Wellbeing Measurement in Adolescence

I am thrilled to announce we have the possibility to take part in Wellbeing research in adolescence.  (valid only for those 18 and under).   What follows is information to students, and then after that, information to parents.  Finally, at the very end of the page is a form to opt-out.  We assume you will take part unless we receive a signed opt-out form.

Why is Hvitfeldtska IB program doing this?  

a) we want to get a picture of how our study body perceives their well-being.

b) we want to make a plan for what we can do at school to increase student well-being. We may even have a project with our partner school in Kenya regarding this topic.

c) because not only is working with student wellbeing a standard of IB practice, we know that working with wellbeing is a valuable research-backed practice which should positively effect students.

When is Hvitfeldtska doing this?

The initial plan is:

IB21: week 13 during mentor time. To be confirmed.

IB22: week 13 during morning when students will already be gathered for Extended Essay work

IB23: week 16 during mentor time.

Information sheet for STUDENTS    (scroll below for information for PARENTS)

Central University Research Ethics Committee Approval Reference: R90787/RE001

We are inviting you to join in a research study. The researchers running the study work at the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford.

Before you decide if you would like to answer the questions, it’s important to understand what the research is about, why we’re doing it, and what it would involve for you. Please read and think about the information in this letter carefully.

If anything isn’t clear or if you have more questions, you can ask your teacher for help.

Why are we doing this research?

Our project's goal is to look at the different ways wellbeing is measured, and understand how adolescents are doing globally. Thousands of students in countries across the world will be given the opportunity to answer these same questions that you have the choice to answer today.

Research objectives (what we hope to find out)

1.  Explore how wellbeing is measured with adolescents

2.  Understand how students are doing across the world

3.  Explore if wellbeing questionnaires measure the right things for young people

4.  Explore the things that affect adolescents' wellbeing

5.  Compare different ways of measuring wellbeing

6.  Understand the operational aspects (how the study is run or conducted) of conducting wellbeing measurements in schools

Why have I been invited to take part?

We are inviting you to take part because you are young person, aged 11 to 18 years, at your school. If you are not aged 11-18 you will not be able to take part and should let your teacher know you have been given this letter but you are not in the age range for the study. We are inviting between 7,500-250,000 young people in schools all over the world to take part in our research.

Do I have to take part?

No - It is up to you to decide if you want to take part in this research. You are free to stop taking part at any point, even after you have started answering the questions, by raising your hand and telling your teacher. You do not have to give a reason, and your decision will not affect your education.

If you feel worried or like you are not doing okay, or if you need someone to talk to, please speak to your teacher or another adult you feel comfortable talking to.

If you decide to stop during the questions, even if you have answered some questions already, no one will be upset with you.

If you do not wish to join in with this activity, your teacher will tell you what to do.

However, once you submit your answer at the end if the questions, we cannot delete your answers because we can't tell who each set of responses (answers) belongs to.

What does participation (taking part) involve?

If you agree (or consent) to take part:

·         Your participation in the research will involve getting some instructions that your teacher will give to your class.

·         You will be asked to complete a set of questions on a computer or digital device.

·         You will be able to decide whether to agree to take part (give consent) or not before participating this study.

·         Your information will be stored and analysed by the research team at the Wellbeing Research Centre, University of Oxford (and stored and processed by the International Baccalaureate Organization).

·         No one will know that your answers came from you, and we will never ask you, or your school, for your name.

What are the possible disadvantages and risks in taking part?

There are no foreseeable risks in taking part. While we do not anticipate any discomfort for you in participating in this data collection, we do encourage you to ask any questions you may have to your class teachers.

Are there any benefits in taking part?

You may find yourself gaining insights into wellbeing, potentially increasing your awareness of factors that could contribute to a healthy and positive lifestyle. Moreover, you're helping researchers learn more about how to make things better for young people like you, which will benefit you in the future.

What information will be collected and what happens to the results of the research?

Answers from all young people are kept strictly confidential, and only the people doing the research, or helping with the research, can look at the data. Even the researchers don’t know who the responses (answers to the questions) come from. We will never ask you or your school for your name and your name will not be used in the research. All question answers are kept in password-protected device hosted by Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford.

The findings from this study might be published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at conferences, stored in a public data repository and/or published in reports and/or on websites. These will be general results about how young people are doing across the globe and how we measure wellbeing. Your name and your school’s name would not be included and the results from your school would be grouped together with the findings from all the other schools across the world.

If we would like to use the information for anything else beyond what we have said in this letter, we will contact your school and ask for permission. At the end of the research process, we will write to your school about what was discovered about adolescent wellbeing in general. Your responses will not be identifiable (no one will know they came from you). You are welcome to read this general report, and can ask your teachers about this, if you are interested.

All research data and records will be stored for 3 years after publication or public release of the work of the research. As we do not know which responses came from you, we cannot remove your data after you have entered your responses to the questions. Third parties may be given access to research data for monitoring and/or audit of the research, or for data storage purposes.

Data Protection

The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) is the data owner. They will store the data, process it, and transfer it to the University of Oxford research team. The IBO will store and dispose of the data in accordance with its own privacy policy: https://ibo.org/terms-and-conditions/privacy-policy/

The University of Oxford is the data controller. While no personal data will be collected in this study, the University retains control over the results obtained from the questionnaires.

The University will process the data for the purpose of the research outlined above.  Research is a task that we perform in the public interest and as part of the partnership between the IBO and the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford.

Further information about your rights with respect to your personal data is available from https://compliance.web.ox.ac.uk/individual-rights.

What if I don’t want to take part in the research anymore?

At any point of the data collection, you are able to withdraw your participation (stop taking part) by telling your teacher. You don’t have to give a reason. It is YOUR choice.

What if I feel uncomfortable during or after this data collection?

If you feel at all uncomfortable before or during the study you can stop at any time. You can talk to your class teacher or another adult you feel comfortable to talk to.

Who is organising and funding the research?

The researchers are Dr. Wanying Zhou (the Principal Investigator), Dr Laura Taylor, and their team (Wellbeing Research Centre, University of Oxford).

This research is funded by the International Baccalaureate Organization.

Who has reviewed the research?

This research has received ethics approval from a subcommittee of the University of Oxford Central University Research Ethics Committee. (Ethics reference: R90787/RE001).

What do I do now?

Your teacher will explain how you can follow the link to the questions. Once you have added your school number and word you will be asked if you want to go ahead with the questions (consent). You are allowed to change your decision to participate at any point during the study. Once your responses have been submitted at the end of the questionnaire, we have no way of knowing which responses came from you so we cannot remove your data, or change your answers, once you have answered the questions. You should only answer the questions once, even if you feel the answers you gave might not be right.

What if there is a problem or something goes wrong?

If you have any concerns or issues during the study, we encourage you to reach out to your teacher (either during the class by raising your hand, or afterwards), who can then liaise (speak) with you and the school or your parent/guardian (if needed) and they can also contact the research team (if needed).

If you prefer to directly express any worries about any aspect of this research to the Research Team, please contact us via email at wellbeingresearch@hmc.ox.ac.uk. This is an email address which is not constantly monitored (looked at) and replies from our research team can take up to 10 working days (even for emails marked as urgent). If your worries or questions are urgent, please speak to a teacher or other responsible adult at you school or home.

If you are still unhappy or wish to make a complaint, either you or your teacher/parent/guardian can contact the chair of the Research Ethics Committee at the University of Oxford:

Chair, Medical Sciences Interdivisional Research Ethics Committee

Email: ethics@medsci.ox.ac.uk

Address: Research Services, University of Oxford, Boundary Brook House, Churchill Drive, Headington, Oxford OX3 7GB

Thank you for reading.

INFORMATION SHEET FOR PARENTS / GUARDIANS

Central University Research Ethics Committee Approval Reference: R90787/RE001

In partnership with researchers at the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, your child’s school has agreed to take part in a research study aimed at understanding and evaluating the various measurements of adolescent wellbeing on an international scale. We would like to invite your child to be part of this research. We would like to explain why the research will be conducted, and what it will involve.

Why is this research being conducted?

Our research will explore the various ways adolescent wellbeing is understood and measured.

Experts from different fields like Psychology, Sociology, Education, and Public Health all have different ideas about what's important for an adolescent’s wellbeing. Our project will try to explore the wellbeing of school students.

Our project's goal is to understand and evaluate the different ways that wellbeing is measured, and understand how adolescents are doing globally.

Research objectives

1.  Understand how adolescent wellbeing is measured globally.

2.  Use complex methods to understand the different patterns in how students are doing.

3.  Investigate if the ways people measure adolescents’ wellbeing are valid and reliable.

4.  Explore the factors that have the strongest impact on adolescents' wellbeing.

5.  Compare different ways of measuring, like using multiple factors or just one, to see which is best.

6.  Understanding the operational aspects of conducting wellbeing measurements in schools.

Why has my child been invited to be involved in this research?

We are inviting your child to take part because they are a young person, aged 11 to 18 years. We are inviting between 7,500-250,000 young people in schools all over the world to take part in our research.

Does my child have to be involved?

No – It is up to you and your child to decide if they take part in this research. If you do not want your child to participate, you do not have to give a reason, and your decision will not affect your child’s education. You can opt your child out of the study if you wish by contacting your child’s school with the opt-out form below. If you are happy for your child to participate you do not need to reply to this letter and no further action is needed. If you do not reply to this letter your child will automatically be opted in and will be offered the opportunity to complete the questionnaire with their classmates. Your child can still opt themselves out before and during the data collection. Students are encouraged to express any concerns or ask questions directly to their teachers. We value transparency and want to ensure that both students and parents feel comfortable with their participation in the study. If you have any questions, you can contact your child’s school who will put you in touch with the teacher at school who is leading the study (the school's internal Research Lead).

We collect completely anonymous responses from the young people so you will not be able to withdraw your child once their data have been collected due to the unidentifiable nature of our data (we will never ask them or their teacher/school for their name).

What does participation involve?

·         Your child’s participation in the research will involve completing a questionnaire which takes around 15-25 minutes, with the support of the teacher who is leading the data collection in their classroom;

·         Your child will be asked to answer questions on a computer or digital device;

·         Your child will be asked whether they consent to take part as part of the online questionnaire;

·         Your child’s anonymous responses will be stored and analysed by the research team at the Wellbeing Research Centre, University of Oxford. The data owner is the International Baccalaureate Organization, who will also process and store the data.

How will the data be used?

·         Our data collection process ensures that no information will be gathered that could directly identify your child(ren), prioritizing their privacy and maintaining confidentiality throughout the research.

·         Your child’s IP address will not be stored. We will take all reasonable measures to ensure that data remain confidential.

·         Once data collection is complete the responses your child provides will be transferred from the International Baccalaureate Organization to the Wellbeing Research Centre’s Research Team. The files received by the Research Team will be stored in a password-protected electronic file on University of Oxford secure servers and may be used (as part of a large dataset with other unidentifiable responses from young people internationally) in academic publications, conference presentations, reports, in public data repositories, and/or websites. Research data will be stored for 3 years after publication or public release of the research findings. The International Baccalaureate Organization will store the original data responses in a password-protected online data platform or in password-protected electronic forms.

Who will have access to my data?

The data your child provides may be shared with your child’s school as part of a large dataset where your child’s responses are not individually identifiable.

What are the possible disadvantages and risks in taking part?

No foreseeable disadvantages or risks. While we do not anticipate any discomfort for students participating in this data collection. If any concerns arise teachers will adhere to the school's pre-existing policies and practices. We encourage students to ask any questions they may have, ensuring a positive and open experience throughout the research process, prioritizing their wellbeing.

Are there any benefits in taking part?

There are no direct benefits to participating.  However, by contributing to this study, schools and educators have the opportunity to actively engage in research concerned with the improvement of adolescent wellbeing assessments, a crucial and global issue. The research results can serve as a valuable resource for educators, policymakers, and researchers dedicated to enhancing the wellbeing of young people on a global scale. Additionally, engaging in the research process may lead educators to have a heightened awareness of the nuanced aspects of wellbeing that are pertinent to their students, enabling educators to tailor their support and interventions more effectively.

What information will be collected and why is the collection of this information relevant for achieving the research objectives?

Responses are kept strictly confidential, and only the people conducting the research (the International Baccalaureate Organization and the Research Team at the University of Oxford), or helping with the research, can look at the data. All information and results are kept in a password-protected device hosted by the Wellbeing Research Centre, at the University of Oxford, or by the International Baccalaureate Organization.

It is highly unlikely that we will utilize the (unidentifiable) data from your child(ren)’s school for purposes beyond what has been outlined here. However, if such a need arises, we will seek your child(ren)’s school’s permission and ask them to notify all students who had the option to participate and their parents. At the end of the research process, we will write to the school about what was discovered about adolescent wellbeing. Please contact the Research Lead or a teacher at your child’s school to request related information if you are interested.

Survey data will be stored electronically on password-protected device hosted by Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre. Research data will be securely preserved for a period of three years following the conclusion of the study.

Will the research be published?  Could my child be identified from any publications or other research outputs?

The findings from this research study may be published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at conferences, in public data repositories, in reports and/or published on websites. No information identifying any of the participants will be shared in these outputs.  

Data Protection

The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) is the data owner. They will store and process the data and transfer it to the University of Oxford Research Team. The IBO will store and dispose of the data in accordance with its own privacy policy: https://ibo.org/terms-and-conditions/privacy-policy/

The University of Oxford is the data controller. While no personal data will be collected in this study, the University retains control over the results obtained from the questionnaires.

The University will process the data for the purpose of the research outlined above.  Research is a task that we perform in the public interest and as part of the partnership between the IBO and the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford.

Further information about your rights with respect to your child’s personal data is available from https://compliance.web.ox.ac.uk/individual-rights.

Who has reviewed this research?

This research has received ethics approval from a subcommittee of the University of Oxford Central University Research Ethics Committee. (Ethics reference: R90787/RE001).

Who is organising and funding the research?

The researchers are Dr. Wanying Zhou (the Principal Investigator), Dr Laura Taylor, and their team (Wellbeing Research Centre, University of Oxford).

This research is funded by the International Baccalaureate Organization.

Who do I contact if I have a concern about the research, or I wish to complain?

For any urgent queries, please contact your child’s school in the first instance. If you have a non-urgent concern about any aspect of this research, please contact the Wellbeing Research Centre via email (wellbeingresearch@hmc.ox.ac.uk), and we will do our best to answer your query. We will acknowledge your concern within 10 working days and give you an indication of how it will be dealt with. If you remain unhappy or wish to make a formal complaint, please contact the Chair of the Research Ethics Committee at the University of Oxford who will seek to resolve the matter as soon as possible:

Chair, Medical Sciences Interdivisional Research Ethics Committee

Email: ethics@medsci.ox.ac.uk

Address: Research Services, University of Oxford, Boundary Brook House, Churchill Drive, Headington, Oxford OX3 7GB

What should I do next?

If you are happy for your child to take part, no action is needed and they will automatically be given the opportunity to participate.

To opt-out: Please fill in the enclosed form and return it to your child’s class teacher if you would not like your child to take part in this research. Please complete one form per eligible child. Please remember that you may withdraw your child at any time during the research process, without affecting their education and without giving a reason, by notifying your child’s teacher or school. Please remember that data cannot be withdrawn after the questions have been completed as we do not know which child the responses came from.

Further Information and Contact Details

Please contact your child’s teacher or the school if you have any questions and/or want to know more about this research.

Don't want to be involved or take part?

Complete the Opt-Out Form and give to Marit Melroos Levin or Krista Baker.