INFORMATION AND CONSENT

What is this study about? The aim of this study is to understand why many regional students start, but do not complete their university studies. As senior secondary school students are considering their post-schooling options, this is a crucial point in time where some of the complexities that may contribute to attrition can be explored. Risk of attrition is best understood through the students themselves, and how they perceive their future goals, barriers to achieving them, and the pertinent issues they raise in relation to post-school decision-making.

Who is conducting the study? Dr Janine Delahunty (Chief Investigator), University of Wollongong, NSW (janined@uow.edu.au)

Who is funding the study? This study is funded by a National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) grant (Curtin University, WA)

Who will participate? School staff in Australia who are in roles that support regional students

What will the participants be asked to do? Participants will be invited to complete an anonymous online survey which should take no more than 10-20 minutes.

What types of questions will be asked? The kinds of questions that will be asked in the survey include:

-What is your  role?
-What kind of support do you provide regional students?
-What are some of the specific issues that regional students experience?
-What have you found helpful in supporting regional students navigating the movement to university, and/or with persisting?
-What recommendations do you have for better supporting regional students?

Are there any risks?  The research requires 10-20 minutes for the survey. While we foresee no risk to you, should participation unintentionally cause anxiety you are encouraged to contact your school's staff counselling service or Lifeline (131 114, Australia).

What happens to the results? In the reporting of results the survey provides anonymity and any other potentially identifying information will be replaced or removed. Findings from the study will contribute to drafting support resources, such as a reflective tool for regional students, as well as recommendations to improve retention of regional students at university.The results may also be published in academic journals or presented at conference presentations. Confidentiality is assured and you will not be identified in any part of the research dissemination.

Do I have to participate? No. Your involvement in the study is voluntary, so you may withdraw from the survey at any point. Please note however, that once submitted, it is not possible to withdraw anonymous survey data.

Ethics Review and Complaints: This study has been reviewed by the Human Research Ethics Committee (Social Science, Humanities and Behavioural Science) (HREC #2020/012) of the University of Wollongong. If you have any concerns or complaints regarding the way this research has been conducted, you can contact the UoW Ethics Officer on +61 2 4221 3386 or email rso-ethics@uow.edu.au.

Question Title

* 1. In completing this survey, I am indicating that I am OVER 18 YEARS OF AGE, and I understand that:
  • My contribution will be voluntary and confidential in that I will not be identified in publications
  • I am free to withdraw from the research at any time but understand that it will not possible to withdraw my data once the survey is submitted
  • Refusal to participate or withdrawal from the survey will not impact upon my relationship with my school or any University involved in this research
  • The data collected from my participation will be used for publication / presentation purposes (journal publication, conference presentations, reports), and I consent for it to be used in that manner.

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