Culturally and linguistically diverse migrant and refugee students’ participation in and transition out of university studies and into the ‘caring professions’: What are the views of educators?

Participant Information Statement and Consent Form

Information Sheet

Question Title

1.    What is the research study about?
You are invited to take part in this research study. This project seeks to explore the perceptions, understandings and practices of university staff who work with domestic culturally and linguistically diverse migrants and refugee (CALD M/R) students (by which we mean any student with a CALD background who does not hold an international student visa but who arrived as a migrant or refugee) with regard to their preparedness for ‘transitioning out’ of higher education and into employment or further study that is commensurate with the studies they have recently completed.

The research study aims to:

a)     Document the observations of key university staff working either directly with CALDM/R students (as educators or support staff), or who have decision-making capacity to inform the teaching and learning experiences, of these students with regard to the staff participants’ perceptions and understandings of CALDM/R students’ preparedness for ‘transitioning out’ of their studies;

b)    Map the known/ existing targeted supports that CALDM/R students can access to support their study/ ‘transition out’ needs, and to outline the kinds of supports that academic staff view as needed but not available; and

c)     Develop an evidence base of university staff perceptions, which can inform a framework, to be developed to understand CALDM/R students’ transitions out of four professionally oriented degree programs.

As a university staff member working with CALDM/R students, you have been invited to participate in this study.

2.    Who is conducting this research?

The study is being carried out by the following researchers:

·       Dr Sally Baker (CI), School of Social Sciences, UNSW

·       Dr Clemence Due, School of Psychology, University of Adelaide

· Megan Rose, School of Social Sciences, UNSW

· Dr Prasheela Karan, School of Social Sciences, UNSW

Research Funder: This research project has received internal funding from the School of Social Sciences, UNSW.

3.    Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria

Before you decide to participate in this research study, we need to ensure that it is ok for you to participate. The research study is looking to recruit people who meet the following criteria:

·       Disciplinary teaching staff (course tutors, course convenors, program convenors) in the key “caring” disciplines of psychology, social work, nursing and education; or

·       Support staff (learning advisors, language experts, counsellors, equity practitioners); or

·       Senior managers with responsibility for teaching and learning; and

·       At least 12 months’ experience working for a university in either a teaching or professional role.

4.    Do I have to take part in this research study?

Participation in this research study is voluntary. If you do not want to take part, you do not have to. If you decide to take part and later change your mind, you are free to withdraw from the study at any stage.

If you decide you want to take part in the research study, you will be asked to:

·       Read the information carefully (ask questions if necessary);

·       Indicate your willingness to consent by selecting “yes” below, or, if you do not wish to participate, selecting “no” and exiting the survey.

5.    What does participation in this research require, and are there any risks involved?

If you decide to take part in the research study, the survey will ask questions about your experiences working with CALD students, including migrants and refugees. The survey takes approximately 30 minutes.

We don’t expect the questions to cause any harm or discomfort; however, if you experience feelings of distress as a result of participation in this study you can let the research team know and they will provide you with assistance. You can also seek support from Nura Gili (UNSW’s Indigenous Centre) at nuragili@unsw.edu.au or from UNSW’s Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at counselling@unsw.edu.au.

6.    What are the possible benefits to participation?

We hope to use information we get from this research study to benefit CALDM/R students and university educators by gaining a better understanding of how universities can improve support for transition out of studies for this group of students and into commensurate employment or further related education. We hope that the broader academic community (students and educators) will also benefit from the findings of our study, particularly as this study will offer an innovative line of inquiry into the needs and experiences of CALDM/R students in higher education contexts in settlement countries. Secondly, it will seek to document the tacit and invisibilised work that colleagues across the academy perform in supporting the needs of these students to succeed — not only in their studies, but also in broader settlement terms (with regard to language and employment).

7.    What will happen to information about me?

By ticking “yes” and filling in the survey, you are consenting to us using your responses for the research study. Your data will be kept for five years after publication. We will keep information about you in electronic and non-identifiable format only, which will be stored in the lead investigator’s private zdrive hosted by the School of Social Sciences. All electronic files will be password protected. Password-encrypted files may be shared only between the research team members.

Your information will only be used to explore the perceptions, understandings and practices of university staff who work with domestic CALDM/R students with regard to transition out of higher education and into commensurate employment or further related study. We will also use the data collected for external dissemination via academic channels, such as planned publications, colloquia/seminars and/or conference presentations. Any reporting of data collected will ensure that no identifying information is conveyed.

The information you provide is personal information for the purposes of the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW). You have the right of access to personal information held about you by the University, the right to request correction and amendment of it, and the right to make a compliant about a breach of the Information Protection Principles as contained in the PPIP Act. Further information on how the University protects personal information is available in the UNSW Privacy Management Plan.

8.    How and when will I find out what the results of the research study are?

The research team intend to publish and/ report the results of the research study in a variety of academic outputs including planned publications, colloquia/seminars and/or conference presentations. All information published will be done in a way that will not identify you. If you would like to receive a copy of the results you can let the research team know by emailing the Chief Investigator on sally.baker@unsw.edu.au. We will only use these details to send you the results of the research.

9. What should I do if I have further questions about my involvement in the research study?

The person you may need to contact will depend on the nature of your query. If you require further information regarding this study or if you have any problems that may be related to your involvement in the study, you can contact the following member/s of the research team:

Research Team Contact Details

Name: Sally Baker
Position: Lecturer, Chief Investigator
Telephone: (02) 9385 0686
Email: sally.baker@unsw.edu.au

What if I have a complaint or any concerns about the research study?

If you have a complaint regarding any aspect of the study or the way it is being conducted, please contact the UNSW Human Ethics Coordinator:

Complaints Contact

Position: UNSW Human Research Ethics Coordinator
Telephone: + 61 2 9385 6222
Email: humanethics@unsw.edu.au
HC Reference Number: [INSERT HC reference number]

8% of survey complete.