San Francisco State University

Parental Permission for a Minor to Participate in Research

Sociocultural Adaptation of Third Culture Kids:

The Influence of Individual, Familial and Societal Factors

A.  PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

My name is Amber Lowi. I am a Graduate Student at San Francisco State University and I am conducting a research study about how adolescents adapt to living overseas. I am inviting you and your adolescent to take part in the research because he/she is between 14-17 years old, is living abroad and is currently living with at least one parent in the family home.

B.  PROCEDURES  

If you agree to your and your child’s participation in this research study, the following will occur: 

·        I will ask you to provide an email address to contact your child. Your child will be contacted and invited to participate in this research study. 

·        If your child agrees to participate in this research, you and your child will be contacted via email and provided with a three digit identification number and an internet URL where the parent and adolescent survey will be located.

·        The parent portion of the survey will take no longer than 10 minutes to complete. The survey will ask demographic questions about you, such as gender, race/ethnicity, marital status and educational background.

·        The adolescent portion of the survey will take no longer than 40 minutes to complete. The survey will ask demographic questions about your child, such as age, grade level, gender, race/ethnicity, and foreign language ability. Other questions will assess your child’s perceptions of themselves, family, school and experiences in the host country.

C.  RISKS

Your child might feel some slight discomfort in answering some of the questions. Your child does not have to answer questions he/she does not want to answer and may stop at any time without consequence. Your child may also feel a loss of privacy in answering the questions. In order to minimize this risk, all surveys will be completely confidential and kept in a locked cabinet that is only accessible to the primary researcher. There is also a risk that you or someone else may look over your child’s shoulder and view your child’s answers while they are completing the questionnaire. Leaving the answers on the screen and walking away from the computer puts your child at risk and limits your child’s confidentiality. All surveys will be destroyed upon completion of the study.

D.  CONFIDENTIALITY            &nb sp;                         &nb sp;                         &nb sp;                         &nb sp;                         &nb sp;   If you and your child choose to participate in this study you will both be assigned a 3-digit identification number. Information gathered during the course of this study will be labeled with that 3-digit identification number. Information regarding the identity of each participant will be confidential. 

E.  DIRECT BENEFITS  

There are no direct benefits for your child’s participation in this project.

F.  COSTS 

There will be no costs for your child’s participation in this project.

G.  COMPENSATION

At the completion of this study, adolescent participants will be entered into a random drawing for one of three iPod Shuffle© MP3 players. 

H.  ALTERNATIVES 

The alternative is not to participate.

I.  QUESTIONS

You have had the opportunity to communicate with Amber Lowi about this study and have had any questions answered.  If you have any further questions about the study, you may contact the researcher by email at alowi@SFSU.edu, or you may contact Dr. Cookston, by calling (415) 338-2167 or cookston@sfsu.edu.

Questions about your child’s rights as a study participant, or comments or complaints about the study also may be addressed to the Office for the Protection of Human Subjects at San Francisco State University, at 415-338-1093 or protocol@sfsu.edu.

J.  CONSENT

You have been given a copy of this consent form to keep.

PARTICIPATION IN THIS RESEARCH STUDY IS VOLUNTARY.  You are free to decline to have you or your child participate in this research study.  You may withdraw your or your child’s participation at any point without penalty.

Your decision whether or not to allow your child to participate in this research study will have no influence on your or your child’s present or future status at San Francisco State University.

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