Research in the DSLS

Guidelines for research applications to programs housed within the department of SLS

    1. Background and procedures. These guidelines are intended to apply when some aspect of the Department (faculty, students, teaching techniques, relationship with the community, curriculum, etc.) is to be studied. The Department consists of five units: the English Language Institute, the University Hawaii English Language Program, with a Director in charge of each and a Executive Director overseeing both, the BA program, the MA program, the Advanced Graduate Certificate in Second Language Studies, and the Doctoral Program. The Graduate Chair is in charge of graduate programs; the Undergraduate Advisor is the primary overseer of the undergraduate program.

      There are three levels of investigation and each will require approaching and obtaining approval/cooperation from different individuals or committees:

      1. practices in individual classes or learning processes in the Department (e.g., ELI or SLS courses, student/teacher interactions, attitudes toward instruction / content);
      2. administrative structure and governance (e.g., ELI structure, DPPC procedures, Graduate Faculty membership, financial management, course scheduling, GA selection, committee makeup);
      3. academic aspects of Department-wide practices and policies (e.g., comparison of faculty teaching practices, course requirements, research focuses).

      In each case, the subjects of investigation and the administrator in charge of the unit are approached and informed of the purposes of the research. In most instances written proposals will be required. Participants’ informed consent must be obtained prior to initiation of the research. At times, the administrator in charge of the unit will find it necessary to approach Department committees that deal with the content of the proposed research.

      After completion of the research, a copy of the report or study will be provided to the appropriate unit. The report will acknowledge the participation or support of the individuals/units involved.

    2. Evaluation criteria.
      1. Methodological. The proposal should be well designed. Standard criteria exist for both “quantitative “and “qualitative” proposals. Reference should be made to published guidelines for such proposals.
      2. Ethical. The proposal should meet standard ethical considerations, concerning informed participation, debriefing, human subjects clearance, etc. Reference should be made to published guidelines in this area.
      3. Feasibility. The study’s demands on faculty, staff, students (and/or other departmental resources) should be accommodatable. Proposals satisfactory under 2.1 and 2.2 may be turned down if they do not satisfy this criterion.
 

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