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Participant Informed Consent Form
Participant Informed Consent
Title of Research Study: Civic Engagement in College This consent form requires a signature
Principal Investigators: Landon Shephard M.A. Faculty Supervisor: Dr. William B. Russell
Investigational Site: Valencia College, East Campus Orlando FL
Please read this consent form before participating in this research study. Please keep a copy of this form for your records.
Introduction: Researchers at the University of Central Florida (UCF) study many topics. To do this we need the help of people who agree to take part in a research study. You are being asked to participant in a research study which will include between 12-36 people. You are being asked to participate in this study because you are currently enrolled in a course at Valencia College.
The principal investigator is Landon Shephard who is a Ph.D. Candidate enrolled in the Ph.D. in Social Science Education program in the College of Education at the University of Central Florida.
150 What you should know about a research study:
Someone will explain this research study to you.
A research study is something you volunteer for.
Whether or not you take part is up to you.
You should take part in this study only because you want to.
You can choose not to take part in the research study.
You can agree to take part now and later change your mind.
Whatever you decide it will not be held against you.
Feel free to ask all the questions you want before you decide.
Purpose of the research study: The purpose of this study is to determine how college students define civic engagement, determine their level of civic engagement, and how the Valencia College experience impacts their civic engagement. The principal investigator will conduct focus groups with Valencia students and discuss some of their thoughts pertaining to civic engagement. From these interviews the researchers will learn about the level of college student civic engagement.
What you will be asked to do in the study: If you decide to participate in this study, you will be asked to complete a questionnaire pertaining to their level of civic engagement, and how they define civic engagement. The questionnaire will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.
After the questionnaire has been completed, student participants will take part in a focus group discuss which will include other college students pertaining to civic
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The focus group will take about 45-60 minutes to complete. We will conduct the focus group interviews during regular school hours between 7:00am-9:50pm.
You do not need to answer all the questions on the questionnaire or during the focus group. There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. The questions are for the purposes of research only and will not be graded.
Location: The interviews will take place during in a classroom provided by Valencia College.
Time required: We expect the questionnaire to take 5-10 minutes to complete and the focus group to take 45-60 minutes.
Audio or video taping: You will be audio taped during the focus group to ensure accurate information is collected. Only the principal investigator will have access to the recordings. The audio recordings will be saved on a password protected computer. The recordings will be deleted at the end of the semester (January 2011). The recordings are necessary for transcription of the focus groups for research. All efforts will be made to protect your anonymity.
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Risks: There are no expected ricks for taking part in this study. There are no reasonably foreseeable risks or discomforts involved in taking part in this study.
Benefits: There are no expected benefits to you for part in this study.
Compensation or payment: At the conclusion of the focus group you will be given a $10.00 Target gift card.
Confidentiality: We will limit your personal data collected in this study. Efforts will be made to limit your personal information to people who have a need to review this information. We cannot promise complete secrecy. Organizations that may inspect and copy your information include the IRB and other representatives of UCF.
Study contact for questions about the study or to report a problem: If you have questions, concerns, or complaints, please contact the Valencia IRB department at http://valenciacollege.edu/irb/
Research at the University of Central Florida involving human participants is carried out under the oversight of the Institutional Review Board (UCF IRB).
This research has been reviewed and approved by the IRB. For information about the rights of people who take part in research, please contact: Institutional Review Board, University of Central Florida, Office of Research & Commercialization, 12201 Research Parkway, Suite 501, Orlando, FL 32826-3246 or by telephone at (407) 823-2901.
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You may also talk to them for any of the following:
Your questions, concerns, or complaints are not being answered by the research team.
You cannot reach the research team.
You want to talk to someone besides the research team.
You want to get information or provide input about this research.
Withdrawing from the study: You may decide to discontinue in the research study at any time without it being held against you. If you do not want to be involved in this research study, do not sign this consent form. If you sign the consent form and later decide you would like to leave the study, please contact the principal investigator. Contact information is provided above.
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