THE UNIVERSITY OF HUDDERSFIELD
School of Human and Health Sciences – School Research Ethics Panel
OUTLINE OF PROPOSAL
Please complete and return via email to:
Kirsty Thomson SREP Administrator: [email protected]
Name of applicant: Hayley Craig
Title of study: Sexual assault and students: Does involvement in a ‘lad culture’ affect British students’ acceptance of sexual assault?
Department: Human and Health Sciences Date sent:
Issue Please provide sufficient detail for SREP to assess strategies used to address ethical issues
in the research proposal
Researcher(s) details Hayley Craig, u1172450, MRes student
Supervisor details
Grainne McMahon, Maria Ioannou
Aim / objectives This research will explore whether participation in a so-called ‘lad culture’ at University has
an effect on the acceptance of sexual assault among students.
‘Lad culture’ has been touted as a term for the combination of participation in heavy alcohol use, sexist and homophobic banter, and the belonging to a sports or society which may promote these values. This culture, which may be a representation of a newly developed dominant masculinity among young adults, has reportedly progressed at an alarming rate.
138
The aforementioned factors within the concept, such as alcohol consumption, have been heavily researched in terms of their individual relationships to sexual assault and acceptance of assault myths. However, this new notion of their accumulation in a ‘lad culture’ has yet to be explored in the same vein, as well as to whether a ‘lad culture’ really does exist among British students.
Therefore, through the study of undergraduate students and their overall involvement in a ‘lad culture’; the aim of this research is to examine if a ‘lad culture’ exists or not and if participation in such a culture has an effect on the acceptance of sexual assault. The research questions are as follows:
1. Does a ‘lad culture’ exist amongst British students?
2. Does a student’s level of involvement in ‘lad culture’ effect their acceptance of
sexual assault?
Brief overview of research methodology
The study will explore the extent to which a ‘lad culture’ exists in a sample of students in a
British University (the University of Huddersfield) and whether an individual’s involvement in
such a culture is correlated to his/her level acceptance of sexual assault.
The research will use a mixed methodology. Firstly, a questionnaire has been constructed as a method of data collection by which to gauge participant’s participation in aspects of ‘lad culture’. Participants will then complete a scale, which will be used to measure acceptance of sexual assault. This scale has been developed from the Acceptance of Modern Myths about Rape scale (AMMRS) (Pauna and Pleszewski, 2012), which was originally created to measure rape acceptance amongst university students. It was decided that the questions placed too much focus on rape where the present study is more concerned with sexual assault, and so items were modified or added where appropriate. The new scale has been evaluated for validity by other researchers at the University, and amended accordingly.
Participants will be students aged 18-25 attending University of Huddersfield, and will be asked for their voluntary participation via email. This quantitative measure will provide an empirical insight into whether a relationship exists between ‘lad culture’ and acceptance of sexual assault between students.
Subsequent to the quantitative data collection, approximately three focus groups including five participants each will take place; one female group, one male, and one mixed gender. These groups will concentrate on the subject of their experience of lad culture of its potential impact. This qualitative element of the research will provide an in-depth comprehension of students’ views about the phenomena, and how they feel it may impact their lives.
139
Study Start & End Date Start Date: 1st April 2015 End Date: 30th March 2016
Permissions for study Have discussed access to participants in Behavioural and Social Sciences with supervisors,
permission has not yet been sought.
Access to participants When ethical approval has been granted by the university, both the questionnaire and survey
will be forwarded via email to students aged between 18-25 who are attending the University. They will be asked for the voluntary completion of the measures.
Confidentiality Prior to completing any measures, participants will be fully informed of the nature and aims of
the study and how the findings will be used. Participants will also be made aware that they will have anonymity, that their data will remain fully confidential and that no personal information be released at any point. The audio recording equipment used in the focus groups will be handled only by the researcher and as such any recorded data will not be accessible to any other person, and furthermore will be destroyed five years after the research is complete. Participants will also be asked for their permission to record before the focus groups begin.
Anonymity Participants will have full anonymity throughout every part of the study, and any quotes used
or persons referred to in said quotes will be done so under pseudonyms. This will protect their identity to anyone who reads the resulting thesis. Participants will also be informed that
they have the right to withdraw at any time up until the analysis stage commencing 20th
December 2015, and both the researchers and supervisor’s details will be offered if this should be the case.
Data Storage All data will be securely stored on the researcher’s laptop, including both data from the
quantitative measures and audio tracks from recordings of the focus groups. This data will not be available to anyone other than the researcher during the analysis period. Five years after the research is completed all data will be destroyed.
Psychological support for participants
The researcher understands that the topic of the study is of a very delicate nature, and she will conduct the research according to the ethical guidelines set down by the British Psychological Society. This is in order to protect participants from distress and harm by fully informing them of the nature of the research prior to their participation; as well as being informed that they can withdraw themselves as a participant and their data at any time, if they should wish to do so. If psychological support is needed, participants will be referred to the University’s Wellbeing service, as well as being provided with the contact details of Rape Crisis England and Wales, and Victim Support.
Researcher safety / support (attach complete University Risk Analysis and Management form)
Identify any potential conflicts of interest
140
Please supply copies of all relevant supporting documentation electronically. If this is not available electronically, please provide explanation and supply hard copy
Information sheet Attached
Consent form Attached
Letters N/A
Questionnaire Attached – Survey also attached
Interview guide Indicative focus group topics - attached
Dissemination of results The results will be presented in an MRes thesis. It is intended that the results will contribute
towards informing Universities of the seriousness of sexual assault on campus, whilst also providing vital information on whether a ‘lad culture’ is something that should be taken very seriously within higher education in terms of its relation to assault. Results may then offer a basis on which to develop preventative and informative schemes to be implemented on campus. Results may also be presented in journal papers or conference presentations in the future.
Other issues N/A
Where application is to be made to NHS Research Ethics Committee / External Agencies
N/A
All documentation has been read by supervisor (where applicable)
Please confirm. This proposal will not be considered unless the supervisor has submitted a report confirming that (s)he has read all documents and supports their submission to SREP
All documentation must be submitted to the SREP administrator. All proposals will be reviewed by two members of SREP.
If you have any queries relating to the completion of this form or any other queries relating to SREP’s
consideration of this proposal, please contact the SREP administrator (Kirsty Thomson) in the first instance – [email protected]
141