tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29610685.post9133158114124757786..comments2023-02-13T07:20:46.166+02:00Comments on M&E Blog: Getting authorisation to do Research and Evaluation in SchoolsBenita Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10124085540716614485noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29610685.post-54457184920167375842014-04-03T10:56:29.241+02:002014-04-03T10:56:29.241+02:00Of course review boards still do not guarantee tha...Of course review boards still do not guarantee that research conducted will be ethical... it is an additional check in the system but not a guarantee. <br /><br />Let me share a hypothetcial example to demonstrate how people sometimes end up doing "research" in South African Schools without authorization from the Provincial Research Directorate in an Education Department: An NGO with longstanding relationships in an education district (possibly documented in memoranda of understanding) is asked to do something else, e.g train teachers on content x. The project focus isn't research but training. Then the NGO finds funding from a Corporate CSI unit who also demands an evaluation. The NGO appoints an evaluator who is not attached to a science council or university. The district isn't clear on whether evaluation and research is the same thing, and they don't really worry about the Provincial Research policy... They are just interested in the training part of the project. If the NGO or evaluator asks the district if the existing MOU between the District and NGO covers evaluation activities by the NGO's subcontractor, the answer is affirmative. The evaluation goes ahead with the understanding that the District approved it. Informed consent is obtained from all evaluation participants and the school principals. But the Province did not give authorisation. And no-one reviewed the evaluator's data collection methods. Benita Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10124085540716614485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29610685.post-6849798131582378582014-04-02T21:36:26.345+02:002014-04-02T21:36:26.345+02:00Hi,
I just can't see how you can initiate a ...Hi, <br /><br />I just can't see how you can initiate a research without any approval by a formal authority. Probably the schools you're working with will trust you but that doesn't guarantee the ethical quality of your initiative. An Ethics review board will !<br /><br />Have a good day<br /><br />Gilles Mireault<br />Quebec Youth center<br />President of the Ethics review board<br />Quebec, CanadaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com