CONSENT FORM
You are invited to take part in a survey-interview study examining doctoral capstone mentoring. You were chosen for the study because you graduated from a Walden doctoral program. This form is part of a process called “informed consent” to allow you to understand this study before deciding whether to take part.
This study is being conducted by researchers Drs. Lee Stadtlander, Arfe Ozcan, affiliated with the Center for Research Quality; and Narjis Hyder, LaToya Johnson, and Briana Nicholson who are faculty members at Walden University.
Background Information:
The purpose of this study is to identify alumni’s (n=40) experiences, preferences and beliefs about online mentoring. Findings may be used by Walden to improve mentoring practices and will contribute to the professional literature.
Procedures:
If you agree to be in this Delphi study, you will be asked to participate in 3 rounds of data collection. In the first round, you will be asked to complete a survey-interview about your experiences and preferences with doctoral mentoring, which should take a total of about 30 minutes. In the second and third rounds you will be sent a quantitative survey derived from the collective responses of previous rounds, which will take 10-15 minutes to complete each time.
Here are some sample questions:
· What were at least 2 ways that you stayed motivated while you were working on your capstone? Some things that other students have reported are rewarding yourself for meeting long term/ short term goals, having motivational sayings/ memes nearby. What specific ways did you use to stay motivated?
· What are the 3 main outside factors (e.g., chair, family, student advisor, time, finances) which motivated you to complete the capstone? How did they do so, please describe.
Voluntary Nature of the Study:
Your participation in this study is voluntary. No one at Walden will treat you differently if you decide not to be in the study. If you decide to join the study now, you can still change your mind at any time. You may skip any questions that you feel are too personal.
Risks and Benefits of Being in the Study:
Risks are minimal, you may feel that some questions are too personal, and are welcome to skip any that make you uncomfortable. There are no direct benefits, other than the opportunity to participate in an educational study and to consider your own experiences.
Compensation:
No compensation is provided.
Privacy
Reports coming out of this study will not share the identities of individual participants. Details that might identify participants, such as the location of the study, also will not be shared. Any information you provide will be kept confidential. The researcher will not use your information for any purposes outside of this research project. Data will be kept secure by keeping all data on a password protected flash drive, codes will be used in the place of names, and names and emails will be stored separately from the data. Data will be kept for a period of at least 5 years, as required by the university.
Contacts and Questions:
If you have any questions, you may contact the principal researcher, Dr. Lee Stadtlander, via phone at 406-451-6412 or leann.stadtlander@mail.waldenu.edu. If you want to talk privately about your rights as a participant, you can call the Research Participant Advocate at Walden University at 612-312-1210. Walden University’s approval number for this study is 10-21-20-7823852 and it expires on October 20, 2021.
Walden offers a Student Assistance Program that provides free, confidential support, resources, and information to you and everyone in your household. Call 1-866-465-8942 or TDD: 1-800-697-0353 for assistance, and reference Walden’s ID, SAP4EDU.