LETTER OF INTRODUCTION AND INFORMED CONSENT FORM

Protocol Number: 22-1403
Phase One Principal Investigator: K. Chimène Gecewicz, Ed.D.
College: Arts and Sciences School: Social Science and Global Studies
Program: Master of Arts in the Teaching of Languages
Phone: 601-266-4964
Email: chimene.gecewicz@usm.edu

Dear Colleague:

I am asking you to participate in a research study titled “An exploratory mixed-methods study of Professional Quality of Life (ProQoL), self-care, and burnout among world language and English as a second language (ESL) teachers in the United States”.

What is this study about?
The purpose of this study is to gain insight into Professional Quality of Life, self-care, and burnout experienced by world language teachers and English as a second language teachers.

What I will ask you to do:
There will be two phases to this study. In this, the first phase, you will be asked to complete a demographic questionnaire, a self-care assessment, and the Professional Quality of Life Survey. It is anticipated that this will take approximately fifteen minutes. After completing this phase of the study, you will also be given the opportunity to volunteer to participate in the second phase of the study, which will take place at a later date.

The second phase consists of an interview that will further explore Professional Quality of Life, self care, and burnout. All volunteers for the second phase of the study will be asked to provide contact information. Interviewees will be chosen from the pool of volunteers. More information will be provided about the second phase of the experiment upon completion of this phase.

Risks and discomforts:
The risks of participation in this study are not expected to be greater in and of themselves than those ordinarily encountered in your daily life.

Benefits:
It is hoped that the results of this study will inform the work of K-12 administrators, K-12 language teachers, and faculty in teacher preparation programs.

Incentives for participation:

When you submit your responses to the surveys/questionnaires in this phase of the study, you will be given the opportunity to enter into a drawing for a chance to receive one of two $25 gift cards that will be given away once data collection has been completed.

Privacy/Confidentiality/Data Security:
I will be using Qualtrics to administer the surveys/questionnaires. Your confidentiality will be kept to the degree permitted by the technology being used. I anticipate that your participation in this survey presents no greater risk than everyday use of the Internet. That being said, I cannot guarantee against interception of data sent via the internet by third parties.

Participants in this phase of the study will remain anonymous, and a unique code number will be randomly assigned to all data collected from you. While the data collected from the study may be presented at scientific meetings, published in a scientific journal, or used for future research purposes, your identity will always remain anonymous, and the information I collect will only be analyzed and reported as a whole. That is, I will write about groups of people, not about individuals.

The only exceptions with regards to the anonymity of participants in this phase of the study will be in the case of those who volunteer to participate in the interviews that will occur in phase two of the study and those who wish to be entered into the gift card drawing. In the case of participants who are being entered into the drawing, email addresses will be collected to enable me to contact the winners. This information will be separated from your data and kept in a secure location up to the date of the drawing. To further insure confidentiality, once the drawing has been completed, all contact information will be destroyed. Similarly, if you volunteer to participate in the interviews, contact information will be collected. It will be associated with your responses to the surveys/questionnaires in this phase of the study until interviewees have all been selected and interviewed. Once the second phase of data collection has been completed, all personally identifying information will be destroyed.

Participant’s assurance:
This project and this consent form have been reviewed by the University of Southern Mississippi’s Institutional Review Board, which ensures that research projects involving human subjects follow federal regulations. Any questions or concerns about rights as a research participant should be directed to the Chair of the Institutional Review Board, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive #5125, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001, 601-266-5997.

Any questions about this research project should be directed to the Principal Investigator using the contact information provided above. Participation in this project is completely voluntary, and you may withdraw at any time without penalty, prejudice, or loss of benefits. All personal information will be kept strictly confidential, including your name and other identifying information.

Consent to participate:
By clicking the box below, you give your consent to participate in this research project. You acknowledge that all procedures to be followed and their purposes have been explained to you. Information was given about all benefits, risks, inconveniences, or discomforts that might be expected. Any new information that develops during the project will be provided to you if that information may affect your willingness to continue participation in the project.

If you do not wish to participate in this study, please close your browser now. By completing the survey that follows, you will assert your consent to participate.