Q: field methods human subjects

[Ingvild Roald]

You are welcome to post from this, provided
1) that you do not cite me out of context (anything can be twisted, and I
do think you will do so, just have to state this)
2) you correct my misspellings, as I see there are a few ... (being in one
language environment and writing in another.... )

Again, my best wishes,

Ingvild Roald, dr. philos

SLLING-L at ADMIN.HUMBERC.ON.CA writes:
>Many thanks for your interesting comments. Do you mind if I post
>excerpts to SLLING-L and LINGUIST? I would like to post a summary
>sometime in the next several days for the benefit of other researchers
>and students.
>
>On Wednesday, August 20, 2003, at 09:56  AM, Ingvild Roald wrote:
>
>> 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)
>>> =:=:=:=:= =:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=
>>>
>
>=:=:=:=:= =:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=
>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)
>=:=:=:=:= =:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=
>
>
>=:=:=:=:= =:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=
>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)
>=:=:=:=:= =:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=