Assessment of Knowledge and Attitude of Graduate Students toward the Protection of Human Subjects in Research: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Many studies have examined the responsible conduct of researchers on human subjects but few studies have focused on graduate students’ attitude toward protecting human subjects. The purpose of this study was to examine the knowledge and attitude of Ithaca College (IC) graduate students toward protection of human subjects in research. This is a cross-sectional descriptive study involving multiple departments. The participants (N=50) were IC graduate students. Data were collected using a survey that was reliable (á =.70). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis. Results indicated that 44% had a prior course of research ethics; 60% were fully aware of the function of the Institutional Review Board (IRB); 98% acknowledged informing the research participant about the risk; 28% thought that research proposal reviewed by IRB will delay it or make it more difficult to gain approval, and only 2% considered fabrication of data in research as an ethical practice. Results from regression analysis revealed that age, gender and department (R2 = 0.185, p.>0.05) were not predictors of attitude toward Research Ethics and IRB for this sample of participants. Overall, IC graduate students have adequate awareness and a positive attitude toward Research Ethics and IRB. Further research using qualitative methodology is warranted to provide an emic perspective on graduate students’ attitude toward the protection of human subjects in research.