Consent Form for Immigrants’ Information Values, Sharing, and Cultural Memory: Interactions with ICT Use in an Online Community

Information Letter and Consent Form

Study Title:

Immigrants’ Information Values, Sharing, and Cultural Memory: Interactions with ICT Use in an Online Community

Investigators:

Background:

You are invited to be in a research study of the technology use, information sharing, and cultural memory practices of expatriate (expat) and immigrant members of Twitter (twitter.com). You were selected as a possible participant because you have recently posted one or more public tweets on expat or immigrant topics, or were mentioned in tweets or links posted by others. We ask you to read this form carefully and ask any questions you may have before agreeing to participate in an interview as part of the study.

This study is partially funded by the University of Alberta Faculty of Education under a Faculty Start-Up Grant awarded to the principal investigator, Dr. Adam Worrall, a faculty member in the University of Alberta School of Library and Information Studies. This study is being conducted by Dr. Worrall with the research assistance of Alyssa Hyduk, a graduate student in the School. The study is being conducted independently of Twitter.

Purpose:

The purpose of this study is to look at the use of information and communication technologies by immigrants to and expats in Canada, taking place in the online community setting of Twitter. We are interested in your use of Twitter as an individual and in your interactions with others in online communities. Our particular interest is in the values, information, and cultural memories you may or may not share with communities and other members. Your responses to our interview questions will help us see how these different elements of your use of the site interact. The study and your participation should improve our understanding of immigrant communities, their online information sharing practices, and their use of information and communication technologies.

Study Procedures:

If you agree to be in this study, you will participate in one interview with one or both of the researchers, where we will ask about your experience with and use of Twitter as an individual and your interactions with online communities. Our interview will focus on your sharing of information, what information you find to be of value, and the cultural memories you may or may not share with other community members. The interview will take place using your choice of email, online audiovisual media, or telephone. If you select the online audiovisual media option, the interview may take place using Skype or Google Hangouts at your choosing. We estimate the interview will take about 45 minutes to complete. With your explicit permission, online and telephone interviews will be audio recorded using computer software. We may also follow up with you to check our understanding of what you discussed during your interview.

Benefits:

By participating in this study you may benefit indirectly, as a member of an online community and the immigrant and expat population, from improved online community design and usability and from improved technology-associated services to immigrants. You may benefit directly from reflecting on your experience with and use of Twitter as part of the interview. We hope that the information we get from doing this study will help us better understand online communities, information values, information sharing, and cultural memory over time.

You will receive compensation for your time taken in the interview through a $20 Amazon.ca gift card, which you will be sent shortly after the interview is complete.

Risks:

This study has minimal risks to you as a participant, believed to be no more than the risks you experience in everyday life as a visitor and poster to Twitter.

Confidentiality:

The records of this study will be kept private and confidential to the extent permitted by law. We intend to publish and present the results of this study in the form of journal articles, conference presentations, and research colloquia. In any sort of publication or presentation, we will not include any information making it possible to identify you or other participants. Research records, including the audio recording, transcript, and interviewers’ notes will be stored securely and encrypted. Only the researchers, Adam Worrall and Alyssa Hyduk, and the Research Ethics Committee will have access to these records. We may use the data we get from this study in future research, but if we do this it will have to be approved by a Research Ethics Board. All research records, including backups, will be wiped, deleted, or shredded five years after completion of the study, anticipated to be no later than December 31, 2021.

You may request to be sent a copy of a report of the completed research findings at the end of the interview or at any time via email to the researchers.

Voluntary Participation:

Participation in this study is voluntary, and you are under no obligation to do so. Your decision to participate or not will not affect your current or future relations with the University of Alberta, Twitter, or any other site, institution, or organization. You are free to choose to not answer any specific question we may ask even if you participate in an interview.

Freedom to Withdraw:

Even if you choose to participate in this study, you can change your mind and are free to withdraw from the study at any time, without affecting any current or future relationships. If you withdraw, all data we have collected from you will be wiped, deleted, or shredded as of the date of withdrawal. Data may have been used in publications or presentations prior to your withdrawal, if your withdrawal is later than June 24, 2016. If you withdraw after that date, your interview and other data will not be used further in the study or in future publications and presentations.

Additional Contacts and Information:

If you have questions about this study, you may ask them of the researchers at the beginning of the interview. You may also ask questions you have now or later via email at worrall@ualberta.ca or alw@ualberta.ca, or via phone at (780) 492-0179 or (780) 952-2782.

If you have concerns about this study and would like to talk to someone other than the researchers, you may contact the University of Alberta Research Ethics Office, at (780) 492-2615. This office has no direct involvement with this project.

The plan for this study has been reviewed for its adherence to ethical guidelines by a Research Ethics Board at the University of Alberta. For questions regarding participant rights and ethical conduct of research, contact the Research Ethics Office at (780) 492-2615.

We encourage you to print a copy of this information to keep for your records, or you may always access it at http://www.adamworrall.org/research/expats-twitter/consent-form.html.

Statement of Consent:

I have read the above information. I have asked questions and have received answers. By clicking the “Provide Consent” button below, I confirm that I am at least 18 years old and consent to participate in the study.

To give consent, please use the form-based link you were sent. This is a copy of the consent form stored at a permanent URL you can access later.