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Informed Consent to Participate in Research

Information to Consider Before Taking Part in this Research Study

Researchers at the University of South Florida (USF) study many topics. To do this, we need the help of people who agree to take part in a research study. This form tells you about this research study.

We are asking you to take part in a research study that is called:

The Impact of an Online Learning Community Project on CFL Students’ Motivation

The person who is in charge of this research study is Shengrong Cai, who is distributing this informed consent to you and is the Principal Investigator of the study. She will be available to answer any questions you may have about this study.

The research will be done in your Chinese II class in the Spring 2010 semester.

Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study is to

 understand the motivation of the students who study Chinese as a foreign language in an online learning community project

 collect data for a dissertation study.

Study Procedures

If you take part in the survey part of this study, you will be asked to participate in a pre and a post test of a questionnaire, which will ask your motivation and experience of learning Chinese, some demographic information that is relevant to your Chinese

pre and post test of the questionnaire will be administered in your Chinese class, and the completion of each of them will take about 10 -15 minutes.

We will also need four individuals for interviews. If you also agree to take part in the interview part of the study, you will be asked to participate in a one-to-one interview with the Principal Investigator. The interview will last half an hour to an hour. It will be audio recorded and then transcribed. Your weekly reflective journals and online posts will be also used to provide information for this study. We may publish the results of the study, including all collected data. However, your name and any other identifiable references to you will not be included.

Alternatives

You have the alternative to choose not to participate in this research study. In this case, you will just need to complete the assignments as given by your instructors for the Chinese II class, without taking part in the survey and the interview for this study.

Benefits

The potential benefits to you are: by participating in this study, you may discover your own beliefs and motives for learning Chinese and envision the long-term goals for your Chinese study.

Risks or Discomfort

This research is considered to be minimal risk. That means that the risks

associated with this study are the same as what you face every day. There are no known additional risks to those who take part in this study.

Compensation

We will not be able to pay you for the time you volunteer while being in this study.

Confidentiality

We must keep your study records as confidential as possible. Particularly, your teachers will have no access to your answers on the questionnaire. For the four individuals who will take part in the interviews for the study, the audio recording and transcripts of the interviews as well as the weekly journals and online posts will be kept on a flash drive with password protection by the Principal Investigator for three years, after which the files will be ultimately deleted.

However, certain people may need to see the study records. By law, anyone who looks at your records must keep them completely confidential. The only people who will be allowed to see these records are:

 The research team, including the Principal Investigator, a co-rater for data, and the members on the dissertation committee.

 Certain government and university people who need to know more about the study. For example, individuals who provide oversight on this study may need to look at your records. This is done to make sure that we are doing the study in the right way. They also need to make sure that we are protecting your rights and your safety.) These include:

o The University of South Florida Institutional Review Board (IRB) and the staff that work for the IRB. Other individuals who work for USF that provide other kinds of oversight may also need to look at your records.

o The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

We may publish what we learn from this study. If we do, we will not let anyone know your name. We will not publish anything else that would let people know who you are.

Voluntary Participation / Withdrawal

You should only take part in this study if you want to volunteer. You should not feel that there is any pressure to take part in the study, to please the investigator or the research staff. You are free to participate in this research or withdraw at any time. There will be no penalty if you stop taking part in this study. Your decision to participate or not to participate will not affect your course grade.

Questions, concerns, or complaints

If you have any questions, concerns or complaints about this study, call or email Shengrong Cai at (813) 974-3563 / [email protected].

If you have questions about your rights as a participant in this study, general

questions, or have complaints, concerns or issues you want to discuss with someone outside the research, call the Division of Research Integrity and Compliance of the University of South Florida at (813) 974-9343.

If you experience an unanticipated problem related to the research, call or email Shengrong Cai at (813) 974-3563 / [email protected].

Consent to Take Part in this Research Study

It is up to you to decide whether you want to take part in this study. If you want to take part, please sign the form, if the following statements are true.

I freely give my consent to take part in this study. I understand that by signing

this form I am agreeing to take part in research. I have received a copy of this form to take with me.

_____________________________________________ ____________ Signature of Person Taking Part in Study Date _____________________________________________

Printed Name of Person Taking Part in Study

Statement of Person Obtaining Informed Consent

I have carefully explained to the person taking part in the study what he or she can expect.

I hereby certify that when this person signs this form, to the best of my knowledge, he or she understands:

What the study is about.

What procedures/interventions/investigational drugs or devices will be used. What the potential benefits might be.

What the known risks might be.

Signature of Person Obtaining Informed Consent Date