Physics Education Research and Human Subjects: The PER Community and Institutional Review Boards Documents

Main Document

Physics Education Research and Human Subjects: The PER Community and Institutional Review Boards 

written by Gordon J. Aubrecht, II

This workshop was a discussion among participants about human subjects and Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) and dealt with the following questions: (1) What are the important human subjects issues facing physics education researchers? Do few, many, or most PER projects raise issues of confidentiality, liability, withholding of learning, differences in grading policy, impact of the student lack of informed consent, or other ethical issues? (2) Should PER physicists at each institution create a common IRB form to be used by all PER researchers at that institution? (3) Should the PER community as a group address the IRB issues as a community? If so, what might the outcome be? (4) Should all PER research be exempt from IRB approval, given the extreme unlikelihood of student physical or emotional damage? How could such global exemption be achieved?

Published January 30, 2007
Last Modified January 28, 2011

This file is included in the full-text index.