School Culture and Teacher Engagement

Informed Consent

INTRODUCTION

The title of this research study is, “A Quantitative Analysis of School Culture and Teacher Work Engagement in the Southwest United States’

I am , Mark Culbertson, a doctoral student under the supervision of Dr. Gibbs Kanyongo, in the College of Doctoral Studies at Grand Canyon University. The purpose of this study is to measure if, or to what extent, there is a relationship between factors of school culture and teacher work engagement for elementary school teachers in public school districts in Arizona.

RESEARCH
KEY INFORMATION
This document defines the terms and conditions for consenting to participate in this research study.

How do I know if I can be in this study?

You can participate in this study if you are a:

* Full-time K-8 teacher in an Arizona public school

You cannot participate in this study if you are a:
* Part-time teacher
* Teacher assistant or para professional
* Substitute teacher

What am I being asked to do? If you agree to participate, you will be asked to:
* Complete a voluntary demographics survey (gender, race, highest level of education, number of years in education, number of years at current placement, number of years under current principal)
Complete the School Culture Survey and the Teacher Engagement Scale

Who will have access to my information? While the surveys are anonymous, the results of the survey will be accessible by myself and my dissertation committee.

Any possible risks or discomforts? There are no foreseeable risks or discomforts associated with this study

Any direct benefits for me? No

Any paid compensation for my time? No

How will my information and/or identity be protected? No identifiable information will be used on the survey and the teacher’s identification will be anonymous. Survey Monkey is a secure platform for collecting survey information as it has security safeguards built into its system to prevent infiltration and, therefore, protect the privacy of the participants. Further, the data will be stored on a USB flash drive stored in a locked file cabinet for three years and will only be accessible to the researcher. After three years, through defragmentation of the flash drive, the data will be destroyed.

PRESENTATION OF INFORMATION COLLECTED

The data collected will be cleaned and run through SPSS for data analysis. The results of the descriptive analysis will be published in a dissertation. The data will be not be represented individually but will be grouped for results.

PRIVACY AND DATA SECURITY

Will researchers ever be able to link my data/responses back to me? No
Will my data include information that can identify me (names, addresses, etc.)? No
Will researchers assign my data/responses a research ID code to use instead of my name? No
How will my data be protected? Where? How long? Who will have access? Approximate destroy or de-identification date? The data will be stored on a USB flash drive in a locked file cabinet for three years and will only be accessible to the researcher. After three years, through defragmentation of the flash drive, the data will be destroyed.
Where and how will the signed consent forms be secured? The signed consent forms will be stored electronically on a separate USB flash drive and stored in a separate locked file cabinet for three years.

FUTURE RESEARCH

The de-identified information could be used for future research studies or distributed to other investigators for future research studies without additional informed consent from you or your legally authorized representative.

STUDY CONTACTS

Any questions you have concerning the research study or your participation in the study, before or after your consent, will be answered by Mark Culbertson, mculbertso@my.gcu.edu. 480-862-3601.

If you have questions about your rights as a subject/participant in this research, or if you feel you have been placed at risk, you can contact the Chair of the Human Subjects Institutional Review Board, through the College of Doctoral Studies at IRB@gcu.edu; (602) 639-7804.

VOLUNTARY CONSENT

PARTICIPANT’S RIGHTS

* You have been given an opportunity to read and discuss the informed consent and ask questions about this study;
* You have been given enough time to consider whether or not you want to participate;
* You have read and understand the terms and conditions and agree to take part in this research study;
* You understand your participation is voluntary and that you may stop participation at any time without penalty.

Survey Monkey Privacy Policy:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/legal/privacy/

Question Title

* 1. Do you agree to participate in this study

I Agree

I Do Not Agree