Policies and Procedures
for Conducting Research in the ELI

(This document is primarily addressed to student members of the Department of Second Language Studies. However, the policies are applicable to anyone wishing to conduct research in the ELI or solicit participants from ELI classes. )

Please register the fact that it will take time to complete the various steps outlined below. Research that is conceptualized hastily and conducted in a rush is unlikely to produce a satisfactory outcome, and is most likely to make an institution less willing to grant access in future. In schools, it may leave teachers and students with a negative attitude to research in general. Tact, courtesy, and sensitivity are always necessary, regardless of the kind of research envisaged.

Policies regarding approval to conduct research in the ELI or to solicit student volunteers from ELI classes

1. Obtain a copy of the ELI research agenda. This is a list of topics that the ELI staff would like to see research done on, to assist us with developing our program, solving problems and clarifying issues, or investigating areas we would like to know more about. This is what we call "in-house programmatic research". The ELI can assist with other research topics and issues, of course, but at the same time we naturally want to encourage, and will give priority to, research on our own program needs and concerns.
2. After you've worked out your study with your advisor/professor, develop a research proposal, which describes the topic and how you want to do the research. This should include the following:
   • A brief description of your study and the purpose for which the study is being used (a course paper, a Scholarly Paper, etc.).
   • A brief description of the methodology you will use.
   • Examples of any instruments you will use (if applicable).
   • Information about what kind of access to ELI students your study requires (either access to specific ELI classes or access to student volunteers -- see below for more information).
   • A handout designed to attract students to participate in your study.
   • A copy of the request for permission to be sent to ELI teachers (if applicable -- see Item 5 below).
   • A copy of the consent form(s) you intend to use.
   • Advising professor approval verifying that the design, instruments, and handouts meet with her/his approval (see below for more information).
3. Submit your proposal to the ELI Director, either in hard copy or by email to kenton@hawaii.edu. (If you submit your proposal via email, ask your advising professor to send an email message to the ELI Director verifying their approval of all items mentioned above.) Your proposal may be passed to ELI teachers and other staff for review and comments. If we see any problems with the design of your study, or its effect on the ELI or its students, we will send you back to your advisor for help in reformulating the proposal.
4. After your advisor/professor and the ELI have approved your study, you can proceed with getting approval from the human subjects committee, if need be. Check with your advisor/professor about whether or not your study needs the approval of the human subjects committee. If your study is exempted from human subjects approval, you merely need to let us know (an email message, with a 'cc' to your advisor/professor, will suffice). However, if your study requires the approval of the human subjects committee, you will have to wait until you get their approval before you will be able to approach ELI teachers or students. You do not need to make a copy of their approval for the ELI, but you do need to show the approval letter to the ELI Director. The ELI Director needs to be informed about this before you can approach ELI classes or ELI students. (Note, however, that you do not have to get approval from human subjects prior to sending your proposal to the ELI Director. It makes more sense to get your study reviewed and approved first by your advisor/professor and the ELI before you go to all the trouble of filling out the human subjects paperwork.)
5. Obtain approval of any ELI teacher you hope to involve in your study. a) If you will be conducting involving any ELI classes, it is also necessary to get permission of the teachers of those classes. Requests for teacher approval are usually 1-2 paragraphs, briefly describing the aims of the study and how the classes will be used. b) If you will be using ELI class time to solicit ELI student volunteers, you will need to provide the teacher with a brief description of your study (usually 1 paragraph) and copies of the handout for soliciting volunteers. (Note that, even if the ELI administration approves a project, individual teachers have the right to refuse to participate or to have their class participate in a study, if they feel it interferes with instruction or the aims of the course.)

    

Policies related to writing your paper

1. Read previous studies of research done in the ELI, if available.
2. Check the current UH-Manoa catalog (or other relevant documents) for up-to-date factual information about policies, courses, etc. related to the ELI.
3. Double-check all "facts" about the ELI with the Director or Curriculum Coordinator before you finish and submit your paper. (Note: If we find that you misrepresented the ELI, we will ask you to re-do your paper with the corrected information.)
4. If your research was done in specific ELI classes, or involving specific teachers, give those teachers the opportunity to review and comment on your paper (or at least those parts of your paper that relate to their class, their teaching, etc.) to ensure that you are representing the teacher and the class fairly and accurately. (Again, if we find that you misrepresented the teacher or the class, we will ask you to re-do your paper with the corrected information.)

Access to ELI classes, test data, or students

Access to ELI classes and ELI test data will only be possible if the study meshes with ELI needs. Check the ELI research agenda to see what kinds of research the ELI would like to have done.

Access to student volunteers is the most common type of access granted. If you need to do this, you should draft a one-page handout that is addressed to potential volunteers, at a level that is easily understandable for the students being solicited. The handout should explain what you need the students to volunteer for (in general terms), where data gathering procedures will take place, how long it will take, what language insights ELI students can gain from participating, how volunteers can contact you, and what compensation they will receive (generally at least in the form of some type of instructional feedback related to the study, or occasionally some type of compensation like movie tickets, tutoring, or proofreading help if the demands on participants are great). Remember, the professor advising your study must approve your handout.

(Note: This applies even to ELI staff conducting research.)

Approval of your advising professor

The ELI does not have time to help researchers edit their instruments, handouts, or consent forms. This means that you will need to get advice and editing help from the professor advising your study. It is our hope that this requirement will help ensure that your study gets approved by the ELI more quickly. Copy and paste the following information into a "statement of verification" that your advising professor will sign (or send via email):

I have seen and approved [student's name]'s proposal for research in the ELI, including the research design, instruments (if any), volunteer handouts, and consent forms to be used in this study.

Date:
Student's Name:
Advising Professor's Name:
Advising Professor's Signature

Courtesy copies of your paper

After you write up your research, please provide the ELI with one hard copy and one electronic copy of your paper. Please send us the electronic/digital copy as an email attachment. We may post a .pdf version of your paper on our website so it can be accessible to other researchers and to ELI staff. Thus, unless we receive a request from you specifically not to make it available on our website, we will assume that you have given your consent.

(updated August 2007)