Proposal for Ethics Review for course IRE2002Y
1. Background, purpose and justification
The purpose of IRE2002Y (Research Methods in Industrial Relations) is to teach students how to plan and conduct empirical research in Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management (IR/HRM). The course teaches students about empirical research via conceptual and experiential knowledge. Conceptual knowledge is imparted through lectures and readings of texts books, academic journal articles and reviews of research in popular magazines. Students will gain experiential knowledge by conducting a research project that involves the collection and analysis of data to test a hypothesis in the field of IR/HRM. The research done for this course requires that students have contact with human participants. This is an integral part of research in IR/HRM. Thus I’m submitting the course for ethical review
The topics of the research project are chosen by the students themselves with the constraint that they be related to the field of IR/HR. Typical projects involve examining the relation between job satisfaction and stress or examining the efficacy of a training program. The guidelines of the project require that students collect data from at least 50 participants to conduct meaningful inferential statistical analyses.
Before conducting their research, students will have had a class session on the topic “Ethics in Research using Human Subjects” (see course timetable included in the Appendix). Before the lecture, students will read about ethics-related issues arising from research on human subjects conducted in organizational settings. I will lecture about the importance of conducting research in a manner that meets the needs of the University of Toronto’s ethical review committee. I will explain to the students that if their research involves a vulnerable population or the collection of sensitive data (which I do not expect it will), they will have to submit their project for a separate ethics review. I will also remind students that the ethics approval I submit for this course is valid only for their work in this course and not for any future studies that they may do or that may stem from this initial project.
Students will also submit an oral and written research proposal for feedback from the class and me. The proposal will not only include the hypothesis being tested, but also all measures used to collect data. In addition, the proposal will include the study information sheet and consent form that students will provide to participants (see course syllabus included in the appendix). Thus, the proposal will enable me to ensure that student research projects are within the parameters of human subjects ethics considerations. In addition, if I am required to do so, I will submit a list of the project topics to the Ethics Review Office once students have identified their research projects.
After obtaining project approval from me, students will then start collecting data toward their research project (see below for further details on research methodology). Upon completion of data collection, students will analyse the data and write up a technical report that they will also present orally to their fellow classmates and to me.
2. Research methodology
Student research projects will involve the collection of questionnaire data using measures that have been previously published in top-tier IR/HRM journals. This ensures that the validity and reliability of these measures is already established. It is expected that the questionnaires will take about 10-15 minutes to complete.
Data Analysis: Analysis of the data will involve descriptive (e.g., means, frequencies etc) and inferential statistics (e.g., correlations, multiple regression analyses, analyses of variance etc.) with the SPSS or SAS programs. These analyses will enable assessments of the reliability and validity of the measures used as well as tests of the hypotheses.
Proposed Sample Size: The guidelines of the project require that students collect data from at least 50 participants. This will ensure the necessary level of statistical power to conduct meaningful inferential statistical analyses.
Student research projects will not involve deception, placebo or experimental interventions.
The direct implication of the research project is that it will teach students how to conduct scientific research in the area of IR/HRM. In some cases, it may be that the specific topic chosen by the students is of interest to the participant who will then benefit from the knowledge generated by the final research project if the participant requests a copy of the final research report. Else, there is no direct benefit to the participant.
3. Participants
Since the course involves research in IR/HRM, participants will be employees of an organization or members of a union. Organizations/unions will be selected based on interest in the student’s research project, willingness to allow members/employees to participate in project, and willingness of their employees/members. Participation is completely voluntary, both at the organizational and individual level. In other words, even if the organization is willing to allow students to survey their members/employees, members/employees will have the choice to participate or not.
In some cases, students may also approach people in a kind and friendly manner in well-lit public spaces (e.g., in front of businesses, at a subway stop) to complete questionnaires pertaining to their current or previous workplaces. Again, people may choose to voluntarily participate in the study.
At least 50 participants will be surveyed as per the reasons specified in the Research Methodology section.
There will be no inclusion/exclusion criteria for participation in the research and participants will not be incompetent patients or minors.
4. Recruitment
Depending on the research question, each student group will approach a contact person at an organization (e.g., places of employment, unions) for permission to survey their employees/members. After securing permission at the organizational-level students will approach (via email, face-face, telephone or mail) individual members/employees at the organization and ask if they would like to participate in the study. Permission at the organizational level will not, in any way, bind individual members/employees to participate in the study.
Students may also approach people in a kind and friendly manner in well-lit public spaces (e.g., in front of businesses, at a subway stop) to voluntarily participate in the study by completing questionnaires.
Students will first provide all participants with a Study Information Sheet and an Informed Consent Form (see templates of these forms included in appendix) that will assure participants of the voluntary and anonymous nature of their participation. Participants will also be informed that they are free to stop completing the questionnaire at any time they choose or to skip answering any particular items. They will be reminded that they will not be penalized in any way for non-participation or incomplete participation in the study. The Study Information Sheet will also contain a brief description of what the questionnaire is about (each project will have a 1-2 sentence customized description depending on the topic of the project).
Participants will then be shown the questionnaire and will be told how long it will take to complete. Participants will start answering the questionnaire only after signing the Informed Consent Form.
To conduct meaningful inferential statistical data analyses, students will be required to collect at least 50 questionnaires. The questionnaires will be constructed well in advance of their administration so that I have time to review and comment on the structure and design of the questionnaire. The questionnaire will consist of measures that have been previously validated in top-tier empirical research journal articles. The questionnaires will take about 10-15 minutes to complete.
When obtaining organizations for permission to survey their members/employees, students will specify that the organizations will not have access to individual responses of the employees/members who participate. This will ensure that the privacy and confidentiality of individual participants is protected.
5. Risks and benefits
There are minimal risks to participants. Participants will be assured of the complete anonymity and confidentiality of their responses. For instance, they will not be asked for names or contact information in the questionnaires. Participants will be told that they are free to decline to participate even if their organization has agreed for students to survey their employees/members. Participants will also be told that the organization will not know of their participation. The final reports generated will only have aggregate data (e.g., means across participants). They results of the project will be presented in the classroom and will be read by the professor. The final reports generated are not intended for public consumption beyond that of the classroom.
To ensure that any one report is not misused if, inadvertently, a copy of the report makes its way into the hands of someone who dislikes its conclusion, all reports will carry a disclaimer explaining that the opinions expressed in them are those of the students only and that they do not represent the views of any of the organizations or individuals involved in the research.
There are no direct benefits to participants. The direct benefits are to students being trained to do empirical research. Eventually the ability to do empirical research will be a benefit to the field of IR/HRM. There may also be a benefit to the organization that seeks to know about the student’s project (e.g., the outcome of a training program). Individual participants who wish to have a copy of the report can also benefit from the knowledge of the results of the research project.
6. Privacy and confidentiality
All students will make an oral presentation of their research to the class at the end of the academic year, and will submit a written report to the professor. Data collected from all participants will be destroyed at the end of the academic year. Individual participants’ names will not be requested nor revealed. Names or uniquely identifying information of participating organizations will not be revealed in any of the project presentations. Only data at the aggregate level (e.g., means across participants) will be presented in oral or written presentations.
Only students involved in each project and the professor will have access to the data for that project for data analysis purposes.
7. Compensation
None. Individual participants or organizations that choose to, can obtain a free copy of the final report.
8. Conflicts of interest
N/A
9. Informed consent
Template study information sheet and consent form included in Appendix
10. Scholarly review
N/A
11. Additional ethics review
N/A
12. Contracts
N/A
13. Clinical trials
N/A
Template Study Information Sheet
To be printed on the University of Toronto, Centre for Human Resources & Industrial Relations Letterhead
We are graduate students in the Masters Program for Industrial Relations at the Centre of Industrial Relations at the University of Toronto. We would like to invite you to take part in a research project that is part of a course requirement. The course teaches students how to conduct research in industrial relations (IR) and human resource management (HRM). Your participation is requested because you are an employee or a member of a union and your experiences at your organization will be of value to us.
The purpose of this project is to ______(A customized one-two sentence description of the specific research project will be included here). It will take you approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.
There are no known risks to you for completing this questionnaire. Your participation in the research is completely voluntary. You are not required to provide your name or contact information on any part of this questionnaire. Your responses will be kept completely confidential and anonymous. You are free to stop completing the questionnaire at any time and/or are free to skip any part of this questionnaire without any penalty to you. No person from your place of employment or the organization that you are a member of will know of your participation nor will they have access to your responses to the questionnaire.
Only the students conducting this project and the professor teaching this course will have access to your responses for data analysis purposes. Only aggregate descriptions of all participants’ responses to the questionnaire (e.g., means etc.) will be presented in an oral format to other students taking this course and in a written format to the professor teaching this course. The final reports generated are not intended for public consumption beyond that of the classroom. All data will be destroyed at the end of the academic year. You will be given a copy of this Information Sheet for your records.
Your participation in this study will benefit students completing this course by helping them learn how to do empirical research in the field of IR/HRM. You may also benefit from the knowledge of a topic in IR and HRM if you request a free copy of the final report of this research project. Else, there is no direct benefit to you. You will not be compensated for your participation. There may also be a benefit to your place of employment or the organization that you are a member if it seeks to know about the results of student’s project (e.g., the outcome of a training program).
Should you choose to receive a free copy of the results, please provide your contact information separate from this questionnaire to the students whose contact information is listed on this sheet.
If you have any questions now or at any time in the future about this particular research project or the course, please do not hesitate to contact the students or the professor teaching the course.
STUDENT NAMES, CONTACT INFORMATION & SIGNATURES HERE
Prof Phani Radhakrishnan, , 416 287 7319, Center for Human Resources & Industrial Relations, 121 St George St., University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S2E8
Template Informed Consent Form
To be printed on the University of Toronto, Centre for Human Resources & Industrial Relations Letterhead
By signing this form I agree to participate in this research project.
I also acknowledge that the topic of this questionnaire has been explained to me and that any questions that I have, have been answered to my satisfaction. I have received an Information Sheet that explains the purpose of this questionnaire. The purpose of this questionnaire is to ______(A customized one-two sentence description of the specific research project will be included here). It will take me approximately 10-15 minutes to complete this questionnaire.
I know that I may ask, now and in the future, any questions that I may have about this project. I understand that I am free to stop completing the questionnaire at any time and/or am free to skip any part of this questionnaire without any penalty to me. I also understand that no person from my place of employment or the organization that I am a member of will know of my participation (or lack thereof) nor will they have access to my individual responses to the questionnaire.
I also understand that only the students conducting this project and the professor teaching this course will have access to my responses for data analysis purposes. Only aggregate descriptions of all participants’ responses to the questionnaire (e.g., means, etc.) will be presented in an oral format to other students taking this course and in a written format to the professor teaching this course. I also understand that all data will be destroyed at the end of the academic year.
______
Signature of ParticipantDate
Professor Phani Radhakrishnan
Centre for Human Resources & Industrial Relations
University of Toronto
121 St George St.
Toronto, ON M5S2E8
STUDENT NAMES
& CONTACT
INFORMATION
HERE
416 287 7319