project/ APA Style
Readings: Action Research/ 
Collaborative AR

Week 2
5 steps Action research/group assignments
Group Presentations
Group Presentations
Week 3
Problem Statements/
Evaluation of Research
Problem Interviews
Problem Statement Analyses
Week 4
Data Collection/validity
Surveys
Survey 
Collation/codings
Week 5
Data Analysis/reliability
Analyses
Mid term Exam
Week 6
Action Plan
APA Papers

Week 7
Reflection of Research Methods
Presentations/Papers
APA Papers/Presentations
Week 8
Student Projects
Reflection Papers
Final Exam
Assessment Rubric:

Grade A-Superior (90-100)

1.Scholarship-Strong, exceeding requirements of instructor.

2.Initiative-Contributions exceeding the assignment, showing independent resourcefulness.

3. Attitude-Positive benefit to class.

4.Cooperation-Forwarding all group activities, constant and spontaneous.

5.Individual Improvement-Marked and Growing. 

Grade B-Good-Above Average (80-89)

1.Scholarship-Accurate and complete, meeting all requirements of instructor.

2.Initiative-Good when stimulated by some desirable achievement.

3.Attitude-Proper and beneficial to group.

4.Cooperation-Good in group work.

5.Individual Improvement-Showing marks of progress and responding to stimulation. 

Grade C-Average (70-79)

1.Scholarship-Barely meeting assignments and showing evidence of need of encouragement.

2.Initiative-Uncertain and apparent only at times.

3.Attitude-Generally neutral but not objectionable.

4.Cooperation-Not positive nor very effective and irregular.

5.Individual Improvement-Very ordinary, definite marks lacking. 

Grade D-Below Average, Yet Passing (65-69)

1.Scholarship-Not meeting all assignments and requirements of instructor.

2.Initiative-Lacking.

3.Attitude-Indifferent.

4.Cooperation-Just fair at times and lacking at other times.

5.Individual Improvement-Not noticeable. 

Grade F-Failing (0-64)

Work unsatisfactory and is a failing grade and hence not defined.

c. Evaluation Criteria

Mid-term exam:25%
Written Reports/Assignments:25%

Research Project:25%

Final Exam:25% 

d.Field Experience Requirements 

There will be field experience required in this course Each semesters needs will vary depending on the make up of the class, student need and research topics Expect a minimum of 5 hours and a maximum of 10 hours in the field doing research..

e.Instructional Methods

The class will consist of discussions, democratic processes, integration of technology, individual and collaborative assignments, research reading and reporting, and presentations in the class.
XIII. Resources

XIV. InstructorÍs Resources

For the benefit of adjunct as well as other fulltime faculty who may be teaching this class it might be beneficial to list resources you would recommend for use in preparing to teach this class.


Click here for information for links to educational websites, praxis, QCC objectives and Standards.

This is a tentative working syllabus. Any information provided in this syllabus is subject to change as needs may dictate. Students are responsible for keeping up with these changes and should make corrections or additions as they occur. 

Educational researchers come from many disciplines, embrace several competing theoretical frameworks, and use a variety of research methodologies. AERA recognizes that its members are already guided by codes in the various disciplines and, also, by organizations such as institutional review boards. AERA's code of ethics incorporates a set of standards designed specifically to guide the work of researchers in education. Education, by its very nature, is aimed at the improvement of individual lives and societies. Further, research in education is often directed at children and other vulnerable populations. A main objective of this code is to remind us, as educational researchers, that we should strive to protect these populations, and to maintain the integrity of our research, of our research community, and of all those with whom we have professional relations. We should pledge ourselves to do this by maintaining our own competence and that of people we induct into the field, by continually evaluating our research for its ethical and scientific adequacy, and by conducting our internal and external relations according to the highest ethical standards. 

The standards that follow remind us that we are involved not only in research but in education. It is, therefore, essential that we continually reflect on our research to be sure that it is not only sound scientifically but that it makes a positive contribution to the educational enterprise. 

I. Guiding Standards: Responsibilities to the Field 

A. Preamble. 

To maintain the integrity of research, educational researchers should warrant their research conclusions adequately in a way consistent with the standards of their own theoretical and methodological perspectives. They should keep themselves well informed in both their own and competing paradigms where those are relevant to their research, and they should continually evaluate the criteria of adequacy by which research is judged. 

B. Standards

Educational researchers should conduct their professional lives in such a way that they do not jeopardize future research, the public standing of the field, or the discipline's research results. 

Educational researchers must not fabricate, falsify, or misrepresent authorship, evidence, data, findings, or conclusions. 

Educational researchers must not knowingly or negligently use their professional roles for fraudulent purposes. 

Educational researchers should honestly and fully disclose their qualifications and limitations when providing professional opinions to the public, to government agencies, and others who may avail themselves of the expertise possessed by members of AERA. 

Educational researchers should attempt to report their findings to all relevant stakeholders, and should refrain from keeping secret or selectively communicating their findings. 

Educational researchers should report research conceptions, procedures, results, and analyses accurately and sufficiently in detail to allow knowledgeable, trained researchers to understand and interpret them. 

Educational researchers' reports to the public should be written straightforwardly to communicate the practical significance for policy, including limits in effectiveness and in generalizability to situations, problems, and contexts. In writing for or communicating with nonresearchers, educational researchers must take care not to misrepresent the practical or policy implications of their research or the research of others. 

When educational researchers participate in actions related to hiring, retention, and advancement, they should not discriminate on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, physical disabilities, marital status, color, social class, religion, ethnic background, national origin, or other attributes not relevant to the evaluation of academic or research competence. 

Educational researchers have a responsibility to make candid, forthright personnel recommendations and not to recommend those who are manifestly unfit. 

Educational researchers should decline request to review the work of others where strong conflicts of interest are involved, or when such requests cannot be conscientiously fulfilled on time. Materials sent for review should be read in their entirety and considered carefully, with evaluative comments justified with explicit reasons. 

Educational researchers should avoid all forms of harassment, not merely those overt actions or threats that are due cause for legal action. They must not use their professional positions or rank to coerce personal or sexual favors or economic or professional advantages from students, research assistants, clerical staff, colleagues, or any others. 

Educational researchers should not be penalized for reporting in good faith violations of these or other professional standards. 

II. Guiding Standards: Research Populations, Educational Institutions, and the Public

A. Preamble. 

Educational researchers conduct research within a broad array of settings and institutions, including schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, and prisons. It is of paramount importance that educational researchers respect the rights, privacy, dignity, and sensitivities of their research populations and also the integrity of the institutions within which the research occurs. Educational researchers should be especially careful in working with children and other vulnerable populations. These standards are intended to reinforce and strengthen already existing standards enforced by institutional review boards and other professional associations. 

B. Standards. 

Participants, or their guardians, in a research study have the right to be informed about the likely risks involved in the research and of potential consequences for participants, and to give their informed consent before participating in research. Educational researchers should communicate the aims of the investigation as well as possible to informants and participants (and their guardians), and appropriate representatives of institutions, and keep them updated about any significant changes in the research program. 

Honesty should characterize the relationship between researchers and participants and appropriate institutional representatives. Deception is discouraged; it should be used only when clearly necessary for scientific studies, and should then be minimized. After the study the researcher should explain to the participants and institutional representatives the reasons for the deception. 

Educational researchers should be sensitive to any locally established institutional policies or guidelines for conducting research. 

Participants have the right to withdraw from the study at any time, unless otherwise constrained by their official capacities or roles. 

Educational researchers should exercise caution to ensure that there is no exploitation for personal gain of research populations or of institutional settings of research. Educational researchers should not use their influence over subordinates, students, or others to compel them to participate in research. 

Researchers have a responsibility to be mindful of cultural, religious, gender, and other significant differences within the research population in the planning, conduct, and reporting of their research. 

Researchers should carefully consider and minimize the use of research techniques that might have negative social consequences, for example, experimental interventions that might deprive students of important parts of the standard curriculum. 

Educational researchers should be sensitive to the integrity of ongoing institutional activities and alert appropriate institutional representatives of possible disturbances in such activities which may result from the conduct of the research. 

Educational researchers should communicate their findings and the practical significance of their research in clear, straightforward, and appropriate language to relevant research populations, institutional representatives, and other stakeholders. 

Informants and participants have a right to remain anonymous. This right should be respected when no clear understanding to the contrary has been reached. Researchers are responsible for taking appropriate precautions to protect the confidentiality of both participants and data. Those being studied should be made aware of the capacities of the various data-gathering technologies to be used in the investigation so that they can make an informed decision about their participation. It should also be made clear to informants and participants that despite every effort made to preserve it, anonymity may be compromised. Secondary researchers should respect and maintain the anonymity established by primary researchers. 

III. Guiding Standards: Intellectual Ownership 

A. Preamble. 

Intellectual ownership is predominantly a function of creative contribution. Intellectual ownership is not predominantly a function of effort expended. 

B. Standards. 

Authorship should be determined based on the following guidelines, which are not intended to stifle collaboration, but rather to clarify the credit appropriately due for various contributions to research. 

·a. All those, regardless of status, who have made substantive creative contribution to the generation of an intellectual product are entitled to be listed as authors of that product. 

·b. First authorship and order of authorship should be the consequence of relative creative leadership and creative contribution. Examples of creative contributions are: writing first drafts or substantial portions; significant rewriting or substantive editing; and contributing generative ideas or basic conceptual schemes or analytic categories, collecting data which require significant interpretation or judgment, and interpreting data. 

·c. Clerical or mechanical contributions to an intellectual product are not grounds for ascribing authorship. Examples of such technical contributions are: typing, routine data collection or analysis, routine editing, and participation in staff meetings. 

·d. Authorship and first authorship are not warranted by legal or contractual responsibility for or authority over the project or process that generates an intellectual product. It is improper to enter into contractual arrangements that preclude the proper assignment of authorship. 

·e. Anyone listed as author must have given his/her consent to be so listed. 

·f. The work of those who have contributed to the production of an intellectual product in ways short of these requirements for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged within the product. 

·g. Acknowledgement of other work significantly relied on in the development of an intellectual product is required. However, so long as such work is not plagiarized or otherwise inappropriately used, such reliance is not ground for authorship or ownership. 

·h. It is improper to use positions of authority to appropriate the work of others or claim credit for it. In hierarchical relationships, educational researchers should take care to ensure that those in subordinate positions receive fair and appropriate authorship credit. 

·i. Theses and dissertations are special cases in which authorship is not determined strictly by the criteria elaborated in these standards. Authorship in the publication of work arising from theses and dissertations is determined by creative intellectual contributions as in other cases. 

·j. Authors should disclose the publication history of articles they submit for publication; that is, if the present article is substantially similar in content and form to one previously published, that fact should be noted and the place of publication cited. 

While under suitable circumstances, ideas and other intellectual products may be viewed as commodities, arrangements concerning the production or distribution of ideas or other intellectual products must be consistent with academic freedom and the appropriate availability of intellectual products to scholars, students, and the public. Moreover, when a conflict between the academic and scholarly purposes of intellectual production and profit from such production arise, preference should be given to the academic and scholarly purposes. 

Ownership of intellectual products should be based upon the following guidelines: 

·a. Individuals are entitled to profit from the sale or disposition of those intellectual products, they create. They may therefore enter into contracts or other arrangements for the publication or disposition of intellectual products, and profit financially from these arrangements. 

·b. Arrangements for the publication or disposition of intellectual products should be consistent with their appropriate public availability and with academic freedom. Such arrangements should emphasize the academic functions of publication over the maximization of profit. 

·c. Individuals or groups who fund or otherwise provide resources for the development of intellectual products are entitled to assert claims to a fair share of the royalties or other profits from the sale or disposition of these products. As such claims are likely to be contentious, funding institutions and authors should agree on policies for the disposition of profits at the outset of the research or development project. 

·d. Authors should not use positions of authority over other individuals to compel them to purchase an intellectual product from which the authors benefit. This standard is not meant to prohibit use of an author's own textbook in a class, but copies should be made available on library reserve so that students are not forced to purchase it. 

IV. Guiding Standards: Editing, Reviewing, and Appraising Research 

A. Preamble. 

Editors and reviewers have a responsibility to recognize a wide variety of theoretical and methodological perspectives and, at the same time, to ensure that manuscripts meet the highest standards as defined in the various perspectives. 

B. Standards 

AERA journals should handle refereed articles in a manner consistent with the following principles: 

·a. Fairness requires a review process that evaluates submitted works solely on the basis of merit. Merit shall be understood to include both the competence with which the argument is conducted and the significance of the results achieved. 

·b. Although each AERA journal may concentrate on a particular field or type of research, the set of journals as a whole should be open to all disciplines and perspectives currently represented in the membership and which support a tradition of responsible educational scholarship. This standard is not intended to exclude worthy innovations. 

·c. Blind review, with multiple readers, should be used for each submission, except where explicitly waived. (See #3.) 

·d. Judgments of the adequacy of an inquiry should be made by reviewers who are competent to read the work submitted to them. Editors should strive to select reviewers who are familiar with the research paradigm and who are not so unsympathetic as to preclude a disinterested judgment of the merit of the inquiry. 

·e. Editors should insist that even unfavorable reviews be dispassionate and constructive. Authors have the right to know the grounds for rejection of their work. 

AERA journals should have written, published policies for refereeing articles. 

AERA journals should have a written, published policy stating when solicited and nonrefereed publications are permissible. 

AERA journals should publish statements indicating any special emphases expected to characterize articles submitted for review. 

In addition to enforcing standing strictures against sexist and racist language, editors should reject articles that contain ad hominem attacks on individuals or groups or insist that such language or attacks be removed prior to publication. 

AERA journals and AERA members who serve as editors of journals should require authors to disclose the full publication history of material substantially similar in content and form to that submitted to their journals. 

V. Guiding Standards: Sponsors, Policymakers, and Other Users of Research 

A. Preamble. 

Researchers, research institutions, and sponsors of research jointly share responsibility for the ethical integrity of research, and should ensure that this integrity is not violated. While it is recognized that these parties may sometimes have conflicting legitimate aims, all those with responsibility for research should protect against compromising the standards of research, the community of researchers, the subjects of research, and the users of research. They should support the widest possible dissemination and publication of research results. AERA should promote, as nearly as it can, conditions conducive to the preservation of research integrity. 

B. Standards. 

The data and results of a research study belong to the researchers who designed and conducted the study, unless specific contractual arrangements have been made with respect to either or both the data and results, except as noted in II B.4. (participants may withdraw at any stage.) 

Educational researchers are free to interpret and publish their findings without censorship or approval from individuals or organizations, including sponsors, funding agencies, participants, colleagues, supervisors, or administrators. This understanding should be conveyed to participants as part of the responsibility to secure informed consent. 

Researchers conducting sponsored research retain the right to publish the findings under their own names. 

Educational researchers should not agree to conduct research that conflicts with academic freedom, nor should they agree to undue or questionable influence by government or other funding agencies. Examples of such improper influence include endeavors to interfere with the conduct of research, the analysis of findings, or the reporting of interpretations. Researchers should report to AERA attempts by sponsors or funding agencies to use any questionable influence. 

Educational researchers should fully disclose the aims and sponsorship of their research, except where such disclosure would violate the usual tenets of confidentiality and anonymity. Sponsors or funders have the right to have disclaimers included in research reports to differentiate their sponsorship from the conclusions of the research. 

Educational researchers should not accept funds from sponsoring agencies that request multiple renderings of reports that would distort the results or mislead readers. 

Educational researchers should fulfill their responsibilities to agencies funding research, which are entitled to an accounting of the use of their funds, and to a report of the procedures, findings, and implications of the funded research. 

Educational researchers should make clear the bases and rationales, and the limits thereof, of their professionally rendered judgments in consultation with the public, government, or other institutions. When there are contrasting professional opinions to the one being offered, this should be made clear. 

Educational researchers should disclose to appropriate parties all cases where they would stand to benefit financially from their research or cases where their affiliations might tend to bias their interpretation of their research or their professional judgments. 

VI. Guiding Standards: Students and Student Researchers 

A. Preamble. 

Educational researchers have a responsibility to ensure the competence of those inducted into the field and to provide appropriate help and professional advice to novice researchers. 

B. Standards. 

In relations with students and student researchers, educational researchers should be candid, fair, nonexploitative, and committed to their welfare and progress. They should conscientiously supervise, encourage, and support students and student researchers in their academic endeavors, and should appropriately assist them in securing research support or professional employment. 

Students and student researchers should be selected based upon their competence and potential contributions to the field. Educational researchers should not discriminate among students and student researchers on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, marital status, color, social class, religion, ethnic background, national origin, or other irrelevant factors. 

Educational researchers should inform students and student researchers concerning the ethical dimensions of research, encourage their practice of research consistent with ethical standards, and support their avoidance of questionable projects. 

Educational researchers should realistically apprise students and student researchers with regard to career opportunities and implications associated with their participation in particular research projects or degree programs. Educational researchers should ensure that research assistantships be educative. 

Educational researchers should be fair in the evaluation of research performance, and should communicate that evaluation fully and honestly to the student or student researcher. Researchers have an obligation to report honestly on the competence of assistants to other professionals who require such evaluations. 

Educational researchers should not permit personal animosities or intellectual differences vis-a-vis colleagues to foreclose student and student researcher access to those colleagues, or to place the student or student researcher in an untenable position with those colleagues. 

The Ethical Standards of the American Educational Research Association were developed and, in June 1992, adopted by AERA to be an educational document, to stimulate collegial debate, and to evoke voluntary compliance by moral persuasion. Accordingly, it is not the intention of the Association to monitor adherence to the Standards or to investigate allegations of violations to the Code. 

2-21-00 Rev. 10-18-00

Piedmont College
Academic Assessment Committee
Approval for Research Procedures Involving Human Subjects
Application Form

Researcher and project information: (print or type)
 

Principal Investigator:
___Faculty___Staff___Student 
Department:
Telephone:
Email:
Proposal Title:
Co-Principal Investigator(s):
Funding Agency:
Grant Title(if different from Proposal Title):
Starting date:Estimated ending date:

Review category:
 
____1.Exempt from review per category #____.(Research may begin after reviewer signs below.) 

____2.Expedited review per category #____.(Research may begin after Academic Assessment Committee signs below.) 

____3.Other, requiring full review.(Research may begin after Academic Assessment Committee signs below.) 

Items submitted:
 
For new applications, check to show you are submitting the following four items: 

____1.This application cover sheet. 

____2.A one-page lay summary of your proposal, explaining what you will be doing with human subjects. 

____3.Any methods section from your proposal that apply to human subjects, and any interview or survey instruments you will use. 

____4.Any consent form you are using and a description of assent procedures for subjects who are minors, if applicable.