Q: field methods human subjects

[Ingvild Roald]

Of course, being a Norwegian I cannot answer for the rules of the USA.
But during my research, I've had to get a special permission from the
National Privacy authority, I've had to get written permissons beforehand
from the human subjects, and I've had to destroy the original tapes. This
was when I was connected to the University of Bergen.

Now I am employed by a National Resource Center for Deaf Education. We do
have a permisson from the aforementioned authority to make vidotapes,
provided the subject or the warden of the subject (if it is a child) has
given written consent. These tapes we are permitted to use for research
under strict rules, and for courses also under strict rules, and with
written agreement from the persons taking part in these courses that they
will not reveal any personal or private information.

As you say you will be using one person who uses a SL that is not ASL,
that person could be shy of showing his or her SL utterances, and could
naturally be afraid that someone might  bring back to his or her own SL
community what has been said - even it this someone has misunderstood or
do not remember correctly. The satndings of the SLs of the world, and of
the Deaf communities, is still so shaky that every precaution should be
taken to avoid a 'blemish' on a deaf signer's reputation with his or her
own community.

Therefore, the students should be 'sworn to secrecy',  that is, they
should not use the material as 'this is how this particular SL is, because
NN (name of subject) told us so'. They should learn that this is one way
that this SL can be used, and is used by this one person, who is presently
in an ASL environment and may be confused because of that.

Best of luck with your course,

Ingvild Roald,
Bergen, Norway

SLLING-L at ADMIN.HUMBERC.ON.CA writes:
>This year I will be teaching a field methods course for second year
>graduate students at Gallaudet University. Naturally, this course
>involves working with a (paid) language consultant, in other words a
>human subject. Over the year, students will obtain data from the
>consultant and will prepare a descriptive paper at the end of the
>course based on their data. Since this course deals with sign languages
>(i.e. a sign language other than ASL), data will be recorded by
>videotaping the consultant's productions. Just last week, the question
>came up of whether filming our consultant requires the course to
>receive a blanket approval from our university's Institutional Review
>Board. (Since the consultant will be videotaped, this means s/he would
>be readily identifiable in the future.) Additionally, the university
>requires that unless the videotapes are archived, they must be
>destroyed after two years.
>
>I am scheduled to meet with the head of our IRB later this week, and
>would like to get a feel for practice in other universities before I
>talk with him. My position, supported elsewhere in the department, is
>that given the nature of a field methods course, we would hope for
>exemption from the normal approval needed prior to undertaking any
>research with a human subject.
>
>I realise that most people on LINGUIST will only have dealt with human
>subjects issues in spoken languages, where videotaping (and subject
>identifiability) probably wouldn't pose the same kind of difficulties.
>Nonetheless, I would be grateful for any input other people involved in
>field methods courses, involving either spoken or signed languages,
>could give me. What has your experience been? Have you had to deal with
>any unexpected or unusual ethical issues? Has your institution required
>IRB approval for working with a human subject? Has the institution
>required you to restrict in some way the subsequent use of data
>obtained in the course? (E.g. destruction of original data, ban on
>publication or dissemination of results, signed undertakings on the
>part of course participants?)
>
>I look forward to your feedback,
>
>Chris Miller
>
>=:=:=:=:= =:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=
>Christopher Miller
>
>
>
>Gallaudet web page:
>
>http://linguistics.gallaudet.edu/miller.html
>
>Work:
>
>Department of Linguistics
>(Dawes House 203)
>Gallaudet University
>800 Florida Avenue NE
>Washington DC  20002
>USA
>
>+1 202 651-5674
>christopher.miller at gallaudet.edu
>
>Home:
>
>4512 32nd Street
>Mount Rainier MD  20712
>USA
>
>+1 514 995-0185 (mobile)
>christophermiller at mac.com
>(miller.christopher at uqam.ca - expiring soon)
>=:=:=:=:= =:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=