APPENDIX D: Assent Letter

University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Assent to Participate in a Research Study Adolescent Participants age 15-17

Social Behavioral Form

________________________________________________________________________ IRB Study #_____________________

Assent Form Version Date: ______________

Title of Study: Perceptions of Motivation and Enjoyment, and Learning by North Carolina High School Students in Online, Advance Placement Psychology Courses

Principal Investigator:Bobby Hobgood UNC-Chapel Hill Department:Education UNC-Chapel Hill Phone number: 919 962-8944 Email Address: [email protected]

Co-Investigators:

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Barbara Day Funding Source: None

Study Contact telephone number: Study Contact email:

_________________________________________________________________ What are some general things you should know about research studies?

You are being asked to take part in a research study. Your parent, or guardian, needs to give permission for you to be in this study. You do not have to be in this study if you don’t want to, even if your parent has already given permission. To join the study is voluntary. You may refuse to join, or you may withdraw your consent to be in the study, for any reason, without penalty.

Research studies are designed to obtain new knowledge. This new information may help people in the future. You may not receive any direct benefit from being in the research study. There also may be risks to being in research studies.

Details about this study are discussed below. It is important that you understand this information so that you can make an informed choice about being in this research study. You will be given a copy of this consent form. You should ask the researchers named above,

What is the purpose of this study?

The purpose of this research study is to learn about student perceptions of the motivation and enjoyment as they relate to their perceptions of learning from online discussions between their classmates and instructor in online, Advance Placement Psychology courses.

You are being asked to be in the study because you are among a small number of high school students in North Carolina who are enrolled in an online course as a part of your program of study. Because so little is known about the experience of high school students in online courses, your feedback is important to improve the quality of online courses in our state and beyond.

How many people will take part in this study?

If you decide to be in this study, you will be one of approximately 95 people in this research study. You and all of your classmates in this course have been invited to participate.

How long will your part in this study last?

Your involvement in this study will requires very little time on your part, approximately 10- 15 minutes or less to complete an online survey.

What will happen if you take part in the study?

If you choose to take part in this study, you will have the opportunity to assist in the

improvement of quality of online courses not only for LEARN NC but potentially for other online courses as well.

The survey will ask you to respond to questions about your experience in this course related to the Discussion Board. You may choose not to answer any of the questions for any reason. You will be notified via an announcement on the front page to check your Messages section for a message with and access code and the URL for this survey. This will occur near the end of the semester. The access code that you will be issued is unique to you. It was randomly generated and randomly issued. This means that no one, including the researcher, can identify your answers from this code.

You will use your access code to login to the survey. This code prevents others from accessing the survey who have not been invited to participate. You will click on the link which will take you to the survey located on a different server. Your responses and comments will be known only to the researcher. Your instructor will have no way of knowing your responses.

What are the possible benefits from being in this study?

Research is designed to benefit society by gaining new knowledge. You may not benefit personally from being in this research study unless you take another online course from LEARN NC next year. The information from this study will be used to inform LEARN NC

of the type of interactions that occur in the course.

What are the possible risks or discomforts involved from being in this study?

There are no risks whatsoever involved with participating in this study. The study has been designed to protect your privacy. Further, the questions in this survey are all based on your perceptions and do not require responses that would reveal any sensitive information about you.

How will your privacy be protected?

Your privacy and confidentiality is of the utmost concern in this study. The survey is completely anonymous, and does not require that you give your name nor any other

identifying information that would allow anyone to associate your answers with you. Neither your course instructor nor Site Facilitator will know your responses to the survey. The researcher is the only person who will know your responses. The data from the survey will be kept on a password protected computer used only by the researcher.

Youwill not be identified in any report or publication about this study. Although every effort will be made to keep research records private, there may be times when federal or state law requires the disclosure of such records, including personal information. This is very unlikely, but if disclosure is ever required, UNC-Chapel Hill will take steps allowable by law to

protect the privacy of personal information. In some cases, your information in this research study could be reviewed by representatives of the University, research sponsors, or

government agencies for purposes such as quality control or safety. Will you receive anything for being in this study?

You will not receive anything for taking part in this study.

What if you have questions about this study?

You have the right to ask, and have answered, any questions you may have about this research. If you have questions, or concerns, you should contact the researcher listed on the first page of this form.

What if you have questions about your rights as a research participant?

All research on human volunteers is reviewed by a committee that works to protect your rights and welfare. If you have questions or concerns about your rights as a research subject you may contact, anonymously if you wish, the Institutional Review Board at 919-966-3113 or by email to [email protected].

- - - - Participant’s Agreement:

I have read the information provided above. I have asked all the questions I have at this time. I voluntarily agree to participate in this research study.

_________________________________________ _________________

Your signature if you agree to be in the study Date

_________________________________________ Printed name if you agree to be in the study

APPENDIX E: