Invitation
You are being invited to take part in a research project. This information page explains why we are carrying out this research and what it involves so that you can decide whether to participate. If you are interested in taking part, please read the information carefully in the following collapsible questions. Feel free to contact the researcher if you have any questions or need more information regarding this study. Thank you for reading this!
Why have I been contacted?
Why have I been contacted?
Your school is taking part in a research project, and you have been contacted because you are a Reception or Year 1 teacher. Before contacting you, permission has been obtained from your school’s Headteacher.
What is this project about?
What is this project about?
We are inviting teachers to answer some questions about the home- school connection in relation to early literacy development and the way schools engage with parents/carers of Reception and Year 1 children to support literacy development at home. This is an online questionnaire study. The study will also consider how parent and teacher perceptions compare in terms of types of input provided (e.g. resources, advice, activities, training) and the level of engagement. We plan to use our findings to share best practice and ideas that might be useful both for families and schools to strengthen the home-school connection and best support children’s reading skills.
Who is carrying out and funding the project?
Who is carrying out and funding the project?
The research is conducted by myself, Alexandra Zosimidou, for the purposes of a doctoral thesis (PhD).
I am a qualified speech and language therapist as well as a postgraduate research student and a University Teacher with extensive experience in research and teaching. I am based in the School of Allied Health Professions, Nursing & Midwifery; Faculty of Health at the University of Sheffield. The project supervisors are Dr Silke Fricke (Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield) and Dr Hannah Nash (Lecturer at the University of Leeds). This Project is funded by the ESRC White Rose DTC.
What will happen to me if I take part? What do I have to do?
What will happen to me if I take part? What do I have to do?
We are asking teachers of Reception and Year 1 children to complete an online questionnaire. This will take about 10 minutes to fill in. The questions will focus on class characteristics, understanding the instructional activities teachers use in relation to literacy development, whether and how these are shared with the parents/carers and the level of engagement from the parents/carers with the support provided by the school.
Will I be paid to take part?
Will I be paid to take part?
You will not be paid but we will draw two £50 voucher prizes after the questionnaire closed. We will randomly choose the winner among those participants that have left their email address at the end of the questionnaire for this.
Do I have to take part?
Do I have to take part?
Taking part in the research is entirely voluntary. You do not need to take part if you do not wish to do so. If you decide not to participate, this will not affect you or your school in any way. If you do agree to take part, you will be asked to complete an online consent form by ticking some boxes, before accessing the questionnaire. You can change your mind at a later stage and withdraw from the study. You can do this by contacting me on alex.zosimidou@sheffield.ac.uk. You do not have to give a reason. However, since your responses on the questionnaire data will be anonymous, once submitted you cannot withdraw the information you have provided. If you agree to participate, this does not form a legally binding agreement. It is not a formal contract of employment with the University of Sheffield.
What are the possible risks and benefits of taking part?
What are the possible risks and benefits of taking part?
There is no risk of physical or psychological harm to you, your school or any children at your school in taking part. The questionnaire does not touch upon any sensitive or personal topics. If you do not want to answer any of the questions, you can choose not to. If you have any concerns, please raise this. You can email me on alex.zosimidou@sheffield.ac.uk , or you can contact the project supervisor, Dr Silke Fricke, on s.fricke@sheffield.ac.uk.
There may be no immediate benefits to you or your school from participating in the study. It is hoped that the research will add to information on how to best support the home-school connection in relation to parents helping their children with their ‘learning to read’ journey. At the end of the project, we will provide an anonymous summary of the findings to participating schools and families by sharing the summary report with the schools and uploading it onto the project website. You will also be given the option to indicate whether you would be happy to be contacted for the next phase of the project, the co-production of recommendations and resources for schools on how to strengthen the home-school connection and best support parent/carers in supporting their children’s early reading skills in Reception and Year 1.
Will my taking part in this project be kept confidential?
Will my taking part in this project be kept confidential?
All the information that we collect about you during the course of the research will be kept strictly confidential and will only be accessible to members of the research team. You will not be able to be identified in any reports or publications unless you have given your explicit consent for this. If you agree to us sharing the information you provide with other researchers (for example, by making it available in a data archive) then your personal details will not be included unless you explicitly request this.
What will happen to the data collected, and the results of the research project?
What will happen to the data collected, and the results of the research project?
The data that is collected will be stored on the University of Sheffield secure drives. Only the research team will have access to the data. All the data is stored anonymously. The anonymous results of the study will be shared with schools uploaded to the project website. They may be published, for example in conference presentations or journal articles. Information will always be anonymous. Care will be taken to ensure that you and your child’s school cannot be identified. The anonymous results will be kept by the University. Due to the nature of this research, it is likely that other researchers may find the data collected to be useful in answering future research questions. We will ask for your explicit consent for your anonymous data to be shared in this way (for example, by making it available in the University’s data archive). Email addresses for the prize draw will be collected via a separate web link to ensure email addresses are not linked with questionnaire responses.
Who is the Data Controller?
Who is the Data Controller?
The University of Sheffield is the Data Controller for this study. This means that the university is responsible for looking after your information and using it properly.
Who has ethically reviewed the project?
Who has ethically reviewed the project?
This project has been ethically reviewed by the University of Sheffield, following the Ethics Review Procedure, as administered by the School of Allied Health Professions, Nursing & Midwifery; Faculty of Health at the University of Sheffield.
What if something goes wrong and I wish to complain about the research?
What if something goes wrong and I wish to complain about the research?
If you have any concerns or wish to make a complaint, you can contact the researcher Alex Zosimidou or the project supervisor, Dr Silke Fricke (s.fricke@sheffield.ac.uk) in the first instance. If you feel that your complaint has not been handled to your satisfaction, you may contact the Dean of the School of Allied Health Professions, Nursing & Midwifery, Prof Tracey Moore (tracey.moore@sheffield.ac.uk) who will escalate the complaint through the appropriate channels. If your complaint refers to data protection, further information is available on https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/govern/data-protection/privacy/general. You can also discuss any concerns with your headteacher.
Contacts for further information
Contacts for further information
If you would like more information about this project or have any questions, please contact Alexandra Zosimidou at alex.zosimidou@sheffield.ac.uk . You can also contact the research supervisor Dr Silke Fricke at s.fricke@sheffield.ac.uk.
Many thanks for your interest in this project and for taking the time to read this information sheet. You may download this information sheet as your personal copy.
Information_Sheet_TEACHER.pdfPage updated
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