CECS RC001 Foundations of ResearchShort-Answer Assessment Sub.docx

CECS RC001: Foundations of Research
Short-Answer Assessment Submission FormContact Information
Please provide your contact information and date of submission
below.
Your Name: Angel Winslow
Your E-mail address: [email protected]
Date: 2/20/2020Instructions
This Competency includes a Short-Answer Assessment. Write
your response to each prompt below in the space provided.
Beneath the prompts is the Rubric which will be used by the
Competency Assessor to evaluate your responses. Carefully
review the Rubric rows associated with each prompt to provide
a complete response.
When writing your response, begin typing where it reads “Enter
your response here.” Write as much as needed to satisfy the
requirements of the prompt (as defined in the Rubric).
Save this file as RC001_firstinitial_lastname (for example,
RC001_J_Smith) and upload it to this Assessment within the
learning platform.
Short Answer 1
In 1–2 sentences, explain each of the principles or concepts of
early childhood research listed below.
· Quantitative approaches
· Qualitative approaches
· Longitudinal research
· Hypothesis
· Replication
· Generalizability
Your Response

Quantitative approaches in early childhood are collecting data
that are numerical in form which explains relationships between
independent and dependent variables constitute research.
Qualitative approaches in early childhood are Non-numerical in
form but are usually text-based data that seeks understanding
rather than explanation and encourages complexity in the data.
Longitudinal research is a design that allows investigation of
naturally-occurring changes on repeated occasions over a
substantial period of time.
Hypothesis in early childhood is referred to as a predictive
statement containing an explanation of a phenomenon and its
cause.
Replication is the process of repeating a study with different
researchers in different settings.
Generalizability in early childhood is results from a research
study to apply a phenomenon for the broader population in real-
world conditions.
Reference: Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S. A., & Siraj-Blatchford,
I. (2010). Doing early childhood research: International
perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY:
MMcGraw-Hill
0
Not Present
1
Needs Improvement
2
Meets Expectations
3
Exceeds Expectations
Sub-Competency 1: Explain key principles, concepts, and
ethical standards in early childhood research.
Learning Objective 1.1: Define key principles and concepts.

Some or all definitions are not present.
Definitions are weak or illogical.
Definitions are succinct and accurate.
Demonstrates the same level of achievement as “2,” plus the
following:
Definitions provide context in the field of early childhood
studies.
Short Answer 2List three principles of high-quality research and
explain the importance of each principle. Your response should
be 2–3 paragraphs in length.
Your Responses
Enter Your Response HereRubric
0
Not Present
1
Needs Improvement
2
Meets Expectations
3
Learning Objective 1.2 Explain the importance of the principles
of high quality research.
Response is not present or is inaccurate.
Response lists fewer than three principles of high quality
research.

Response provides weak or partial explanations of their
importance.
Response clearly describes three principles of high quality
research.
Response provides a thorough explanation of the importance of
the identified principles.
following:
Response includes a thoughtful analysis of the importance of
each principle in terms of early childhood research.
Short Answer 3Define informed consent. How does informed
consent apply to research with children? Your response should
be 3–5 sentences in length. Your Response
0
Not Present
1
Needs Improvement
2
Meets Expectations
3
Learning Objective 1.3:
Define informed consent and its application to research with
children.

Response partially defines informed consent and/or its
application to children.
Response accurately defines informed consent and its
application to research with children.
following:
Response addresses the legal and ethical implications of
informed consent.
Short Answer 4
Provide at least one example of ethical behavior in research
with children. Provide at least one example of unethical
behavior in research with children. Your Response
0
Not Present
1
Needs Improvement
2
Meets Expectations
3
Learning Objective 1.4: Describe examples of ethical and
unethical behaviors in research with children.

Response is incomplete or provides weak examples.
Response provides one relevant example of ethical and
unethical behavior in research with children.
following:
Response provides more than one example of both ethical and
unethical behavior in research with children.
Short Answer 5For each link below, identify the type of source
that is represented from the “Types of Sources” list. Then,
explain the characteristics of each type of source.
Types of Sources
· Web article
· Research article
· Research brief
· Peer-reviewed research article
Links
Johanson, S., & Kuh, L. (2013). Critical friends groups in an
early childhood setting: Building a culture of collaboration.
Voices of Practitioners, 8(2), 1–16. Retrieved from
http://www.schoolreforminitiative.org/wp-
content/uploads/2012/01/Voices_Johanson_v8n2.pdf
Your Response
Enter Your Response Here
Recchia, S., & Bentley, D. F. (2013). Parent perspectives on
how a child-centered preschool experience shapes children’s
navigation of kindergarten. Early Childhood Research and
Practice, 15(1). Retrieved from
http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v15n1/recchia.html

Your Response
Mira, W. A., & Schwanenflugel, P. J. (2013). The impact
of reading expressiveness on the listening comprehension of
storybooks by prekindergarten children. Language, Speech, and
Hearing Services in Schools, 44(2), 183–194.
Retrieved from Walden University Library.
Your Response
Friedman-Krauss, A., & Barnett, W. S. (2013). Early childhood
education: Pathways to better health (NIEER Preschool Policy
Brief, Issue 25). New Brunswick, NJ: NIEER. Retrieved from
http://nieer.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/health20brief.pdf
Your Response
0
Not Present
1
Needs Improvement
2
Meets Expectations
3
Sub-Competency 2: Describe types of sources of early
childhood research studies.
Learning Objective 2.1 Describe the characteristics of different
types of sources of early childhood research studies.
Response is not present.
Response is incomplete.
Response correctly defines the type of source and provides the
correct example.

following:
Response elaborates on the characteristics by describing the
value of each type of source.
Short Answer 6
Choose at least two high-quality research publications. Provide
the name of each publication, describe what type of research
each publication covers, and explain why each source is
considered “high quality.”
Refer to this ASU resource for an overview of high-quality
research publications:
· Angelo State University (ASU). (n.d.-a). Library Guides. How
to recognize peer-reviewed (refereed) journals. Retrieved from
https://www.angelo.edu/services/library/handouts/peerrev.php
Note: You may also access high-quality early childhood
research publications in the Walden Library. Your Response
0
Not Present
1
Needs Improvement
2
Meets Expectations
3
Sub-Competency 2: Describe types of sources of early

Learning Objective 2.2 Describe high-quality sourcesof early
Response describes the type of research covered in two high-
quality publications.
Response includes an explanation of the reasons the
publications are consider high quality.
following:
Response describes more than two high-quality publications.
Short Answer 7List the main parts of a research article and
provide a brief description of each.
Your Response
0
Not Present
1
Needs Improvement
2
Meets Expectations
3

Sub-Competency 3: Describe the main parts of research articles
and the purpose of each.
Learning Objective 3.1 Describe the main parts of a research
article and the purpose of each part.
Response describes some of the parts of a research article.
Description includes a partial explanation of the purpose of
each part of a research article.
Response accurately describes the five parts of a research
article.
Description includes a clear explanation of the purpose of each
part of a research article.
following:
Description includes each of the four parts of the methods
section.
Short Answer 8Define the terms “reliability” and “validity” in
the context of research. Your response should be 3–5 sentences
in length.Your Response
0

Not Present
1
Needs Improvement
2
Meets Expectations
3
Sub-Competency 4: Explain the importance of validity and
reliability in early childhood research.
Learning Objective 4.1: Define reliability and validity within
the context of early childhood research.
Response includes a partially-accurate definition of reliability
and validity in the context of early childhood research.
Response includes an accurate definition of reliability and
validity in the context of early childhood research.
following:
Response includes an example of reliable or valid test results
cited in a peer-reviewed journal article.
Short Answer 9
In 1–2 sentences, define each type of validity and reliability.
Types:
· Face validity
· Criterion validity

· Content validity
· Inter-rater reliabilityYour Response
0
Not Present
1
Needs Improvement
2
Meets Expectations
3
Sub-Competency 4: Explain the importance of validity and
reliability in early childhood research.
Learning Objective 4.2: Define types of validity and reliability.
Response includes an accurate definition of each type of
validity and reliability.
following:
Response includes an example of each type of validity from
research articles.
Short Answer 10
Read the two research questions below. Then, suggest one or
more data-gathering techniques that could be used to test a
hypothesis related to each, and explain why.

Research questions:
1. To what extent do preschoolers whose parents read to them
on a regular basis perform better on academic tasks in
elementary school than preschoolers who are not read to?
2. Does flexible scheduling of parent-teacher meetings increase
working parents’ involvement in their children’s
education?Your Response
0
Not Present
1
Needs Improvement
2
Meets Expectations
3
Sub-Competency 5: Describe the strategies used to gather data
for research studies.
Learning Objective 5.1: Describe strategies for gathering data in
research studies.
Response mentions data-gathering techniques but does not
match them to the questions.
Response clearly describes one strategy for gathering data
related to each research question presented.
Response includes a logical rationale.
following:
Response clearly describes more than one strategy for gathering
data related to each research question presented.

©2014 Walden University 4
References to use to answer questions for RC001
Doing Early Childhood Research: International Perspectives on
Theory and Practice, pp. 3-12
https://tempolearning.brightspace.com/d2l/common/dialogs/quic
kLink/quickLink.d2l?ou=6742&type=lti&rcode=walden-
705&srcou=6742
Reliability and Validity in Research
https://writing.colostate.edu/guides/page.cfm?pageid=1386&gui
deid=66
Components of a High-Quality Early Childhood Program
List three principles of high-quality research and explain the
importance of each principle.
1. Interpersonal Interactions
2. Program Structure Support
3. Physical Environment
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/early-
childhood/reports/2017/02/13/414939/quality-101-identifying-
the-core-components-of-a-high-quality-early-childhood-
program/WEBSITE: RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY IN
RESEARCH
Colorado State University. (2014). Reliability and validity.
Retrieved from
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/guide.cfm?guideid=66
A Practical Guide to Reading Research Articles
Lepuschitz, J. K. (2011a). A practical guide to reading research
articles. Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education.
WEBSITE: TYPES OF SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE
Types of Scientific Literature

Swoger, B. (n.d.). Types of scientific literature [Blog post].
Retrieved from http://undergraduatesciencelibrarian.org/a-very-
brief-introduction-to-the-scientific-literature/types-of-
scientific-literature/
WEBSITE: WHAT IS A SCHOLARLY ARTICLE?
What is a Scholarly Article
California State University. (2011). What is a scholarly
article? Retrieved from
http://www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/scholarly.pdf
References to use to answer questions for RC001
Doing Early Childhood Research: International Perspectives on
Theory and Practice, pp. 3-12
https://tempolearning.brightspace.com/d2l/common/dialogs/quic
kLink/quickLink.d2l?ou=6742&type=lti&rcode=walden-
705&srcou=6742
https://writing.colostate.edu/guides/page.cfm?pageid=1386&gui
deid=66
Components of a High-Quality Early Childhood Program
List three principles of high-quality research and explain the
importance of each principle.
1. Interpersonal Interactions
2. Program Structure Support
3. Physical Environment
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/early-
childhood/reports/2017/02/13/414939/quality-101-identifying-
the-core-components-of-a-high-quality-early-childhood-
program/WEBSITE: RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY IN
RESEARCH

Colorado State University. (2014). Reliability and validity.
Retrieved from
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/guide.cfm?guideid=66
A Practical Guide to Reading Research Articles
Lepuschitz, J. K. (2011a). A practical guide to reading research
articles. Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education.
WEBSITE: TYPES OF SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE
Types of Scientific Literature
Swoger, B. (n.d.). Types of scientific literature [Blog post].
Retrieved from http://undergraduatesciencelibrarian.org/a-very-
brief-introduction-to-the-scientific-literature/types-of-
scientific-literature/
WEBSITE: WHAT IS A SCHOLARLY ARTICLE?
What is a Scholarly Article
California State University. (2011). What is a scholarly
article? Retrieved from
http://www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/scholarly.pdf
As you moved from the Application Assignment page to this
document, you might have asked yourself: “Why do I need to
learn how to read research articles?” Think about it this way:
Why is it to your advantage to be able to read at all? One of the
main reasons is that being literate makes you independent.
Other people may not read the whole story to you, or they may
only provide you with selected excerpts of a report and
therefore keep you from knowing all the facts. When you can
read, you are in control of the information you receive.
Likewise, if you are a professional who does not know how to
read published research, you are, at best, dependent on others to
interpret research results for you, i.e., you only obtain filtered,
second-hand knowledge; at worst, you never read current

research and miss a significant chance of professional growth
and development.
Students as well as professionals without extensive training in
statistics or research methodology often shy away from formal
research articles, thinking that they lack the skills to read and
understand the seemingly complicated language of research.
However, the good news is that you can read and understand
any research article even if you have never had a course in
statistics or research methodology. Researchers in just about
any field of study follow an established pattern when they
submit a research article for publication. The key for you is to
know this pattern, know which parts of a research article you do
not have to read—yes, you can safely skip a large portion of any
research article and still know exactly what the research was all
about— and which parts you need to study carefully.
This document is designed to explain this pattern to you, teach
you how to focus your reading, and give you the confidence to
make reading research articles a welcome part of your
professional life. These are the three sections of this document:
1. The Pattern of Research Articles
2. The Parts of Research Articles, and their Meaning
3. What to Read—What to Skip—What to Read Again
1. THE PATTERN OF RESEARCH ARTICLES
Most research articles are constructed in the following way:
First, there is an Abstract, followed by an Introduction. The
next section is called Methods, and is usually divided in
subsections labeled Participants, Procedure, Measures, and
Results. The final sections are called Discussion and
Conclusion, although sometimes the conclusion section is just
part of the discussion section and vice versa.

The main reason why the majority of research articles follow
this pattern is because it represents the natural flow of the
research process. The exception is the Abstract which is a very
condensed summary of the whole research process, usually
written at the conclusion of the research but appearing at the
beginning of the published article. Even though you will not
read most of the sections of a research article, as a professional
you need to understand the purpose of each section and why as a
rule you need not read a specific section until you are properly
trained.
2. THE PARTS OF RESEARCH ARTICLES, AND THEIR
MEANING
INTRODUCTION: Researchers systematically lay out the
reasons why they conducted a particular study. Part of the
introduction is a lengthy discussion of what other people in the
field already found out about the topic of the study. This is
similar to a literature review. When you glance through this
section, you will see a great number of citations of other
researchers’ studies. There are several good reasons to spend
that much time talking about other people’s work. Researchers
need to show that they have read and understood what has
already been discovered in their field. They need to set the
stage for their own research, provide a reasonable context for it,
and show that they have taken previous findings into account. It
is also an effective way to clue the reader into what is already
known about the topic of this investigation. Finally, researchers
can use this section to point out what key questions about a
topic have not yet been addressed by previous research and why
their own research is important. The last
paragraph of the introduction typically contains a brief
statement describing the purpose of the study. This is usually a
description of the study’s scope based on the original research
question. Any research study generally begins with the

formulation of a question about which the researchers want to
learn more.
The next sections are meant to make the research process
transparent and replicable. What does transparency and being
replicable mean, and why are these two conditions so vital to
the research process? One of the goals of research in any field
is to replicate other people’s research in order to establish
consistency. Maybe someone’s results were just a fluke; maybe
there is actually a pattern of results emerging. The more often
other researchers can produce the same or at least very similar
results as the original researchers, the more likely it is that the
original results were not just a coincidence. In order for others
to repeat a study, i.e., to replicate it, clear instructions on how
to conduct the study need to exist. Describing in detail the
“who, where, when, and what” of a research study means that
the research process has been made transparent. Therefore, the
more transparent the research process is, the better the chances
are for successful replication.
METHODS: The methods section describes details of how the
study was constructed, and it contains language specific to
statistics. Most method sections contain these subsections:
Participants, Design, Procedure, Measures.
PARTICIPANTS: This subsection tells you who participated in
the study. This is quite important information for you. Imagine
you are interested in finding out more about infant empathy.
You conduct a library search using the key words “empathy”
and “infant”, and the results show 10 articles published this
year that fit these criteria. If you took a look at the
“Participant” section right away, you would notice that 8 of the
10 articles you found used college students as participants. The
“infant” part was merely a reference somewhere in the
introduction. By checking out the participants so early in your

reading process, you can immediately determine that these eight
articles are pretty useless for your purposes. You are already
saving yourself a lot of time. The untrained reader would have
to struggle unnecessarily through each article only to find this
out much later.
DESIGN/PROCEDURE: In these subsections, researchers
describe step by step how the research was conducted, where it
took place, when it took place, under what circumstances it took
place, and what exactly happened. If you were a researcher
evaluating the merits of someone’s research, you would
carefully read this section to learn more about the research plan.
MEASURES: Any device used to gather data is listed and
described in this section. This includes any tests, rating scales,
questionnaires and other measures. If you were a beginning
researcher, this section would interest you because it helps you
understand what measures are commonly used to investigate a
specific research topic. This information, together with the
purpose of your research, would help you determine whether to
use some of the same measures because their value has already
been established, or to choose different measures.
RESULTS: In this section, the results of the research are
presented. If you are untrained in research methodology, this
section probably appears to you as if written in a foreign
language. On top of that, it usually contains numbers, figures,
or tables, all of which can add to the confusion. For a fellow
researcher, however, this section simply documents the result of
the study in research-specific terminology.
DISCUSSION: Consider the discussion section the English
translation of the results section. It contains the same results
but in a language that is relatively free of statistical
terminology. Here, researchers talk about their findings in more
general terms.

CONCLUSIONS: In this section, researchers summarize the
results one more time and discuss the implications of the study.
Sometimes, the conclusions contain references to limitations of
the study. Occasionally, conclusions and discussion are merged
into one section.
3. WHAT TO READ—WHAT TO SKIP—WHAT TO READ
AGAIN
1. First, read the title of the article. Read it again and again.
Look up the words you do not understand. Read the title until
you understand it. You can save yourself time right from the
beginning if you take care in understanding the title of a study.
At this point, you can already make a preliminary decision if
this article is one that fits your needs.
2. Read the abstract. Read it as carefully as the title. Well
written abstracts tell you what the study is about. As they are
very condensed paragraphs, they are not easy to read. Time
spent on understanding abstracts is also time well spent. The
earlier you can determine if an article is really about the topic
you want to read about, the more time you save yourself in the
long run.
3. If the abstract does not provide the information about the
participants, jump ahead to the participant section and make
sure the article still fits your needs.
Now that you have determined that an article most likely fits
your needs, it is time to know what to skip and what to read.
4. You can skip most of the introduction. What you want to
know next concerns the scope of the research reported in the
article—what exactly was the research question, and what did
the researchers hope to find out? In other words: What was the
purpose of this study? You find this information typically in the

last paragraph of the Introduction. Skip right to the end of the
Introduction and search for sentences like these: “The purpose
of this study…” or “Our hypothesis was...” or “We addressed
the following questions…” or something similar. Read this
paragraph carefully.
5. As you already read earlier who the participants were, skip
the entire participant section.
Now to the great news that will make reading research articles
simple, manageable, and enjoyable:
6. Unless you are trained in research methodology, you may
safely skip the entire Design/Procedure section, the entire
Measures section, as well as the entire Results section.
7. Next, spend a good amount of time carefully reading and
evaluating the discussion and conclusion sections. Pay
particular attention to the conclusions as they typically contain
the most precise summary of the findings as well as
implications for the field and for future research.
8. Take some time to reflect on what you read. If you can
summarize the research in your own words, you have
understood it. If you are still not quite sure, repeat the steps.
Following this plan will greatly reduce your time spent reading
research articles, increase your understanding of research
articles to almost 100%, and reduce your anxiety level to 0%.
(*) Note: Not all published research articles follow this formal
format. Most studies using quantitative methods, and especially
experimental and quasi-experimental studies, use the formal
reporting style to which this article refers. There exists,
however, other published research that is reported in a less
formal style. This is primarily the case for research using
qualitative methods or research that is more theoretical or
philosophical in nature. Such reports are generally written in a

more conversational tone and do not need these specific reading
instructions.
©2014 Walden University
3
MRS Guidelines for Research with Children
and Young People
January 2012
Updated September 2014
2 of 34
MRS is the world’s largest association for people and

organisations that provide or
use market, social and opinion research, business intelligence
and customer
insight.
MRS
The Old Trading House
15 Northburgh Street
London EC1V 0JR
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7490 4911

Fax: +44 (0)20 7490 0608
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.mrs.org.uk
Company Limited by guarantee. Registered in England No
518686. Registered office as above.
mailto:[email protected]
http://www.mrs.org.uk/
3 of 34
Table of Contents
Introduction 4
The Principles of the MRS Code of Conduct 6
Definitions 7
1: Consent
A: Where permission is required 10
B: Obtaining permission and providing the necessary
information 12
2: Subject matter 14

3: Interviewing
A: The data collection process 17
B: The interview 18
C: Research venues 20
D: Incentives and rewards 21
4: Qualitative Research 23
5: Online Research 25
6: Self-completion postal/paper research 28
7: Criminal Record Checks 29
8: Non-research projects 31
4 of 34
Introduction
These Guidelines interpret the MRS Code of Conduct (revised
2010) and provide additional
best practice advice. Unless otherwise stated, Guidelines are not
binding. Rules 20 to 25
of the MRS Code of Conduct contain specific mandatory

provisions relating to research with
children.
Research is founded upon the willing co-operation of the public
and business organisations.
It relies on the confidence of those involved that it is conducted
honestly, objectively,
without unwelcome intrusion and without harm to participants.
Its purpose is to collect and
analyse information and not to create sales or to influence the
opinions of anyone
participating.
Under the Code, children are defined as those aged under 16
years. These Guidelines also
provide additional best practice for research with young people
aged 16 and 17 years.
There is no recommended minimum age for research among
children but it is expected
that researchers will involve very young children directly in
research only when this is
necessary and appropriate to the particular project.
The intention of the provisions regarding age is to protect
potentially vulnerable members
of society, whatever the source of their vulnerability, and to

strengthen the principle of
public trust. These guidelines cover any research directly
involving people under the age
of 18 whether carried out independently or in conjunction with
a parent, guardian, carer
or other responsible adult.
Their main aims are:
mentally, ethically
and emotionally and to ensure they are not exploited;
and others concerned with their welfare
and safety that
research conducted under these guidelines is designed to protect
the interests of
children and young people;
esearch -
among children, young
people and the wider public; and
improper behaviour by
publishing the necessary good practice required to meet their

legal and ethical
responsibilities.
5 of 34
Rules from the Code of Conduct applicable in each section of
this document are stated in
bold. These rules are binding on MRS members and breaches
may result in disciplinary
action. The guidance that follows the rules provides
interpretation and additional best
practice. Members are reminded that this document is designed
to compliment the MRS
Code of Conduct and should not be consulted in isolation.
As specified in the Code, it is the responsibility of the
researcher to keep abreast of any
legislation which could affect research among children and
young people and to ensure
that all those involved in a project are aware of and agree to
abide by the MRS Code of
Conduct.
This material is provided for information only. It is not legal
advice and should not be

relied upon as such. Specific legal advice should be taken in
relation to specific issues.
6 of 34
The Principles of the MRS Code of Conduct
1. Researchers shall ensure that participation in their activities
is based on
voluntary informed consent.
2. Researchers shall be straightforward and honest in all their
professional and
business relationships.
3. Researchers shall be transparent as to the subject and purpose
of data
collection.
4. Researchers shall respect the confidentiality of information
collected in their
professional activities.
5. Researchers shall respect the rights and well being of all
individuals.
6. Researchers shall ensure that participants are not harmed or
adversely

affected by their professional activities.
7. Researchers shall balance the needs of individuals, clients,
and their
professional activities.
8. Researchers shall exercise independent professional
judgement in the design,
conduct and reporting of their professional activities.
9. Researchers shall ensure that their professional activities are
conducted by
persons with appropriate training, qualifications and experience.
10. Researchers shall protect the reputation and integrity of the
profession.
7 of 34
Definitions
Children and young people:
The MRS Code of Conduct defines a child as a person under the
age of 16. Where the term
young people is used in these guidelines it refers to those aged
16 and 17 years. Where

the term adult is used, it refers to someone aged 18 or over.
Informed consent:
Informed consent is a process by which a participant voluntarily
confirms his or her
willingness to take part in a particular project, after having been
informed of all aspects of
the project that are relevant to their decision to participate.
Permission:
This is the permission given by the responsible adult to the
interviewer which allows the
interviewer to invite the child/young person to participate in a
project. It is not permission
to interview the child/young person, as the child/young person
must have their own
opportunity to choose to take part in the research.
Clearly there may be circumstances in which it’s necessary for
an interviewer to approach
a child or young person in order to establish age before going
through the appropriate
consent procedure. These approaches should only be made
where an interviewer has good
reason to believe that the child or young person is old enough to
be interviewed without

consent, ie aged 16 or over. In all cases, the appropriate consent
procedure must be
followed before the child or young person can be taken through
the interview itself.
Online Research:
Online Research is defined as research in which a participant,
either on a single occasion
or as part of a panel, is involved in any of the following:
questionnaires etc) online
via any internet connected device;
from a server on the
internet and returning
it by email;
and returning it in the
same way;
8 of 34

ement system which tracks web usage;
Online research also includes:
environment for the purpose of
research.
Responsible adult:
This is an adult who has personal accountability for the well-
being of a child at the time of
the research. In a protected environment, like a school, the
responsible adult will be the
person in authority or overseeing the location who has
responsibility for the protection of
the child/young person. In any other environment - like the
street or in home - a
responsible adult will be a parent, guardian or other person on
whom a parent or guardian
has conferred responsibility for the child/young person (e.g. a
relative, child-minder, au
pair or neighbour). It is not an individual who has a limited or
specific responsibility such

as a lifeguard, instructor or employer.
Definitions from the MRS Code of Conduct
Client:
Client includes any individual, organisation, department or
division, including any
belonging to the same organisation as the member, which is
responsible for commissioning
or applying the results from a research project.
Data Collection Process:
A data collection process is any process used to obtain
information from or about
participants. It includes, but is not limited to, interviews,
questionnaires, discussion
guides, and stimulus materials, as well as passive data
collection.
Identity:
The identity of a participant includes, as well as their name
and/or address, any other
information which offers a reasonable likelihood that they can
be identified by any person
or organisation who has access to the information.
[Comment: this also includes images of images of the

participant]
9 of 34
Incentive:
Any benefit offered to participants to encourage participation in
a project.
Research:
Research is the collection and analysis of data from a sample or
census of individuals or
organisations relating to their characteristics, behaviour,
attitudes, opinions or
possessions. It includes all forms of market, opinion and social
research such as consumer
and industrial surveys, psychological investigations, qualitative
interviews and group
discussions, observational, ethnographic, and panel studies.
Participant:
A participant is any individual or organisation from or about
whom data are collected or
who is approached for interview.

10 of 34
Guidelines
1: Permission
A: Where permission is required
The Rules
20. Members must ensure that permission of a responsible adult
is obtained
and verified before a child participates in a research project.
Comment: A responsible adult is an individual who has personal
accountability for the well-being of a child, for example, a
parent, guardian,
teacher, nanny or grandparent. It is not an individual who has a
limited or
specific responsibility such as a lifeguard, instructor or
employer.
Under special circumstances, permission to waive the
requirement for
permission of a responsible adult may be obtained, but only

with the prior
approval of the MRS Market Research Standards Board.
Guidance
1. Where research is being conducted in schools with the
permission of teachers,
headteachers or governors (as responsible adults acting in loco
parentis),
researchers should suggest to the school that consent is also
sought from parents
or guardians for in-school interviews. Where permission is
sought for some
interviews in a school, it should normally be sought for all
interviews, including
those with young people.
2. Further to the comment on rule 20, there may be occasions
when obtaining
permission for research into sensitive subjects would, for
example, cause potential
harm to the child or young person (e.g. researching the use of
confidential
helplines). In these cases – and in social research where there
may be valid reasons
to conduct interviews without permission – the requirement for

permission may be
waived but only with the explicit prior approval of the MRS
Market Research
Standards Board.
3. Researchers seeking to waive the requirements for permission
of a responsible adult
must make a written application to the MRS Market Research
Standards Board
containing:
11 of 34
a. A written statement outlining the ethical reasons why a
waiver is required
(e.g. why this research need to be done, what harm or adverse
consequences could be caused by asking for permission, etc.)
b. A copy of the questionnaire, discussion guide or other data
collection
instrument to be used.
c. Any stimulus material, show cards, etc that form part of the
data collection
process.

4. The MRS Market Research Standards Board may:
a. refuse to grant a waiver
b. grant an unconditional waiver
c. grant a waiver subject to amendment of the methodology of
materials.
5. Repeat or tracker projects must obtain a new waiver on each
occasion they are run.
12 of 34
B: Obtaining permission and providing the necessary
information
The Rules
21. Where the permission of a responsible adult is required,
members must
ensure that the responsible adult is given sufficient information
about the
project to enable them to make an informed decision.
22. Members must ensure that the identity of the responsible
adult giving
permission is recorded by name, and relationship or role.

23. Where it is known (or ought reasonably to be known) that
participants may
include children, members must ensure participants are asked to
confirm
their age before any other personal information is requested.
Further, if
the age given is under 16, the child must be excluded from
giving further
personal information until the appropriate permission from a
responsible
adult has been obtained and verified.
24. In all cases, members must ensure that a child has an
opportunity to
decline to take part, even though a responsible adult has given
permission
for their participation. This remains the case if a project takes
place in
school.
Guidance
1. Permission of a parent or responsible adult must be obtained
in a form that is
verifiable. Traditionally, researchers have accepted verbal

permission in telephone
and face-to-face contexts and the signature of parents for postal
and self-
completion questionnaires. Email communications on their own
are considered
insecure and must not be accepted as a verifiable form of
permission in isolation
and so must be supplemented by a second form of permission,
for example, a
telephone call or a letter.
2. In accordance with rule 21, parents or responsible adults
must also be fully informed
about any products or stimulus material which the child may be
asked to try or use.
3. If there is a research reason for the subject matter to be
disguised, where possible
a list of subjects, including that for the research, should be
shown to the responsible
adult in advance so that they receive a further opportunity to opt
out.
13 of 34

4. In accordance with rule 24, the opportunity to opt out of the
research must be made
clear to the child and to the responsible adult. It is important
that both fully
understand that they are not obliged to take part and this
includes their right to
withhold answering a specific question or element.
5. In addition, when research takes place in schools or in other
contexts where
participation in activities is mandatory (e.g. scout or guide
groups) the right of
individual children/young people to opt out must be emphasised
by the interviewer.
6. The possibility of back-checking with the child for quality
validation and whether a
re-contact question will be asked of the child must be confirmed
with the parent or
responsible adult at the time consent is sought.
14 of 34
2: Subject Matter

Care must be taken if the subject is contentious, disturbing or in
any way in advance of
what the child/young person may be expected to know or
understand. It is imperative to
avoid certain subjects when interviewing younger children (e.g.
a topic that might frighten
or distress the child), though the same subject might quite
safely be covered with an older
child/young person. This is a question of good research practice
as much as ethics.
The Rules
5. Members must not act in a way which might bring discredit
on the
profession, MRS or its members.
6. Members must take all reasonable precautions to ensure that
participants
are not harmed or adversely affected by the member’s
professional
activities.
26. Members must ensure that the anonymity of participants is
preserved
unless participants have given their informed consent for their
details to

be revealed or for attributable comments to be passed on.
Guidance
1. Special care is needed when interviewing children and young
people about:
relationships with
other children, his or her experiences at school (if
unfavourable))
parents and /or
carers
parental
relationships, income, use of alcohol or drugs within the
household, family
illness)
politically sensitive
matters
alcohol or drugs

otherwise socially unacceptable
activities
15 of 34
2. If there is a valid or important reason for covering any of
these sensitive subjects
in a research project, it is essential both that a full explanation
is given to the
responsible adult and their permission obtained; and also that
steps are taken to
ensure that the child/young person is not worried, confused or
misled by the
questioning. (See Consent A2 for exceptions).
3. Social, economic or demographic information based on Chief
Income Earner or Head
of Household should be obtained from the responsible adult at
the time consent is
obtained.
4. In accordance with Rules 5, 6 and 26, sensitive subject matter
is unsuitable for the
conduct of research in public places where confidentiality
cannot be assured. This

means that research and stimulus material, and a participant’s
responses must not
be overheard or seen by third parties.
5. Examples of research prohibited by Rule 6 are:
ufacturers or providers
of products
or services, or for promoters or lobbyists for products or
services, which
are illegal for the age group involved in the research (e.g.
buying alcohol
for under 18s or gambling for under 16s).
The only exception to this is when research needs to be
conducted to
ensure products or services are not manufactured or marketed in
such
a way that encourages under age use or consumption. In each
case
research may only be conducted with children with the explicit
and prior
approval of the MRS Market Research Standards Board.
behaviour

such as under age drinking or gambling.
6. Where the research involves the testing of any products,
special care should be
taken to check that:
handle (e.g.
toys). The researcher must confirm this with the supplier even
though
the latter may be legally liable for any adverse effects caused by
the
product
allergy (e.g.
to products containing nuts or certain e numbers) and that
parents are
16 of 34
advised of allergens contained in the product. 14 allergens are
required
by law to be specified on food packaging, if present.
or young

person consuming or handling the product
which is illegal
for the age group
17 of 34
3: Interviewing
A: The data collection process
The Rules
25. Members must ensure that information about other
individuals is not
collected from a child unless for the purposes of gaining
permission from
a responsible adult.
33. Members must take reasonable steps to ensure all of the
following:
a. that data collection processes are fit for purpose and clients
have been
advised accordingly;

b. that the design and content of data collection processes are
appropriate for the audience being researched;
c. that participants are able to provide information in a way that
reflects
the view they want to express, including don’t know/ prefer not
to say
where appropriate;
d. that participants are not led towards a particular point of
view;
e. that responses are capable of being interpreted in an
unambiguous
way; and
f. that personal data collected are relevant and not excessive.
Guidance
1. In accordance with rule 25, the data collection must avoid
classification questions
that are unnecessarily intrusive or are difficult for the child or
young person to
answer. Where consent is being sought, it may be preferable for
some classification
questions to be asked of the parent or responsible adult, rather
than the child or

young person.
2. The content and language of the project should be sensitive
to the language, needs
and feelings of the age group to be interviewed and their
capabilities. The language
of the project should be kept as simple as possible and not be
patronising.
3. The research should avoid questions which might result in a
child or young person
making unreasonable demands on a parent or guardian
18 of 34
B. The interview
participants
professional
activities.
36.Members must ensure that a participant’s right to withdraw
from a project
at any stage is respected.

Guidance
1. It is not normally necessary for the responsible adult to be
present during the
interview. Where their presence would be undesirable for
technical reasons - e.g. if
it could introduce bias - this should be explained and consent
sought to interview
the child alone.
2. Further to rule 36, the child/young person must be reminded
of their right to
withhold answers to particular questions.
3. In accordance with 6, any disclosure of a confidential nature
which may be
potentially harmful to the child or young person must be dealt
with in a sensitive
and responsible manner.
4. Where a child discloses that they have been harmed or that
they are at risk of
abuse, or the interviewer suspects this is the case, the
interviewer in the first
instance should report this to their supervisor or a member or
members of the

research team designated for this purpose. If they are satisfied
that there is genuine
harm or risk of harm, researchers may:
a. offer the child information on where to obtain assistance or
help
b. contact police or social services in cases where the child is
unable, through
lack of capacity or other circumstances, to seek help,
5. Further to rule 6, care must be taken to avoid any physical
contact with the
child/young person.
6. It is recommended that an explanatory leaflet be provided to
all participants under
the age of 18, providing information about the following:
a. The subject and purpose the project,
19 of 34
b. The identity of the interviewer
c. the research organisation responsible
d. who to contact for further information, and

e. an assurance that the interview was conducted in accordance
with the MRS
Code of Conduct
20 of 34
C: Research venues
The Rules
participants
professional
activities.
Guidance
1. Research must only be conducted in safe and appropriate
environments.
2. If the research is conducted in the client's domain, the client
must take
responsibility for providing a safe and appropriate venue.
3. It is advisable for research carried out in the home of the
child/young person, either
in person or by telephone, or online, that an adult remains on

the premises - though
not necessarily in the same room - throughout the interview.
Interviewers should
advise parents or responsible adults of this at the time they seek
consent for the
interview to take place.
21 of 34
D. Incentives and rewards
The Rules
on the
participants
professional
activities.
members must

about the
12. Members must ensure that research purposes are clearly
distinguished
from direct marketing.
Comment: Client materials, advertisements, products and
services may
legitimately be the subject matter of a research project. The
following
practices however fall within the scope of direct marketing:
a. The offering of client goods or services, or vouchers to
purchase
client goods or services as an incentive, reward or expression of
thanks;
b. The use of promotional language in describing clients in
invitations
or introductions to projects;
c. The offering of materials to participants which promote
clients or
their products and services at the conclusion of a project.

Members may provide information about a client’s products or
services
where it is necessary to avoid adversely affecting a participant.
For
example, where a sensitive subject has been discussed, members
may
provide information on relevant help lines operated by a client.
13. Members must ensure that client goods or services, or
vouchers to
purchase client goods or services, are not used as incentives in a
research
project.
22 of 34
Guidance
1. In accordance with 21, parents or responsible adults must be
informed of the nature
and value of incentives at the time consent is being sought.
2. Any incentives provided by the client or researcher should
follow the same rules as

those for products to be tested (see Subject Matter 4 above) -
i.e. they should be
safe, legal and acceptable to responsible adults.
3. Any refreshments provided should be suitable and legal for
the age group and care
should be taken to avoid any products that are known to cause
allergic problems.
4. Where incentives are used they should be suitable and
acceptable for the age of the
child/young person and fitting for the task required. Sweets or
other high fat, salt
and sugar content food stuffs should be avoided.
5. Researchers should take reasonable precautions to ensure that
vouchers are not
used to buy age inappropriate products, although final
responsibility rests with the
vendor. This can be done by restricting the voucher to a
particular store.
23 of 34
4: Qualitative research
The Rules

participants
professional
activities.
7. Members must ensure that participants are provided with
sufficient
information to allow informed consent to be given. This
includes:
a. the name of the organisation or individual responsible for
data
collection;
b. the general subject of the data collection;
c. the purpose of the data collection;
d. whether the data collection is to be recorded and/or observed;
e. who is likely to have access to live or recorded information;
f. the likely length in minutes of the data collection, if asked;
g. any costs likely to be incurred by the participant; and
h. an assurance that the activity is being conducted in
accordance with
the MRS Code of Conduct.

Guidance
1. Parents or responsible adults providing permission must be
informed of any
recording, monitoring or observation of the interview.
2. Once permission has been given, the child or young person
can be asked the
recruitment screening questions. With young children or where
recruitment
questions may be difficult for the child or young person to
answer, it is
recommended that the recruitment screening process is
conducted with the
responsible adult, rather than the child.
3. The researcher should take responsibility for ensuring that a
child has
arrangements to get home or be collected by a responsible adult.
Researchers or
24 of 34
other appropriate persons should remain at a venue until all
children have been

collected/have left.
4. The researcher should ensure that the responsible adult has
full details of the
research venue, name of moderator, finishing time, etc.
5. Any observation should be kept to a minimum and handled
appropriately.
6. In accordance with rule 6, stimulus material must be safe and
appropriate for the
age of children/young people involved.
25 of 34
5: Online research
The Rules
participants
professional
activities.

members must
about the
23.Where it is known (or ought reasonably to be known) that
participants
may include children, members must ensure participants are
asked to
confirm their age before any other personal information is
requested.
Further, if the age given is under 16, the child must be excluded
from
giving further personal information until the appropriate
permission from
a responsible adult has been obtained and verified.
25.Members must ensure that information about other
individuals is not
collected from a child unless for the purposes of gaining
permission from
a responsible adult.
Guidance
1. Recognising the particular difficulties of ensuring consent in
online research, further

to 23 consent must be obtained in a form that is verifiable.
Email communications
on their own are considered insecure and must not be accepted
as a verifiable form
of consent in isolation and so must be supplemented by a second
form of consent,
for example a telephone call or a letter. Where researchers have
a pre-existing
relationship with parents (e.g. they are current panel members)
it may be possible
to verify consent electronically through the use of passwords,
exchange of tokens,
etc.
2. Further to rule 6, researchers must provide advice of any
costs likely to be incurred
by participation. This may be a particular problem in the case of
research using
mobile phones where children may not have unlimited data
plans or where
significant charges may be incurred if data roaming is used
overseas.

26 of 34
3. Further to rule 21, a notice to a parent or responsible adult,
seeking their consent
for their child to be asked to participate in the research, must be
posted on the
website or emailed to a parent. This notice should include:
a. A heading explaining that this is a notice for
parents/responsible adults
b. Name and contact details of the researcher/organisation
conducting the
research.
c. The nature of the data to be collected from the child.
d. An explanation of how the data will be used.
e. An explanation of the reasons the child has been asked to
participate and
the likely benefits.
f. A description of the procedure for giving and verifying
consent.
g. A request for a parent’s or responsible adult’s contact address
or phone
number for verification of consent.
4. Prior parental consent will not be required to:

1. Collect a child or parent/responsible adult’s address or email
address solely
to provide notice of data collection and request consent.
2. Collect a child’s age for screening and exclusion purposes.
5. In accordance with the principle of voluntary informed
participation, information
identifying children must not be collected from forums, social
networking sites,
blogs, etc. without their consent and without obtaining the
consent of a parent or
responsible adult.
6. Where a researcher joins a social network or forum, they
must declare their
presence, their role as a researcher, the identity of the
organization they work for,
what information they intend to collect, what it will be used for
and who will have
access to it. It is not acceptable for a researcher to pose as a
child, to lurk on
networks or forums, or to passively collect data without prior
consent.
7. Where researchers are responsible for the design and
administration of sites or

forums used by child participants, they should incorporate the
“Click CEOP” Internet
Advice button to allow children to obtain advice from, and
report bullying or
inappropriate behaviour to, the Child Exploitation and Online
Protection Centre.
27 of 34
8. Researchers should exercise particular care when they use
apparently anonymous
verbatim quotes obtained online in reported results or in
presentations to clients or
third parties. Verbatim quotes may be attributed to identifiable
participants through
the use of search engines to reveal their original source.
Researchers should take
steps to check that quotes used in reports, etc., cannot be
identified in this way.
28 of 34
6. Self-completion postal/paper research

The Rules
23.Where it is known (or ought reasonably to be known) that
participants
may include children, members must ensure participants are
asked to
confirm their age before any other personal information is
requested.
Further, if the age given is under 16, the child must be excluded
from
giving further personal information until the appropriate
permission from
a responsible adult has been obtained and verified.
Guidance
1. Where the age of the participant is not known but it is known
that some are likely
to be under 16, all questionnaires should carry a notice
explaining that permission
is required for completion by children and include an
explanation of the subject
matter and nature of the research and details of the researcher
undertaking it, with
contact information.

2. There should be space on the questionnaire for the
responsible adult to sign that
they have given their permission for the child to complete the
questionnaire. Where
self-completion questionnaires are administered to a large
number of children at
the same time, for example in a classroom environment, the
responsible adult may
sign a permission form rather than each individual
questionnaire.
3. Postal packages should not contain sharp or potentially
harmful objects.
29 of 34
7. Criminal Record Checks
The Rules
on the
participants

professional
activities.
Guidance
1. Interviewers who will have contact with children in certain
circumstances may be
required to register with the Protecting Vulnerable Groups
(PVG) Scheme in
Scotland or submit to Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
Check. It is not
necessary for all researchers to apply for a DBS check and this
will only be necessary
in certain circumstances where there is prolonged or regular
contact with children
and young people.
2. Anyone may obtain a copy of their own Basic D, which lists
unspent criminal
convictions, at any time via Disclosure Scotland.
3. Until 2009 Standard and Enhanced DBS checks were
frequently asked and granted
where researchers worked with children. A change in the law at
the end of 2009
restricted the availability of Standards and Enhanced Checks to
very limited set of

circumstances. A list of disclosure categories is available from
the DBS website.
4. Registration with the Scottish PVG Scheme is required (and
Standard and Enhanced
DBS checks are available) in the following circumstances:
a. The job is of a specified nature such as teaching, instructing,
supervising,
caring for or providing children/vulnerable adults with guidance
or
treatment , moderating an online service for children or (in
Scotland
only) involves unsupervised contact with children.
OR
b. The job takes place in a specified location such as:
30 of 34
- schools (educational institutions exclusively or mainly for the
provision of full-time education to under-18s)
- children’s homes

- childcare premises (including nurseries)
- pupil referral units
- children’s hospitals (hospitals exclusively or mainly for the
reception
and treatment of children)
- institutions exclusively or mainly for the detention of children
- children’s centres in England, and
- adult care homes in England and Wales and residential care or
nursing homes in Northern Ireland
AND
c. it occurs frequently (once a week or more) intensively (four
times a
month or more ) or overnight (2am to 6am) with the same
children or in
the same location.
5. Full details of the PVG and the DBS disclosure categories are
available from:
http://www.disclosurescotland.co.uk/pvg/pvg_index.html
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-
barring-service

http://www.disclosurescotland.co.uk/pvg/pvg_index.html
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-
barring-service
31 of 34
8: Non-research projects
The Rules:
15.Members must ensure that non-research or mixed-purpose
projects are
conducted in accordance with the separate MRS Regulations
Using
Research Techniques for Non-Research Purposes.
Guidance
1. Members and MRS Company Partner employees must be
honest with and not
mislead participants when they are being asked to participate in
a non-research
project. The technique used to collect the data and purpose for
which the data
will be used must be clearly differentiated in any description of
a non-research
project (“e.g. This questionnaire will gather information to be
used to tell you

about our products and services”).
2. Members/Company Partners should pay particular attention to
the following:
a. The wording of fair processing notices used to collect
information for client
databases to be used as sample
b. Preambles describing the exercise (e.g. questionnaire
introductions) clearly
state all purposes for which the data are is to be used.
c. When familiar research brands are being used that the
material reinforces
that the exercise is not a research exercise.
d. The content of materials used during data collection e.g.
stimulus materials
e. Any resulting outputs from the exercise (e.g. press releases)
must clearly
define the purpose(s) for which data were collected
f. Opt outs from contact that have previously been offered to
prospective
participants or applicable exclusion lists such as the Telephone
Preference
Service.

g. The consequences of the exercise e.g. if agreeing to receive
promotional
materials that their details will be passed to the client, etc.
3. Examples of non-research exercises include:
32 of 34
a. Using co-creation to generate video footage for an
advertising
campaign
A charity asks as a researcher to help it develop a new ad
campaign
targeting potential donors aged 16-24. The researcher engages
with a
group of video bloggers to generate insights and to produce
videos to be
used in a marketing campaign. The participants/participants
would
have to be clearly informed of this use at the time of the
project.
Additional releases for reasons of copyright would also be
required.

4. Children (i.e. those under the age of 16) should not be
employed and directly or
indirectly paid or paid-in-kind to actively promote brands,
products, goods,
services, causes or ideas to their peers, associates or friends.
33 of 34
Notes

MRS
The Old Trading House
15 Northburgh Street
London EC1V 0JR
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7490 4911
Fax: +44 (0)20 7490 0608
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.mrs.org.uk
Company limited by guarantee. Registered in England No
518686. Registered office as above.
mailto:c[email protected]
http://www.mrs.org.uk/

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