Overview and Purpose
Wolverine Pathways students are invited to join a research project on math learning. The goal of this project is to study math learning during middle and high school. This page contains information that will help participants decide whether to join the study. Wolverine Pathways students have experiences that are important for teachers, administrators, and policymakers. We need to know more about how people learn math over time. This study will help provide feedback to improve the Wolverine Pathways program and inform other researchers. Participation in the study is voluntary. Participants should read this entire page and ask questions before deciding whether to take part in this study.
Will participants be paid anything for taking part in this study?
Participants will receive a $10 gift certificate at the same time that they receive an email link to each survey. If they also complete all of the interviews, they will receive an additional $75.
What are the benefits of participating in this study?
Participants may not receive any personal benefits from participating in this study. However, others may benefit from the knowledge gained from this study.
What are the risks of participating in this study?
There is minimal, if any risk, involved in participation in this study. Participants do not have to answer any questions they do not want to answer. Please note that a breach of confidentiality (i.e., informational risk) is a potential risk in all research that collects or maintains personally identifiable information. Please see the “Protection and Sharing Research Information” section, below, to see how risk will be handled in this study.
How will participants’ information be protected?
We will not share any of our participants’ identifiable research records/information with others. All data will be password-protected and stored on a secure server. Participants’ names and personal information will not appear on any research data.
Who will have access to participants’ information?
Dr. Maisie Gholson and her research team will have access to this data.
What will happen to the information collected in this study?
The information collected during the research project may be used for future research projects on mathematics education. The results of this study could be published in an article or presentation, but will not include any information that would let others identify individual participants. Research information may be used or shared for future research studies but will not include any information that would let others identify individual participants. Participants’ decision to allow their information to be used for research is voluntary. If their information is shared with other researchers, it will not contain participants’ names or other information that can directly identify them. Participants will not be asked for additional informed consent for these studies.
Who can participate in the study?
All Wolverine Pathways participants are eligible to participate in the study. Their decision to participate is completely voluntary. If they choose not to participate in any part of the project, it will not negatively affect their participation or standing in the Wolverine Pathways program.
What will participants be asked to do?
Participants will be asked to complete four short surveys across the school year when they are in the 7th, 9th, and 11th grades. They may also be asked to participate in two individual interviews. (Only a small number of students will be interviewed.)
When will participation in this study be over?
Participation in this study will last for five years.
What if a participant wants to leave the study before the study ends?
Participants are free to leave the study at any time. Their participation in Wolverine Pathways will not be affected. If they decide to leave the study before it is finished, they should contact Dr. Maisie Gholson. If they choose to share why they are leaving the study, their reasons may be kept as part of the study history. Their information will be kept unless they request it to be deleted from the data. If their information has already been used in published writing, it will not be possible to remove their information.
More details about the online-surveys, individual interviews, and collection of student data:
Students may participate in any or all forms of data collection. Each survey will last no more than 45 minutes.
Each individual interview will last between 1 and 1.5 hours and will be video-recorded for accuracy. During the individual interviews, students will be asked to talk about:
- Their schooling in your local community and how they feel about these experiences
- Their experiences with math in school and outside of school.
- Their relationships with peers, families, and teachers.
Participants may refuse to answer questions if they do not feel comfortable. Their participation in the study will not be affected.
The information that students have shared with Wolverine Pathways about their grades will be shared with Dr. Maisie Gholson. A password-protected document securely stored on a server will hold linking information between school records and survey data. Any identifying linking school records and survey data will not be stored together to protect students identities.
Please contact Dr. Gholson to:
Obtain more information about the study.
Ask a question about the study procedures.
Leave the study before it is finished.
Express a concern about the study.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Maisie Gholson
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: (734) 764-3966