Deck 2: Ethical Issues in Program Evaluation

Question 1

If a research participant is cognitively impaired, it is not necessary to seek their assent to participate in a research study.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

When is it possible that a program evaluation study may not need to be submitted to the IRB?

A)when there is no identifying health information collected as part of the study
B)when the agency is not receiving federal funds and does not intend to apply for federal funds within the next year
C)when an evaluation is conducted for the sole purpose of improving practices and operation
D)when the evaluators want to publish their results in a peer-reviewed journal
E)all problem evaluation studies must be submitted to the IRB

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In order to meet IRB guidelines, respondents must always be allowed to remain anonymous.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Which of the following statements is true regarding the protection of sensitive information in research?

A)Anonymity means that the researcher will protect and not reveal the participant's identity, while confidentiality means that the research participant cannot be identified by anyone, including the researcher.
B)Anonymity is required to get approval from the IRB in social services research, but confidentiality is only required in medical research.
C)Confidentiality means that the researcher will protect and not reveal the participant's identity, while anonymity means that the research participant cannot be identified by anyone, including the researcher.
D)The participant forfeits their rights to anonymity and confidentiality upon the signing of the informed consent document.

Question 5

You are hired as an external evaluator for a new, innovative therapeutic program for children with autism that has not yet been empirically tested.The program director tells you that five staff members will lose their jobs if the evaluation does not show the intervention to be effective, and that the parents will be so angry, they will never seek services at their agency again.You analyze the results and find that the children's symptoms did not improve after participating in the new program.What is the most ethical course of action?

A)Do not report the results correctly because you do not want the staff to lose their jobs in this tough economy.Contributing to workers losing their jobs would be unethical.
B)Indicate that the program was effective so that the families do not lose faith in the staff and the larger social service system, in general.Creating distrust in service delivery would be unethical.
C)Write the report with the correct results but write the limitation section so that it seems like the results are not very reliable in order to downplay the negative findings.
D)Write a draft of the report balancing the positive and negative aspects to show the program director before disseminating the final report to other stakeholders.

Question 6

Deception of research participants should not occur in any study.

Question 7

Research participants must be fully informed about the processes of the research and must be allowed to end their participation in a study, if they choose, at any time without a penalty.This is an example of honoring what principle of social work?

A)beneficence
B)social justice
C)self-determination
D)service

Question 8

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) were mandated to be convened for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

A)to oversee research in organizations receiving federal funds
B)to review research protocols especially related to recruiting participants
C)to determine if ethical guidelines are being followed
D)to provide funding for researchers to conduct program evaluation

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a required section of an informed consent document?

A)the purpose of the study
B)the risks versus benefits of the study
C)how participants' confidentiality will be safeguarded
D)a review of the literature pertaining to the problem being studied

Question 10

According to the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects in Biomedical and Behavioral Research (the Belmont Report, 1979), which of the following are the three ethical principles that must guide research involving humans?

A)beneficence, respect, justice
B)beneficence, informed consent, reciprocity
C)engagement, dignity and worth of the person, justice
D)solid theoretical foundation, evidence base, confidentiality

Question 11

Research conducted in an established educational setting involving normal educational practices such as comparing instructional techniques or classroom management styles and studies involving the study of existing data fall under what category according to the Department of Health and Human Services issued Federal Ruling 45 CFR 46?

A)expedited review
B)full review
C)exempt from review
D)risk vs benefit review

Question 12

Which of the following is a viable alternative for a researcher when needing an experimental group, but you do not want to deny clients access to a needed service?

A)provide services to clients that are an alternative form of those being evaluated
B)proceed with the same intervention for the second group and forego any chance of comparing two groups
C)provide extra compensation to those who have had to wait for services
D)all of the above are viable options for the researcher
E)none of the above are viable options for the researcher

Question 13

There is a section of the NASW Code of Ethics that addresses research and evaluation.

Question 14

If a researcher wants to conduct a study using incarcerated prisoners as research participants, the study must undergo full review including the presence of a prisoner or prisoner representative at the meeting.

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT a way to figure out the best solution when dealing with an ethical dilemma in research?

A)consult with your supervisors, colleagues and other professionals
B)look at the literature for examples of how other researchers handled
C)similar situations
D)consult applicable codes of ethics and apply those principles to the situation
E)temporarily suspend the study, debrief and provide compensation to the subjects

Question 16

Minors (under age 18) can give informed consent to participate in research studies.