Regulatory practices and school-based research: Making sense of research ethics/review

Abstract: This article focuses on the ethics/research review practices of a university Research Ethics Board (REB) and a school board Research Review Committee (RRC). Applications to conduct school-based research submitted to the REB and RRC and in-depth, open-ended interviews with REB and RRC members serve as data for the study. In this paper, we highlight the institutional board decisions, especially requests for clarification documented in the applications, giving specific attention to applications proposing qualitative/teacher research. Empirical research focused on the inside workings of REBs and RRCs, which would provide particular kinds of knowledge related to research/ethics review, is recommended