Human Subjects |  | Case Study Review: Failing Grade |
|  |  | Assignment of a passing grade for a class dependent upon participation in a research component is coercion. Subjects in research projects must be able to choose to participate (or not) free from coercion. If the principal wants to require students to participate in the drug prevention education program, it must be reconfigured to be a part of the school curriculum versus a research project. If the researcher wants to collect evaluative data from subjects as part of a research project, the assignment of a passing grade can not be dependent upon participation in the research. In addition, students not participating in the research component must be offered alternative activities.