Researcher FAQs
1. Applying for Approval
Why do I need approval to conduct my research on Education Queensland sites including State Schools?
How do I apply for approval?
Do I need a Working with Children Suitability Card?
Who do I send my completed application form to?
2. The Assessment Process
How long will it take for my research application to be assessed?
How will my application be assessed?
Why does the Department need to see my research methodology? What's it looking for?
My application has been approved. What happens next?
What if my application is not approved?
3. Responsibilities of Researchers
What conditions must I comply with?
What happens if I contravene these conditions?
What information must I give to research participants?
What support do I need to provide to participants in my research?
What do I do if a child reveals information to me concerning their safety or wellbeing?
4. Research Findings
Who owns the intellectual property generated by my research?
What information am I required to provide to the Department of Education, Training and the Arts?
Can I publicly release my research?
1. APPLYING FOR APPROVAL
Why do I need approval to conduct my research on Education Queensland sites including schools?
If you intend to conduct research activities on any Education Queensland sites, you will need approval from the relevant units. Education Queensland sites include State Schools, Environmental Education Centres, Facility Service Centres, Central Office business units and District Offices.
The Department of Education, Training and the Arts is responsible for protecting school students and staff and maintaining the integrity of learning. The approval process helps to ensure that the wellbeing of students and staff is protected and that research conducted on Education Queensland sites is appropriate, worthwhile and provides educational benefits. By coordinating research in school sites, the Department can also monitor the level of activity and types of research being undertaken and ensure that departmental staff are able to learn from research findings.
Decide whether you want to conduct research on Education Queensland or Training or Arts Queensland sites.
To apply for approval to conduct research on Education Queensland sites:
To apply for approval to conduct research on Arts Queensland sites:
To apply for approval to conduct research on Training Queensland sites:
Do I need a Working with Children Suitability Card?
If your research involves direct contact with students, the Department will not approve your application unless you provide evidence that you have a Working with Children Suitability Card or evidence that a Working with Children Suitability Card is not required. All researchers who will come into contact with children less than 18 years of age or enter Education Queensland School sites are required to seek guidance from the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian (CCYPCG) regarding their need to possess a Working with Children Suitability Card.
Contact with the Queensland Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian can be made by visiting the Commission's website at www.childcomm.qld.gov.au 
or via email: wmaster@ccypcg.qld.gov.au or via phone on (07) 3247 5525 or freecall 1800 688 275.
Who do I send my completed application form to?
Prior to commencing any research in Education Queensland sites, all researchers must obtain approval through one of the following means:
2. THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS
How long will it take for my research application to be assessed?
If you provide all the information required in your application form supported by the relevant documentation, you can expect advice on your application within four weeks of its receipt by Strategic Policy and Education Futures Division.
If you are a university-based researcher, please make sure that you provide evidence of ethics approval from an appropriate ethics committee (e.g. university, hospital) with your application. This will assist in the prompt processing of your application, saving you time.
When the Strategic Policy and Education Futures Division receives your application, it assesses whether the information you have provided is adequate and whether the application fulfils the requirements of the guidelines. All applications are also forwarded to subject area specialists within the Department to comment on the content, proposed methodology, alignment with departmental priorities, and appropriateness for conduct in state schools (where applicable). These specialists will recommend whether or not to support your application.
The Department may contact you for more detailed information about the project or to discuss possible adaptations to the study. For instance, more detailed information may be needed about the research methodology, research instruments, or the extent of participants' involvement. This is usually an informal process conducted by email or telephone and may result in a resubmission or a notice that the research application requires modification or additional information prior to approval.
Why does the Department need to see my research methodology? What is it looking for?
In reviewing research applications, the Department considers:
My application has been approved. What happens next?
When your application is approved, we will send you documentation detailing the conditions under which your research project has been approved. This documentation provides evidence of approval to proceed. Please note however, that it does not provide evidence of ethical clearance from the Department.
Approval to conduct research should not be interpreted as official departmental support or endorsement of any aspect of the project. Nor should approval be interpreted as support for the general and/or commercial use of an intervention or curriculum program, software program, or other enterprise being evaluated or developed as part of the research. It is not appropriate to indicate to research participants that any aspect of the research is endorsed or partnered by the Department of Education, Training and the Arts or Education Queensland.
Once you have received this documentation, you can invite the nominated principal(s) and/or business unit manager(s) to participate in your research project. You must obtain consent from participating principals or business unit managers before commencing your research project. Principals and business unit managers have the right to decline if they consider that the research will cause undue disruption to educational programs in their schools. Principals or business unit managers will also monitor research activities conducted on their facilities and may withdraw support at any time.
What if my application is not approved?
If your application is not approved, you will receive written notice including information about why the research project cannot be supported.
You can revise and resubmit your application to address the Department's concerns. You will need to indicate that you have revised a previously submitted research proposal.
The Department of Education, Training and the Arts retains absolute discretion to approve or not approve any research application involving Queensland State Schools and other Education Queensland/Department of Education, Training and the Arts Units.
3. RESPONSIBILITIES OF RESEARCHERS
To conduct research on Departmental sites, you will need to sign a research application. By doing so, you are agreeing to abide by certain standards and conditions. These conditions include:
Maintaining participant wellbeing. Understandably, the interests of students, their families and staff come first. Research projects must not adversely affect educational progress or wellbeing. For example, the Department will not approve projects likely to result in:
Ensuring suitability in working with children. The principal researcher and associated researchers need to provide evidence of Blue Cards or indicate exemption under the CCYPCG Act.
Obtaining the informed consent of participants and caregivers. Research participants and caregivers have the right to be fully informed about the intent, nature and scope of the research when deciding if they will participate. You must obtain the informed written consent of students and their primary caregiver. The written consent must indicate that the caregiver has discussed the matter with their child and that their child has explicitly agreed to participate. Passive consent by the primary caregiver (i.e. where consent is assumed unless the primary caregiver indicates otherwise) is not acceptable.
Ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of participants' personal details/ information at all times. This includes in the publication of data, papers and reports. The anonymity of participants, including the Department's employees, must be ensured throughout the research process. For example, if your research project uses surveys, you will need to store the information in a way that makes it impossible to link the data collected to the individual participants. You will also need to keep the identity of participating schools confidential, particularly in published research material.
Managing data in a way that ensures participant confidentiality. All projects must ensure that participant confidentiality is ensured at all times regardless of the type of data collection instruments used (e.g. questionnaires, audio or video recordings). This condition also applies to research projects that involve longitudinal studies. People other than you as the researcher must not be able to link the information collected to individual participants. In your research application, you will need to provide details of the procedures you will use to ensure this protection. For example, describe the strategies you will you use to store the information, limit and protect access, and dispose of the data.
If you are dealing with issues of a sensitive nature in your research, it is also important that you comply with the following legislation and departmental policies:
These polices can be accessed at http://education.qld.gov.au/corporate/doem/curristu/curristu.html
Please make sure you read them carefully and use them to inform the planning and conduct of your research project. The Department will immediately withdraw its support for your research project if you contravene them. Legal action may be taken in line with the various penalties and actions identified in the relevant acts and policies.
Before seeking the consent of potential participants in your research, there is certain information that you must provide to them. All participants, including caregivers (for participants under 18 years of age), must be provided with an information sheet detailing:
All participants, including children, need to be informed that:
Sometimes it is necessary to make changes to research projects as they are carried out. If this happens, you may need to provide additional information to participants and caregivers in writing. This will be necessary if the changes alter the initial information provided to participants or caregivers, or there is new information that could reasonably be considered to influence a participant's willingness to continue with the study.
What support do I need to provide to participants in my research?
If you are conducting research that deals with sensitive issues, you must organise support mechanisms for participants and describe these in your research application.
Sensitive issues might include for example:
The safety and wellbeing of children is paramount. If a child reveals information to you that suggests that their safety or wellbeing may be at risk, you must disclose this information to the principal.
4. RESEARCH FINDINGS
If you are not employed by or engaged by the Department as a contractor or consultant, the Department places no claim on the intellectual property generated by your research project. However, if the project is of high relevance to the Department or could be used in policy development, we may negotiate with you to jointly release the research findings or material.
If you are a contractor or consultant engaged by the Department, the intellectual property generated by the research belongs to the Department or as specified in any contractual agreement.
If you are a Departmental Employee, the state of Queensland owns any intellectual property resulting from research you undertake in the course of your employment. This is in accordance with the Australian Copyright Act 1968 and Information Standard 25, the State of Queensland.
In all cases, bear in mind that any samples of work by research participants (such as essays, photographs and websites) remain their intellectual property. You will require written consent from the primary caregiver and research participants to reproduce participants' work in any form.
What other information am I required to provide to the Department of Education, Training and the Arts?
At the conclusion of the study, you are required to provide the Department with a summary of the research results and any published papers resulting from the study. As a courtesy, a summary of the research findings should also be forwarded to participating principals and/or business unit managers.
Any media coverage or publication anticipated from the results of research conducted in departmental sites should be noted on the research application form. If the media contacts you about research activities conducted on departmental sites, you must inform the Department's Corporate Communications and Marketing Branch on phone (07) 3237 1363. The Department may prepare a media release. If media coverage is to be conducted on departmental sites, you will also need to obtain permission from the relevant principal or site manager.
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Access keys |
Other languages
© The State of Queensland (Department of Education, Training and the Arts) 2005.