Parent Forms

Study Title: BRITE Girls Online STEM Practices: Building Relevance and Identity to Transform Experiences
Principal Investigator: Roxanne Hughes

Key Information: The following is a short summary of this study to help you decide whether or not to allow your child to be a part of this study. More detailed information is listed later on in this form.

Why is your child being invited to take part in a research study?
We invite your child to take part in this research study because they are a participant in one of the national Brite programs.

What should I know about a research study?

• Someone will explain this research study to you.
• Whether or not you take part is up to you.
• You can choose not to take part.
• You can agree to take part and later change your mind.
• Your decision will not be held against you.
• You can ask all the questions you want before you decide.

Now we will describe this research study. Before you decide to take part, please take as much time as you need to ask any questions and discuss this study with anyone on the MagLab FSU research team, or with family, friends or other professional.

Why is this study being done?
This study is being conducted by Roxanne Hughes, PhD, Director of the Center for Integrating Research and Learning along with Dr. Qian Zhang at Florida State University. We are studying the effects of Brite programs on participants’ interest in STEM, attitudes toward STEM, and sense of motivation to persist in STEM.

Why are you being asked to take part in this study?
You are being asked to participate in this study because you are a participant in one of our many Brite programs. Our study results help us to make changes and address the needs of our participants to ensure that the Brite programs are serving the needs of the current STEM workforce.

How long will the research last and what will I need to do?
We expect that you will be in this research study for the duration of the Brite program and for 20 minutes for a survey sent 6-9 months later via email.

You will be asked to complete five surveys (each will take about 10-20 minutes): a pre-survey on the first day of the program, a survey at the end of each week during the program, and a follow up survey 6-9 months after the program. During the program the researchers will observe the program video recordings and review message boards to see Brite girls, educators and role models talk about STEM. We may also invite you to participate in a focus group interview after the program has ended. We will provide you with a $25 Amazon gift card for the time spent helping us by participating in the focus group.

More detailed information about the study procedures can be found under “What happens if I say yes, I want to be in this research?”

Is there any way being in this study could be bad for me?
The researchers will ask your child questions about your experience in the program, if these experiences are negative, they might experience sadness or discomfort.

Will being in this study help me in any way?
Other than the $25 Amazon gift card for completing the focus group interview. We cannot promise any benefits to you or others from your taking part in this research. However, possible benefits include your child having the opportunity to reflect on the program and their experience in STEM, which may strengthen their career decisions. In addition, your child’s participation helps us to improve the program for future participants.

What happens if I do not want to be in this research?
Participation in research is completely voluntary. You or your child can decide to participate or not to participate. The choice to not participate in the research project will not affect their ability to participate in the program or future Brite programs.

Detailed Information:

The following is more detailed information about this study in addition to the information listed above.

Who can I talk to?
If you have questions, concerns, or complaints, or think the research has hurt you, talk to the research team at the MagLab: Roxanne Hughes, Ph.D. at hughes@magnet.fsu.edu or 850-645-8179.

This research has been reviewed and approved by an Institutional Review Board (“IRB”). You may talk to them at 850-644-7900 or hughes@magnet.fsu.edu if:

• Your questions, concerns, or complaints are not being answered by the research team.
• You cannot reach the research team.
• You want to talk to someone besides the research team.
• You have questions about your rights as a research subject.
• You want to get information or provide input about this research.

How many people will be studied?
We expect about 400 people nationally will be in this research study.

What happens if I say “yes” to being in this research?
If you agree to be in this study, we would ask you to do the following things:

1. Take a survey, which should last 10-20 minutes before the program begins.
2. Allow a member of our research team to observe and record the activities during the program.
3. Take a survey, on the last day of each week, which last 10-20 minutes.
4. Participate in a group interview, which should last 60-90 minutes and will be held via zoom after the program.
5. Take a follow-up survey that will be emailed to you to ask about their STEM interests 6-9 months after the program, which should last 10-20 minutes.

The surveys and interviews will be related to your child’s interest in science, views of science, and experiences related to science in the program.

What happens if I say “yes,” but I change my mind later?
You can leave the research at any time it will not be held against you.

What happens to the information collected for the research?
Efforts will be made to limit the use and disclosure of your personal information, including surveys and interview, to people (Dr. Hughes) who have a need to review this information. We cannot promise complete confidentiality. Organizations that may inspect and copy your information include the IRB and other representatives of Florida State University, and the National Science Foundation, the funding source. Each participant will be assigned a unique identifier. All documents including survey responses, observation notes, message board responses, and interviews will be saved in a password-protected folder on the PI’s computer under these identifiers. The PI will keep a spreadsheet connecting your name to the unique identifier in a password protected file on her desktop that is only accessible by her.

If you consent for your child to participate in this research, please sign the last page of this document.

Operated by Florida State University, University of Florida, and Los Alamos National Laboratory
Supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the State of Florida