1. Research Project Title:
A Life Historical study of Early Years Practitioners´ views of their experiences of `mothering´ and the influence on their professional role working with parents.
2. Invitation paragraph
You are being invited to take part in a research project. Before you decide it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully and discuss it with others if you wish. Ask me if there is anything that is not clear or if you would like more information. Take time to decide whether or not you wish to take part. Thank you for reading this.
3. What is the project’s purpose?
The project is part of my doctoral study with the University of Sheffield. I want to find out the extent to which early years practitioners may use their own experiences as parents in their role working with parents in a professional capacity. A life historical approach draws upon participants’ stories of past events and the impact that such stories have had on the lives of the participant.
4. Why have I been chosen?
You have been chosen because you are both a birth parent and an early years practitioner and have demonstrated an interest in my research. Life historical research necessarily intends to draw from a small sample of participants in order to explore the research issues in depth. I am particularly interested to identify no more than ten participants, who work in a range of roles across the early years sector, for example as a childminder, a pre-school practitioner, a nursery practitioner, a Children’s Centre worker or an early years teacher. It does not matter whether you are fully qualified or training, male or female, young or mature. Ideally I would like at least two fathers to participate in this research.
164 5. Do I have to take part?
Taking part in the research is entirely voluntary – it is completely up to you. If you do decide to take part you will be given this information sheet to keep and will need to give your consent on the enclosed form. You can withdraw at any time without giving a reason.
6. What will happen to me if I take part?
I am intending to complete the research project in two years (by August 2013). Participants will need to have access to reliable and regular e-mail, as this is the method I will be using to acquire my information. After you have given your consent to take part, I will e-mail you an initial informal questionnaire that will tell me a little bit about you. You will complete this online and e-mail it back to me. The process will then be set in motion, and I will be inviting you to tell your stories of your experiences as a parent and how, if at all, you draw on these experiences in your work with the parents of the children you work with. You can write as little or as much as you want to, and in your own style. After reading your stories I will be asking you to elaborate or describe something in more detail that you may have mentioned, thus setting up a continual process of gathering information. I will be asking participants to provide their stories from receipt of consent until the end of the summer next year (2012). There may also be times after this time when I am analysing all the information, that I may come back to you to clarify particular points.
If you agree to take part in my research I would ask that you ensure you have the systems in place and the time to check e-mails regularly and respond within a reasonable time, for example within three days, to questions I may ask.
7. What do I have to do?
Using e-mail means that you do not have to change your lifestyle – you can choose a time when it is easy for you to write your stories in the privacy of a space of your own choosing. You can take time to think about what you want to write, or alternatively write immediately with the thoughts that come into your head. There are no right or wrong responses, it is your individual story that interests me.
8. What are the possible disadvantages and risks of taking part?
Because you will be writing in the comfort of your own space, there are very few disadvantages to your health, safety and wellbeing. You may find that you write about sensitive issues that cause you a little distress to remember, but it is entirely up to you how much or how little you decide to share with me. If you do find that something causes you emotional distress or if there are any other risks that come to light during the research, I ask that you let me know immediately in order for us to resolve the issue together so that your wellbeing is restored and protected. It is important to inform you that although it is highly unlikely, in the event of deeper issues of a criminal nature being shared, or anything that compromises the safeguarding of children, then as a responsible researcher I will be
165
duty-bound to stop the research and to pass the information to the appropriate authorities as is necessary.
9. What are the possible benefits of taking part?
Whilst there are no immediate benefits for those people participating in the project, it is hoped that your story will provide me with an interesting contribution of how some early years practitioners work with parents.
10. What happens if the research study stops earlier than expected?
Whilst it is my intention to complete this research, sometimes unforeseen events happen and if the study was to stop you will be fully informed.
11. What if something goes wrong?
As a participant hopefully you should not experience adverse events arising from the research process, but if something does go wrong there are systems in place to support you. If you wish to make a complaint, you should first contact my research supervisor, Dr. Jools Page, on 0114 222 8103 or by e- mail, [email protected]. If you remain unsatisfied the complaint will be passed on to the University’s Registrar and Secretary.
12. Will my taking part in this project be kept confidential?
All the information that I collect about you during the course of the research will be kept strictly confidential, except in those cases as identified above. You will not be able to be identified in any reports or publications. I intend to use a fictitious name throughout the reporting of the research. There will be no e-mail addresses revealed in the completed research study.
You will be asked to give your permission on the consent form for me, my research supervisor and the university research team to have access to your responses, but these will be made anonymous, and you will not be identified.
All information about you and your responses will be stored appropriately on my password protected personal computer, and in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. No other members of my household will be able to access it.
166
13. What will happen to the results of the research project?
It is my intention to publish the results of the research and I would like to gain your approval now to do so.
14. Who is organising and funding the research?
The research is part of my EdD study with the University of Sheffield and not funded by an external organisation.
15. Who has ethically reviewed the project?
This study has been ethically reviewed by the University of Sheffield’s School of Education ethical review process.
16. Contact for further information
For further information you should contact me in the first instance. However, if you wanted any further information you can contact my research supervisor Dr. Jools Page, on 0114 222 8103 or by e- mail, [email protected]