overview and panel discussion with randall l. hall, john a. monson,

The Approval Process for Conducting Research Studies in Seminaries & Institutes of Religion

(S&I)Overview and Panel Discussion with

Randall L. Hall, John A. Monson, Kenneth J. Plummer, and Eric P. Rogers

Introduction

• Many of you, our employees, are pursuing or are supervising those pursuing graduate degrees.

• Research projects are frequently required to fulfill degree requirements.

• Some of you will choose to conduct research related to S&I programs during and following your formal education.

• Non-employees also seek to conduct research related to our programs or to solicit research subjects in our seminary and institute buildings or classes.

Introduction

• The Church Board of Education has implemented guidelines, outlined in our policy manuals, to safeguard S&I stakeholders (i.e., students, parents, priesthood leaders, teachers, administrators).

• The S&I Education Research Committee (ERC) has the responsibility under these guidelines to review and approve proposed research related to our programs.

• All researchers must obtain approval from the ERC prior to any data collection or research subject solicitation efforts.

Introduction

• While S&I shares some of the interests and concerns of your graduate committee (GC) and institutional review board (IRB), the ERC considers additional factors when evaluating whether or not to approve your request to conduct research.

• The purpose of this presentation is to help you better understand those factors and the approval process so that you can make informed decisions about your choice of research topic and the design and timing of your study.

Introduction

• During this presentation I will provide you with an overview of the approval process that will include answers to the following questions:– Where do I start?– Whom do I contact?– How will my request be evaluated?– When should I seek approval?– What are the conditions of approval?

Introduction

• Following this overview, the members of the ERC on our panel will respond to additional questions.

• Our webcast audience may submit questions by email to:

[email protected]

Where do I start?

• Carefully read Guidelines for Researchwww.ldsces.org

Administrative ResourcesResearch, Evaluation and Assessment

Research Guidelines

http://www.ldsces.org/

Whom Do I Contact?

• After carefully reading Guidelines for Research, contact your ERC liaison by email with basic answers to the following questions:– What are your research questions?– How will you answer these questions?– How will answering these questions impact

your research subjects?• The current ERC liaison is Eric Rogers:

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

How Will My Request Be Evaluated?

• Your ERC liaison will provide an initial evaluation of your proposed research topic based on the criteria outlined in Guidelines for Research:– Interest– Applicability– Impact– Sensitivity– Attention– Methodological rigor

• What do each of these criteria mean?


• Interest– What is the level of S&I administrators’ interest

in the topic addressed by the study? – A study that examines issues of little interest to

administrators is less likely to be approved than a study that examines issues of greater interest.

– For example, a study that examines the leadership styles of seminary principals in the United States would be less likely to be approved than a study that examines reasons behind the failure of LDS Latino students to enroll in seminary in the United States.


• Applicability– How applicable are the findings to the larger S&I

community? – A study that is not widely applicable is less likely

to be approved than a study which is widely applicable.

– For example, a study that examines an idiosyncratic policy initiative at a single released-time seminary program in Utah would be less likely to be approved than a study that examines student manual usage patterns of a particular institute course across the United States.


• Impact– What is the impact of the research on the

research subjects? – A study that has relatively little impact on

research subjects is more likely to be approved than a study that is more intrusive.

– For example, a study that requires 60 minute focus group interviews with students outside of their regularly scheduled class-time is less likely to be approved than a study that employs a brief questionnaire requiring less than 15 minutes of class-time.


• Sensitivity– How sensitive are the research topics

addressed? – A study that examines sensitive issues is less

likely to be approved than a study that examines less sensitive issues.

– For example, a study that examines students’ use of illicit drugs or their sexual activity would be less likely to be approved than a study that examines student perceptions of seminary courses, curriculum, or teachers.


• Attention– What is the potential for significant media

attention? – A study that is likely to result in media

attention is less likely to be approved than a study that is less likely to result in such attention.

– For example, a study that examines the personal religiosity of LDS youth would be less likely to be approved than a study that examines teachers’ opinions about S&I training initiatives.


• Methodological Rigor– Will professional standards and best practices be

employed to answer the respective research questions?

– A study that employs a methodology that reflects high standards and best practices is more likely to be approved than a study that does not.

– For example, the use of a survey that includes language that is unfamiliar to the research subjects and will not be pilot tested with actual respondents is less likely to be approved than one that will be carefully crafted with the target audience in mind, pilot tested, and refined.

When Should I Seek Approval?

• Seek conceptual approval in the earliest, formative stages of your study.

• Do not invest substantial effort in developing your study before obtaining conceptual approval from the ERC.

• Understand that conceptual approval indicates that the ERC does not anticipate serious concerns with your research topic, but it does not constitute consent to collect data.

• Your request for conceptual approval will be submitted to the committee by the ERC liaison.


• The liaison will communicate any questions or concerns from the ERC to you and will communicate your responses to the ERC as well as approval or denial of your request.

• Both levels of approval, conceptual and final, may take days, weeks, or months depending upon the availability of the committee members, the timeliness of the responses from the researcher, and the issues that arise in the review process.

• Both conceptual and final approvals are frequently denied and must not be perceived as perfunctory.


• Seek final approval from the ERC when you have fleshed out the details of your study and have support and approval from your GC (particularly your chair).

• Do not assume that GC or IRB approvals mean the ERC will grant approval.

• GCs and IRBs should require written evidence of institutional support before they approve your study. Often, however, they assume that you have obtained institutional support even though the ERC has not approved your project. Do not put yourself in this position.

• When final approval is granted you will receive a letter of approval signed by the Chairman of the ERC that can be submitted with your IRB application as evidence of institutional support for your study.

What are the Conditions of Approval?

• The collection of data will be limited to those efforts outlined in your proposal.

• Any changes to your instrumentation or procedures will be submitted to the committee for approval.

• You will contact your research subjects and their supervisors well in advance to permit maximum flexibility in managing their schedules.

• You will obtain S&I approval to publish or present any of your research findings.

• You will provide S&I with an electronic copy of your research report upon completion of your degree.

Summary of the Approval Process

1. Familiarize yourself thoroughly with Guidelines for Research.

2. Contact the ERC liaison early and seek feedback as you formulate your research topic.

3. Request conceptual approval from the ERC.4. Develop your study in light of the ERC’s criteria.5. Request final approval.6. Collect data (i.e., surveys, interviews,

observations) only after receiving final approval.

7. Adhere to the conditions outlined in your final approval letter.

Panel Members

• Randall HallAssociate Administrator, ERC Chair

• John MonsonDirector of Information Services

• Kenneth PlummerManager of Research, Evaluation and Assessment

• Eric RogersResearch Specialist

Those in the web audience may send questions to:

[email protected]

overview and panel discussion with randall l. hall, john a. monson,

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