Research Involving College Students as Human Subjects

The problem with student participation in research conducted at the university is the possibility that their agreement to participate will not be freely given. Students may volunteer to participate out of a belief that doing so will place them in good favor with faculty (e.g., that participating will result in receiving better grades, recommendations, employment, or the like), or that failure to participate will negatively affect their relationship with the investigator or faculty generally (i.e., by seeming "uncooperative," not part of the scientific community).

A way to protect against coercion is to require that faculty-investigators advertise for subjects generally (e.g., through notices posted in the school or department) rather than recruit individual students directly. Requiring participation in research for course credit (or extra credit) is also controversial, though common in the social and behavioral sciences. As with any research involving a potentially vulnerable subject population, IRBs must pay special attention to the potential for coercion or undue influence and consider ways in which the possibility of exploitation can be reduced or eliminated.

Another concern raised by the involvement of students as subjects is confidentiality. As with research involving human subjects generally, the Virginia Tech IRB is aware that research involving the collection of data on sensitive subjects such as mental health, sexual activity, or the use of illicit drugs or alcohol presents risks to subjects of which they should be made aware and from which they should be protected, to the greatest extent possible. The close environment of the university amplifies this problem.

If a research project includes the need to access student records (i.e., SAT or GRE scores, or student GPA), a separate signed consent/permission form must be obtained from the student subject and submitted to the Registrar's office.

Limit the use of extra credit points as a reward for participating; they should be used when the research is closely tied to the course subject matter and they should not raise a student’s grade by a whole step (e.g., from a B to an A).

Equal alternatives to receiving extra credit must be provided.

Additional information to provide in your consent document(s) if your study involves students and extra credit:

Compensation Section

• Amount of extra credit given for completion of each study procedure and for completion of the entire study; and
• The impact this extra credit will have on students’ grades.

• You may be recruiting minors. Some freshman college students are under the age of 18.
• Will study procedures be completed during school time? If so, students not included in the study may view this as unfair. Also, students may feel compelled to participate if it means missing out on regular classes.
• If a research project includes the need to access student records (e.g., SAT or GRE scores, or student GPA), a separate signed consent/permission form must be obtained from the student subject (and parent if involving minors) and submitted to the Registrar’s office. Requesting data from the University.

If there is a good scientific reason for including students, researchers should:

1. Make sure students are confident that their participation will not influence class standing, grades, or other benefits under the control of the researcher.
2. Limit the use of extra credit points as a reward for participating; they should be used when the researcher is closely tied to the course subject matter and they should not raise a student’s grade by a whole step (e.g., from a B to an A).
3. Keep financial rewards commensurate with the risks of participation.
4. If possible, avoid using class time to recruit subjects or complete study instruments.
5. Inform students who might participate about the review process, the rationale for the study, the process of data collection, and the researcher’s interests.