IRB for My Pilot Study

IRB for My Pilot Study

Effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on Classroom Communication in Immigrant Children

IRB PROPOSAL

This study will compare the communication of immigrant children with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in classroom with immigrant children who do not have PTSD. Immigrant children are a vulnerable population thus the focus of this research and they are often at high risk of post-traumatic stress disorder from their experience in their origin Fawzi et al., 2009.

This study seeks to describe the differences in how English as a second language (ESL) immigrant with PTSD communicate compared to ESL immigrants without PTSD. The study participants who will be 3rd and 4th grade students will be interviewed in public schools in Seattle.

Potential benefits of this study include:

Understanding the communication needs of ESL immigrant students with PTSD to enable them to cope with classroom situations like other normal students;

Correlating these observed communication needs and differences with the performance of these children in school; and Identifying patterns in communication between immigrant students with PTSD and those without PTSD to identify communication difficulties

Participation in this study is voluntary and no student will participate without his or her parent providing consent. The researcher will work with the student to identify the best time to interview without interfering with the class schedule of the student to make sure the student is as comfortable as possible.

Statement of purpose and background

The purpose of this study is to gain an in-depth understanding of the differences in communication between ESL children affected by PTSD and those who are not affected by PTSD. The intention of the research is to identify patterns such as physical movements, verbal information and other nonverbal cues that these students use in order to define their communication style. This communication style will then enable me to define the needs of each group.

The study describes in this proposal will be used as part of a thesis.

Subjects

Subject characteristics

The participants of this study will be 3rd and 4th grade students from one public school in Seattle. They will be ESL immigrants with PTSD or ESL immigrants without PTSD symptoms. The researcher may also consider interviewing the teachers and psychologists in this school to triangulate the results Agbenyega, 2009()

Selection criteria

The subjects of this study will be chosen purposively because they are members of 3rd or 4th grade and must be ESL immigrants with or without PTSD symptoms. All students who meet these criteria will be invited to participate.

Special populations

This study includes children under the age of 18.

Recruitment source

The students will be recruited from one public school in Seattle. A letter of consent from the principal of the chosen school is attached to this proposal.

Recruitment methods

The researcher will recruit the study participants based on the recruitment or selection criteria previously defined.

Informed consent process

The parents of all children meeting the inclusion or selection criteria will receive a letter of consent that provides information about the study objectives, interview guide, and information about the confidentiality of results. A copy of this letter is attached with this proposal.

Study location

The researcher, with the help of the principal or teachers at the school, will identify an English language classroom in the school to be used for the interviews. The main reason for this is to ensure the students are comfortable with the location of the interview and they are able to provide confident responses Bengtsson-Tops & Svensson, 2010()

Potential problems

The researcher may not be able to identify and recruit participants meeting the specified inclusion criteria thus preventing data collection.

Research design and method

Research design

The student uses open- and closed-ended questions for the interviews following the attached interview guide. The interview process seeks to compare the communication of ESL immigrant children with PTSD to those without PTSD and assessing how they relate to other students. The students will also be observed in their classroom environment to identify indicators of positive and negative relationships.

Tests, questionnaires, and interview guides

The study will follow the attached interview guide. However, to make sure the researcher gains an in-depth understanding of the responses provided, they may change this guide on an ad hoc basis.

Potential benefits

While this research does not directly benefit the students to who the study is conducted, it benefits them indirectly since their teachers will be able to understand their communication style and needs in order to help them interact better with other students Fitzgerald, Henriksen, & Garza, 2012.

The research findings will help to identify the communication patterns between ESL immigrant children with PTSD and those without PTSD symptoms and thus enable teachers to identify the positive and negative aspects of communication in these students and tailor their lessons better to enable the students to cope.

Risks

Identification of risks

The researcher has ensured that there are only minimal risks associated with participation in this study. The interview will be conducted confidentially and any transcripts, recordings, etc. will not bear traceable information. There are no psychological, physical or social risks associated with participation in this study since confidentiality is ensured. Students may feel slightly embarrassed or uncomfortable being chosen to participate in the study but this is not expected to bring any negative effects.

Management of risk

Students who are uncomfortable will be asked whether they are interested to continue participating in the study and will be allowed to pull out at any time they wish. All information collected in this study including researcher's notes, recordings, transcripts, etc. will be kept securely to ensure confidentiality in order to manage risks associated with participation in this study.