Working with Your Own Students

Federal regulations require that the researcher seek consent only under circumstances that minimize the possibility of coercion or undue influence (45 CFR 46.116). When faculty propose to conduct research studies with students (or parents) in their own classrooms or with students that they directly oversee, the potential for coercion or undue influence increases and additional protections are required.

Regardless of how well a classroom teacher presents the recruitment and option not to participate, students may feel compelled to participate, or risk having their non-participation impact their grade or relationship with the teacher. Parents and students will always feel compelled to participate, in spite of your intentions and assurances, or they may perceive some intangible benefit to participation that does not exist. As a result, the NYC Department of Education IRB expressly forbids their teachers from using their own students as research participants. Teachers College (TC) IRB will only allow teachers to recruit their students as research subjects under limited circumstances.

Students may also struggle with distinguishing between typical classroom activities and research-related activities. Ongoing voluntary participation is a potential issue if a student decides they want to discontinue their participation after initially consenting. Researchers should make it clear that no consequences will follow if a student decides to withdraw from the study.

The NYC Department of Education IRB expressly forbids their teachers from using their own students as research participants. Teachers College (TC) IRB will only allow teachers to recruit their students as research subjects under limited circumstances.

Preventing Coercion and Undue Influence

In many cases, working with students in another class or involving a co-investigator, research assistant, or neutral third party may be an effective way to address perceived coercion or undue influence. 

Researchers working with students as research subjects must: 

• Demonstrate there is no other practicable way to carry out the project. 
• Confirm that students are not used as a population of convenience for faculty/staff research. 
• Justify why those students are the most appropriate participants for the study.
• Gain permission from the study site. For research through student programs or services, permission from an appropriate administrator or faculty adviser should be requested. 
• Emphasize that participation in the study will not affect students' grades.
• Ensure recruitment and consent of student subjects are held at the same standard as any other individual recruited for research purposes. The researchers must ensure that the recruitment and informed consent processes minimize the possibility of coercion or undue influence.
• For recruitment of students through verbal scripts, fliers, listservs, and/or web-based systems for student subject pools, a brief description should provide information about the study purpose, procedures, and eligibility for individuals to take the next step towards the consent process.
• Researchers must carefully consider the timing and the involvement of the teacher in any recruitment, consent process, or study procedures in a classroom setting.
• The study should not disrupt typical classroom learning.
• Many research activities can be similar to, or overlap with, normal coursework or class projects. However, a study should not prioritize time for research participants over non-participants. Be responsible. and ensure that students can truly understand what participation involves. Before study procedures begin, students should be able to distinguish voluntary research activities from required course activities.

In studies where students are research subjects, TC IRB will consider the following:

• The research presents no greater than minimal risk to subjects.
• The research represents a potential educational opportunity for participants.
• The recruitment/consent language contain clear statements to address and minimize coercion and undue influence.
• The research clearly distinguishes between typical classroom practice and research-related activities.
• The recruitment and/or consent process will not unduly disrupt typical classroom learning.
• The recruitment and/or consent process will be conducted by someone who does not have a status relationship with the potential subjects. If the research is conducted within the classroom setting, the instructor will be blinded to the identity of participants, at least until grades are posted.
• All research participants, including students, must be free to withdraw from participation at any point in a study without penalty. Students who withdraw from a research study for course credit must receive full course credit for participation. When payment is offered, credit for payment accrues as the study progresses (as appropriate to the research), and is not contingent upon the student completing the entire study.

Researchers may consider these examples to help minimize coercion of undue influence:

Confidential Surveys

• Researchers may collect student data from a targeted class through anonymous or confidential surveys (no names or other identifying information will be included). 
• For classroom teachers/researchers conducting research online, the consent form should specify that the study is low risk, that no names or identifiers will be collected, and that signed consent forms will not be collected. Instead, participants can “click to agree” (e.g,. “I agree to participate in this survey”). 
• To recruit participants for the study, the teacher/researcher may introduce and discuss the study with the students (using the approved recruitment script and consent statement), answer any questions, and then leave the classroom. A third party would distribute the survey to students and collect any completed surveys. The surveys may be provided to the instructor after all were collected, ideally at the end of the semester after grades were recorded. Using this process, the students would be assured that the instructor did not know who provided which survey, and who did or did not participate.

Classroom Assignments

• An instructor may propose to use student work products (e.g., assignments, papers, quizzes, exams, etc.) as research data.  
• For classroom teachers/researchers, the consent form should specify that the study is low risk, that names or identifiers will be collected, and that signed consent forms will be collected. 
• To recruit participants for the study, the teacher/researcher may introduce and discuss the study with the students (using the approved recruitment script and consent statement), answer any questions, and then leave the classroom. 
• The consent form will specify what data the teachers/research plans to collect. The consent form should also specify if the original data will be copied, and how it will be copied (e.g., taking a photograph). Prospective participants interested in releasing their classroom data for research purposes will be asked to sign a consent form.  
•  A third party would collect signed consent forms and keep them in a locked file cabinet or sealed envelope until after the class grades have been submitted. 
• After grades have been submitted, the faculty researcher can access the consent forms and collect and analyze only the work products of those students who gave permission for their data to be used in the study.
• Through this process, the students can be assured that their participation, or lack thereof, has no impact on their class grade or their relationship with the instructor.

Students as Participants

Students are an easily accessible research population. However, ethical considerations may dictate that you select a different population for your study. Students as participants are often appropriate for research, provided that elements of coercion and undue influence can be minimized. Researchers must ensure that students and their families have full freedom of choice regarding participation in research studies. TC IRB stresses the importance of Family Educational and Rights Privacy Act (FERPA) in education-based research settings.

What IRB Reviewers Look for When Working with your own Students

When a researchers wishes to work with their own students they should consider clearly stating in their recruitment & consent (parent permission/assent) form a disclosure like this (as appropriate to the study)

• I am the [faculty, staff, employee, etc.] of this [study site, institution, school, etc.]. I am collecting data for my role as a [student, faculty, etc.] at Teachers College. This study is voluntary. You do not have to participate. Your class grades or class standing will not be impacted if you choose (or not choose) to participate in this study. The researcher [and your classroom teacher] will not reveal your personally identifiable information with any unauthorized individual outside of the research team.

Researchers interested in working with students as research subjects must consider how coercion and undue influence will impact the study procedures, the subject population, and other components of the specific research plan. For TC researchers considering working with their own students, please download and submit the Guide for Working with Your own Students with your IRB protocol.

Other researchers have written about the impact of students as research subjects. Please visit the following links before conducting research with your own students:

• Teachers Working with Students: A Blessing or a Curse?
• Students' Involvement in Faculty Research
• Students as Research Participants or Learners?