ii To my daughters, for their unwavering support.iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people have guided and supported my academic journey that I would like to acknowledge. Their support and guidance were an integral part of my personal and professional growth as a scholar and researcher.I would like to thank the members of my dissertation committee, John appreciate their support and guidance throughout the dissertation process. I am grateful for the assistance Heidi Arbisi-Kelm, my Interdisciplinary Studies Academic Advisor, provided me through the final stages of my graduate studies. I appreciate the guidance provided by Christian Simon during the initial dissertation development and pilot study. Other individuals who had a profound influence on my academic journey include professors of courses I have taken and other faculty and staff whom I have interacted with in my academic and professional roles. The support of family and friends throughout my academic journey has helped me throughout the successes and challenges I faced. I am appreciative for the constant encouragement and support from my daughters when I made the decision to return to graduate school. Thank you to all who have supported me during this journey. iv ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to explore the academic researcher decisionmaking processes related to participant compensation. Three interlocking questions guided this exploratory study: RQ 1 : When electing to compensate or not compensate research participants for a study, what factors do academic researchers consider? RQ 2 : What are the ethical challenges faced by academic researchers when determining research compensation for their studies? RQ 3 : How, from the perspective of academic researchers, can compensation practices be improved?Both slippery slope theory and complexity theory grounded this research study.The researcher applied slippery slope to specific interactions and relationships between researchers and the IRB. The researcher also applied complexity theory to analyze the broader, systems approach, essentially to the human subjects research program at one R01 institution, the research setting.Compensation for research participants is a complex issue nested within human subjects research, involving potential ethical pitfalls like undue influence and coercion.Regulations require researchers possess sufficient understanding of their subject population to make informed decisions with respect to compensation issues. Despite the key role compensation practices play in the research process, few researchers have considered these practices from the perspective of the academic researcher.The researcher used a purposive selection method to recruit diverse participants.The study participants spanned multiple disciplines, conducting both biomedical and v behavioral-social science-based research. The final N for this study was 16. This qualitative study had a small N, but nevertheless attempted to recruit participants that would provide a variation in research experiences. The participant perspec...