Dear Student:
I am the Executive Director of the Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education at The University of Georgia. I invite you to participate in a research study entitled “CLASE Youth Adaptation Study”. The purpose of this study is to better understand the cultural adaptation and identity development of high school, college, and graduate students.
If you choose to take part in this research study, your participation will involve filling out the questionnaire on the following pages. This survey asks questions about your life experiences, emotions, and background, and should only take about 30 minutes. If you prefer, I will provide a paper copy of the survey instead of the online version.
Your involvement in the study is voluntary, and you may choose not to participate or to stop at any time without giving any reason and without penalty or loss of benefits which you would otherwise be entitled. If you choose to stop your participation you will not have the option to have your data removed or destroyed after submitting your responses online as we will not be able to identify your data. No questions relating to legal/undocumented immigration will be asked in this study. You do not have to take part in this study in order to take part in any other CLASE-sponsored activities.
You will have the chance to enter into a raffle to win one of 10, $100 gift cards. Upon completion of the survey, you will be provided with a link to a separate survey where you will be asked to provide your contact information (i.e., name, email, phone number) should you choose to enter into the raffle. This information will be accessed to facilitate raffle selection and compensation, but will in no way be directly linked to survey responses.
The findings from this project may provide information on the disposition of college students. You may also learn more about your own sense of identity and adaptation. There are only minimal discomforts associated with this research. They include thinking about your identity and adaptation, and questions about depression and self-esteem, as well as sitting at the computer to answer the questions. However, you can skip any questions you don’t want to respond to, and can take as much time as needed to respond.
Please note that Internet communications are insecure and there is a limit to the confidentiality that can be guaranteed due to the technology itself. However, once the materials are received by the researcher, standard confidentiality procedures will be employed and the completed surveys will be stored in a password-protected computer or a locked cabinet in my office. The results of the research study may be published, but no identifying information will be used. In fact, the published results will be presented in summary form only. Your identity will not be associated with your responses in any way. If you are not comfortable with the level of confidentiality provided by the Internet, please feel free to print out a copy of the survey, fill it out by hand, and mail it to me at the address at the very bottom of the page, with no return address on the envelope.
If you have any questions about this research project, please feel free to call me at 706-583-5561or send an e-mail to portes@uga.edu. Questions or concerns about your rights as a research participant should be directed to The Chairperson, University of Georgia Institutional Review Board, 612 Boyd GSRC, Athens, Georgia 30602-7411; telephone (706) 542-3199; email address irb@uga.edu.
By clicking on the “Next” button, you are agreeing to participate in this research project and are confirming that the following information is true.
“I understand the procedures described above. My questions have been answered to my satisfaction, and I agree to participate in this study. I am at least 18 years of age.”