Educational Psychologists Survey
PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET: EP ONLINE SURVEY
June 2018
Study Title: Research into the Educational Psychology Workforce in England
Investigator(s): Professor Clare Lyonette, Gaby Atfield, Beate Baldauf and Dr David Owen (IER)
Introduction
You are invited to take part in a research study. Before you decide, you need to understand why the research is being done and what it would involve for you. Please take the time to read the following information carefully. Talk to others about the study if you wish. Please ask us if there is anything that is not clear or if you would like more information.
What is the study about?
The Department for Education (DfE) has commissioned this piece of research to gather evidence on the distribution and demographic characteristics of the current educational psychologist (EP) workforce. A small number of EPs are funded by the DfE each year and there is evidence that some local authorities (LAs) struggle to recruit. As the training is delivered by only 13 universities across the country, this may be due to trainees’ reluctance to do placements far from their university and a greater likelihood that they will find work closer to their university upon graduation. The DfE is therefore considering a move to regional commissioning of EP training providers, in order to address shortages in the EP profession and this research will enable the Department to take an evidence-based approach to these reported shortages. The data is being collected for and on behalf of the DfE.
Do I have to take part?
It is entirely up to you to decide. If you choose to participate in an online survey, we will ask you to complete an online consent form to confirm that you have agreed to take part before you proceed to the survey.
What will happen to me if I take part?
If you are happy to take part after reading this information sheet, please fill in the questions on the webpage and then proceed to the survey. Your responses will be completely anonymised and you will not be identifiable. Please complete the whole survey.
What are the possible disadvantages, side effects, risks, and/or discomforts of taking part in this study?
There are no anticipated disadvantages, side effects, risks, and/or discomforts of taking part in this study as the survey focuses solely on your own experiences and assessments.
What are the possible benefits of taking part in this study?
Your views and assessments will contribute to the evidence the DfE is collecting as part of this study and will help to inform how the DfE commissions future Educational Psychologist trainees.
Expenses and payments
There will be no expenses or payments available for participating in the survey. However, if you take part in the survey you can opt in to a prize draw (one of 3 x £50 vouchers). If you decide to opt in, you will need to provide us with an email address but this this will not be passed on to any third parties: it will be kept securely in a password-protected folder at the University of Warwick for the purposes of the research and will only be accessible to the researchers and then safely destroyed.
What will happen when the study ends?
The collected anonymised data will be available in a published report. Your anonymised data will be stored securely and then destroyed. You will not be contacted again about this or other research unless you sign up to participate in a future research project.
What will happen to the results of the study?
The results of the study will be published in a final report which will be distributed through professional body websites and membership distribution lists. A peer-reviewed article may also be prepared for publication in an academic journal.
Will my taking part be kept confidential?
Yes. We will follow strict ethical and legal practice and all information about you will be handled in confidence. All data is anonymised and stored securely in a password-protected folder at IER. All survey participants will be given a random sequence number for the purposes of reporting, and any identifiers removed to ensure confidentiality. Any contact details (e.g. if you have provided these to opt in to the prize draw) and consent forms will be safely stored and then later destroyed securely. Only the researchers will have access to the data gathered.
What will happen if I don’t want to carry on being part of the study?
Participation in this study is entirely voluntary. Refusal to participate will not affect you in any way. If you agree to participate, you may nevertheless withdraw from the study at any time without affecting you in any way. You have the right to withdraw from the study completely and decline any further contact by study staff after you withdraw. However, if you have submitted your anonymised data, it will not be possible to extract it later.
Who is organising and funding the study?
The Department for Education (DfE) is organising and funding this study, which will be carried out by the Institute for Employment Research (IER) at the University of Warwick.
Who should I contact if I wish to make a complaint?
Any complaint about the way you have been dealt with during the study or any possible harm you might have suffered will be addressed. Please address your complaint to the person below, who is a senior University of Warwick official entirely independent of this study:
Head of Research Governance
Research & Impact Services
University House
University of Warwick
Coventry
CV4 8UW
Email: researchgovernance@warwick.ac.uk
Tel: 024 76 522746
Will my taking part be kept confidential?
Your data will be completely anonymised and you will not be identifiable in any way. The anonymised dataset will be stored safely on a password-protected folder at the University of Warwick and will only be accessible by the research team. Contact details for the prize draw will not be stored in the same file as your survey data. All participants will be given a random number for the purposes of reporting. All details will be stored safely and then destroyed securely after 10 years. The IER and its data storage procedures are fully compliant with GDPR.
Who has reviewed the study?
This study has been reviewed and given favourable opinion by the University of Warwick’s Humanities and Social Science Research Ethics Committee (HSSREC). HSSREC approval was given on (insert date) (insert HSSREC reference number).
What if I want more information about the study?
If you have any questions about any aspect of the study, or your participation in it, not answered by this participant information sheet, please contact:
C.Lyonette@warwick.ac.uk.
If you wish to speak to the DfE about this project, please contact:
Kelly.WALKER@education.gov.uk
Thank you for taking the time to read this Participant Information Sheet.