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Federal Regulations and
George Mason University policy require that all research involving humans as
subjects be reviewed and approved by the University Human Subjects Review Board
(HSRB). Any person, (GMU faculty member,
staff member, student, or other person) wanting to engage in human subject
research at or through George Mason University must receive written approval
from the HSRB before conducting research.
Approval of this project by the HSRB only signifies that the
procedures adequately protect the rights and welfare of the subjects and should
not be taken to indicate University approval to conduct the research.
Please complete this
cover page AND provide the Protocol information requested on the back of
this form. Forward this form and all
supporting documents to the Office of Research Subject Protections, MS
4C6. If you have any questions please feel free to
contact ORSP at 703-993-4121.
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Required Data |
Principal Investigator
(Must be Faculty) |
Co-Investigator/Student
Researcher* |
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Name |
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Department |
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Mail Stop |
Partlow,
VA 22534 |
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Phone |
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E-mail |
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*Student researchers should provide a mailing
address rather than campus address.
Additional researchers should be listed on a separate page.
1. Describe the aims and specific purposes of the
research project and the proposed involvement of human participants.
Our
state is encouraging teachers to implement the function approach to teaching
algebra and take a professional development course through a Math and Science
Project (MSP) grant on the topic. With
this in mind I will be facilitating the professional development sessions for
the grant for our region as well as similar sessions for our school
district. The goal of the study will be
1) to determine changes in
teacher beliefs prior to the study and after they have participated in the
sessions and follow ups,
2) to determine if a change in teacher beliefs
effect student achievement, and
3) if the attitude and
self-confidence of students, based on the teacher's views, are effected
positively.
2. Describe the characteristics of the intended
sample (number of participants, age, sex, ethnic background, health status,
etc).
MSP
Grant - The teachers involved in the grant sessions will be from Spotsylvania
County (10), Stafford County (10), Westmoreland County (5), and Gloucester
County (5). Participation is limited to
only teachers that teach an algebra class that includes Algebra I or Algebra II
thereby holding a teaching certificate with this endorsement. There is no limitation on age, years of
experience, or ethnicity.
School district professional
development - For the additional sessions held in Spotsylvania County the
participants may include all secondary teachers of mathematics. This may range
from 8 to 12 teachers from each of the 5 high schools.
3. Identify the criteria for inclusion or
exclusion. Explain the rationale for the involvement of special classes of
participants (children, prisoners, pregnant women, or any other vulnerable
population.
The
MSP grant has placed the criteria of only Algebra I and Algebra II teachers who
hold the corresponding teaching
certificate as participants. Teachers will make application within their school
district and the Mathematics Supervisor/Coordinator will select those that will
participate if the selection exceeds their allotment as specified by UVA.
The school division sessions have no exclusions
and will be based on those who willingly sign up for the professional
development. Participants chosen for interviews and
observations will be based on willingness and my ability to conduct each due to
teacher's location.
4. Describe your relationship to the participants
if any.
I
will be the professional development facilitator for the MSP grant
sessions. No grades are given for the
sessions. I am also the Mathematics
Coordinator for the secondary level for Spotsylvania County however I do not
evaluate teachers. My position is to
provide professional development and assistance to all secondary teachers with
regard to instruction, classroom management, and curriculum development.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. If there are direct benefits to the
participants, describe the direct benefits and also describe the general
knowledge that the study is likely to yield. If there are no direct benefits to
the participants, state that there are no direct benefits to the participants
and describe the general knowledge that the study is likely to yield.
Participants
will be learning and implementing lessons and units of study based on
student-centered learning and the function approach to teaching algebra. The benefits will be an increase in teacher
content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and self-confidence to
facilitate instruction as well as to create and develop additional units of
study and lessons. Included as a benefit
will be the acknowledgement by the teachers of students academic growth and
positive change in attitude toward mathematics courses. Teachers participating in the MSP Grant will
also receive a Digimemo and a Calculator Based Ranger for data collection as
well as monetary compensation if they complete the professional development
through May, 2011.
2. Describe how participants will be recruited.
Note that all advertisements (including experimetrix postings) for participants
must be submitted for review for both exempt and non-exempt projects.
Fliers
were sent out by UVA to participating school districts to advertise for the MSP
grant sessions. School district
mathematics supervisors/coordinators will determine the teachers that they wish
to participate. UVA determined the
number of slots that each county had to fill.
Copy of flier is attached.
For our school division, the professional
development will be posted on My Learning Plan for teachers to sign up. Copy of the submission is attached.
3. Describe your procedures for obtaining
informed consent. Who will obtain consent and how will it be obtained. Describe how the researchers will ensure that
subjects receive a copy of the consent document.
The
pilot study will be explained verbally to the teachers during the first day of
the professional development (MSP grant and school district professional
development sessions) and handed the Informed Consent Form. Only those who sign
the Informed Consent Form will complete the Belief Survey and be considered for
the future interviews and observations.
4. State whether subjects will be compensated for
their participation, describe the form of compensation and the procedures for
distribution, and explain why compensation is necessary. State whether the
subjects will receive course credit for participating in the research. If
yes, describe the nonresearch option for course credit for the students who
decide not to participate in the research. The nonresearch option for course
credit must not be more difficult than participation in the research. Information regarding compensation or course
credit, should be outlined in the Participation section of the consent
document.
School
Division professional development - There will not be any compensation for
participation in the study.
MSP Grant - Teachers in the MSP Grant will
receive $1150.00 upon completion of the professional development that will end
May 2011. At the completion of the sessions teachers will have the option to apply for transferring the
professional development hours to course credit throught UVA. I will not be giving grades for the course
credit and teachers will have to pay for the course hours. The grant will also give teachers a Digimemo
to aid in online discussions and a Calculator Based Ranger (CBR) to encourage
usage of technology appropriately to gather data.
5. If minors are involved,
their active assent to the research activity is required as well as active
consent from their parents/guardians. This includes minors from the Psychology
Department Undergraduate Subject Pool.
Your procedures should be appropriate to the age of the child and
his/her level of maturity and judgment.
Describe your procedures for obtaining active assent from minors and
active consent from parents/guardians. Refer
to the Guidelines for Informed Consent for additional requirements if minors
from the Psychology Subject Pool are involved.
Students
will only be involved to the level that they will be in the classroom when the
teacher is observed. No comments
regarding specific students or audio/visual recordings will be done during the
observations. Student grades will be obtained from archived data to determine
mathematical academic ability in the student's Math 8 course and Math 8
SOL. Data will be obtained without names
and using student identification numbers. The observed teachers will assess
their students during the specified unit of study and identify growth of students on an excel spreadsheet.
6. Describe what participants will be asked to
do. Include an estimate of the time required to complete the procedures.
The
MSP Grant - Teachers will attend a four day session, 24 hours, during the
summer of 2010 that will include modeling lessons, reading and discussing
relevant research, and creating units of study and specific lessons that
illustrate the function approach and are student-centered. Teachers will be expected to reflect on their
actions in the classroom when school begins and continue with follow up
sessions that will be held monthly after school for three hours online (UVA
Collab) using the Digimemo to assist in communication. A lesson study component is also built in to
the MSP Grant for the spring of 2011.
Total hours of particpant commitment is about 94.
School Division professional development will
include an initial two day session, 11 hours, that will be held during the
summer of 2010 or at the very beginning of the school year. Follow up sessions will be held at each of
the participating high schools for 3 hours during each of the first 3
quarters. Sessions will be broken down
to 3 hours each for Algebra I and 3 hours for Algebra II. This will allow modeling, discussions, and
planning for that specific course once during each of the 3 quarters. Teachers will be expected to read relevant
articles for discussion and create units and lessons for implementation. Total hours of participant commitment is 20.
All teachers who wish to participate in the study
-- 4 will be chosen for interviews, observations, and determining student
growth of a unit of study and will be selected based on their willingness to
participate, my ability to observe them (our school district or those in close
proximity), and if they are teaching Algebra I due to a need for all to teach
the same unit. All who participate will
take a belief survey at the beginning of the professional development and then
again in December.
7. Describe how confidentiality will be
maintained. If data will be collected electronically (e.g. by email or an
internet web site), describe your procedures for limiting identifiers. Note
that confidentiality may have to be limited if participants are asked questions
on violence toward self or others or illegal behavior. Contact the Office of Research
Subject Protections for assistance.
Belief
Surveys will be conducted with teachers selecting fictitious names and using
that name for the pre- and post-survey. If the teacher agrees to being interviewed
and observed his or her fictitious name will be also used for the transcribing
of the tapes. This is to allow for
triangulation of teacher beliefs, actions, and interview remarks. Student data will be obtained from the county
data mining system to obtain Math 8 grade and Math 8 SOL score using student
identification numbers. There will be a
correlation on an excel spreadsheet of the two scores along with the results of
the specified unit of study. Once the
correlation is complete student identification numbers will be deleted and
students will be numbered chronologically for future reference.
8. Describe in detail any potential physical,
psychological, social, or legal risks to participants and why they are
reasonable in relation to the anticipated benefits. Where appropriate, discuss
provisions for ensuring medical or professional intervention in case
participants experience adverse effects. Where appropriate, discuss provisions
for monitoring data collection when participants' safety is at risk.
N/A
9. If participants will be audio-or video-taped,
discuss provisions for the security and final disposition of the tapes. Refer to Guidelines for Informed Consent.
Teachers
will be audo-taped during the interviews using an MP3 player and then
downloaded to my personal computer that is password protected. It
will be deleted from my computer once there is no need for future reference.
10. If participants will be misinformed and/or
uninformed about the true nature of the project, provide justification. Note
that projects involving deception must not exceed minimal risk, cannot violate
the rights and welfare of participants, must require the deception to
accomplish the aims of the project, and must include a full debriefing. Refer to Guidelines for Informed Consent.
N/A
INFORMED CONSENT: Provide appropriate Proposed Informed Consent document(s).
See Guidelines for Informed Consent and the Template Informed
Consent Document for additional information.
INSTRUMENTS: Submit a copy of each
instrument/tool you will use and provide a brief description of its
characteristics and development. Submit scripts if information and/or questions
are conveyed verbally.
APPROVAL FROM COOPERATING INSTITUTION/ORGANIZATION:
If a cooperating institution/organization
provides access to its patients/students/clients/ employees/etc. for
participant recruitment or provides access to their records, submit written
evidence of the institution/organization human subjects approval of the
project.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Note: If research involves use of existing records, please see
guidelines on following page.
(For the study of existing data sets, documents,
pathological specimens, or diagnostic specimens.)
1. Describe your data set.
Data
will be collected of students Math 8 grades and Math 8 SOL scores. Teachers will provide student growth and fill
in the excel spreadsheet with the data.
2. Provide written permission from the owner of
the data giving you access for research purposes at George Mason University if
the data set is not publicly available.
Permission
will be requested from Spotsylvania County Schools.
3. Describe how you will maintain confidentiality
if the data set contains person identifiable data.
Student
identification numbers are needed to gather the initial data and will be in an
excel spreadsheet . Teachers, upon
completion of the unit of study, will fill in student data for the assessment
of the unit and then delete the student identification numbers. Students will then be numbered
chronologically for future reference.
4. Describe what you are extracting from the data
set.
Student's
Math 8 grades and Math 8 SOL scores and pre- and post-test scores.