APPENDIX B CONSENT FORMS

Teacher Presentation Script to Recruit Participants

There is a doctoral student from UNCG who is interested in doing a study to learn about high school student identities and literacy practices. Kleinville High School and Kleinville City Schools is not sponsoring this study and is not involved in

conducting this study. Your decision to participate will not impact your grades or your standing in the school.

The researcher is looking for three friends that are currently in English classes, though it doesn’t have to be the same English class. Would you be interested in participating in a series of interviews and a series of observations during class and out of school? You don’t have to participate; this is completely voluntary. If you choose to, your identity will remain private. If you agree, please take this parental consent form and this student participant assent form, and return them both to me as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please direct them to the researchers listed on the

Student Participant Assent Form

My name is Penny Crooks and I am a doctoral student at UNCG. I am doing a study to try to learn about the social groups you are part of and the reading and writing practices you use. I am asking you to help because I don’t know very much about the adolescent identities that make up your social group or the reading and writing practices you use. Your parent(s) said it was ok for you to be in this study and have signed a form like this one. If you agree to be in my study, the study will consist of

1. You taking part in two 60-minute group interviews, once at the beginning of the semester and once at the end. These group interviews will be completed

before/after school or during lunches and will be tape recorded and written out. 2. You being observed in your English class from April 2009, to the end of the year. 3. You being formally interviewed three times over course of the study. Each

interview will take approximately 60 minutes. These interviews will be completed before/after school or during lunches and will be tape recorded and written out. 4. You being observed out of class/out of school at least once a week from April

2009, to September 2009.

5. Examples of your reading/writing will be collected from the English class and from your own life throughout the study.

6. You taking photographs of what you identify as literacy practices. 7. You and I engaging in informal conversations that will be tape recorded

throughout the study.

All Interviews will be tape recorded and written out. During the interviews I am going to ask you some questions about adolescent identities and literacy practices. I want to know your social group and the literacy practices you use. For example, you will be asked about the kinds of things you like to read/write.

You will not receive any compensation for being part of this study, but hopefully you will get a better understanding of yourself as a literacy learner. Also, nothing bad will happen to you. You can ask questions at any time that you might have about this study. Also, if you decide at any time not to finish, you may stop whenever you want.

Remember, these questions are only about what you think. There are no right or wrong answers because this is not a test.

POTENTIAL RISKS AND DISCOMFORTS:

• There is minimal risk to you in this study in that interviews will be audio recorded. Because your voice will be potentially identifiable by anyone who hears the tape,

confidentiality for things said on the tape cannot be guaranteed although I will try to limit access to the tape as described below. I will minimize the risks by using pseudonyms when transcribing the interviews and by keeping the digitally recorded interviews stored in a locked, secure location in my home, off the UNCG campus.

• There is minimal risk to you during observations as fieldnotes may contain identifiable descriptions, but fieldnotes will use pseudonyms to maintain participant privacy. • Forms, digital recordings, transcription notes, and any other research information

collected will be kept in a locked cabinet, off the UNCG campus, in my home for ten years after the closure of the study. All information obtained in this study is strictly confidential unless disclosure is required by law.

collected during this study will be shredded, digitally deleted, and destroyed ten years after the closure of the study.

• To protect your identity, a pseudonym you will be used in all written documents. I am a current employee of Kleinville City Schools, but Kleinville High School and Kleinville City Schools is neither conducting nor sponsoring this study. Kleinville High School and Kleinville City Schools are not involved in this research. Whether you decide to participate or not, your relationship with the school and your grades will not be

impacted.

Signing this paper means that you have read this or had it read to you and that you want to be in the study. If you don’t want to be in the study, don’t sign the paper. Remember, being in the study is up to you, and no one will be mad if you don’t sign this paper or even if you change your mind later.

If you have any concerns about your rights or how you are being treated, please contact Eric Allen in the Office of Research and Compliance at UNCG at (336) 256-1482. Questions about this project or benefits or risks associated with being in this study can be answered by Penny Crooks who may be contacted at (336) 629-5422 or [email protected].

Signature of Participant ____________________ Date _____________ Signature of Investigator ____________________ Date ____________

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CONSENT TO ACT AS A HUMAN PARTICIPANT