You are invited to participate in a survey study titled “Test Environment Preference for Optimal Performance.” This study is being conducted by Dr. Aryn C. Karpinski (Associate Professor) and Randy Rair (Doctoral Student) in the School of Foundations, Leadership, and Administration in the Evaluation and Measurement program at Kent State University. This text provides you with information about the research project. It tells you what you will need to do to participate. It also tells you the associated risks and benefits of the research. Please read it carefully. It is important for you to fully understand the research in order to make an informed decision.
We are doing this study to investigate the preferred environmental conditions for taking a test or working on a task when optimal performance is desired. People vary widely in comfort level with background noise and distractions yet the conditions for tests and tasks done in the workforce have not changed in decades.
If you agree to participate, you will complete demographic and Likert questionnaire items. These data will help us understand what your preferred environmental conditions are for working on a task or taking test. All of your responses in this study are anonymous and will not be linked to your name or any other identifying information. The data will be stored along with randomly assigned ID numbers that are also not linked to or stored with your names or any other identifying information.
No information will be collected that allows us to connect your name to your data. You are also not asked to sign any informed consent document. Study data will be kept in password-protected folders on a password-protected computer that is kept under lock and key. Only the Principal Investigator, Dr. Aryn C. Karpinski, and the Co-Investigator, Randy Rair, will have access to the data.
There are no known risks associated with this study. There are no direct benefits or compensation for participating in this study. While you will not experience any direct benefits from participation, information collected in this study may benefit others in the future by helping to better understand assessment environments.
Taking part in this research study is voluntary. You do not have to participate in the study. You can choose not to participate at all, or you can quit the study at any time. No matter what you decide, there will be no effect on your relationship with the university or researchers.
By completing the following questionnaire items (i.e., clicking “Next” at the bottom of this page), you are agreeing to participate in this research study.
If you have any questions about this study, please contact the Principal Investigator, Dr. Aryn C. Karpinski at akarpins@kent.edu. This project has been approved by the Kent State University Institutional Review Board 16-752. If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant or complaints about the research, you may call the IRB at 330-672-2704.
Thank you!
Aryn C. Karpinski, Ph.D. and Randy Rair