Recruitment+Statement+for+Research+Participation



** SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY **

**__ Recruitment Statement for Research Participation __**

Debbie Fucoloro, M.A.T.

Twitter: @debbiefuco

February 10, 2012

Dear Educator,

I am working on my Ph.D. in the Department of Education, Curriculum & Instruction at Saint Louis University. I would like to invite educators to participate in my dissertation study. The dissertation is entitled, //What are educators’ perceptions and reported behaviors associated with participation in informal professional development networks//? This study aims at investigating educator perceptions and behaviors associated with participated in informal online professional development networks and how they differ based on current assignment, years in education, or age. While there are likely to be a variety of responses, it is my hope that the results of this study will contribute to the field of education, specifically, the area of technology integration and the use of informal professional development networks. By studying educators who use technology enhanced asynchronous communication for professional development, we might better understand how to nurture reluctant technology users by encouraging and mentoring their participation in these environments, as well, thereby increasing their ability to use best practices in technology integration, thereby, positively impact student learning.

I plan to collect information from educators using an Internet survey distributed through the informal professional development networks Twitter and Ning. Zoomerang will administer the survey and collect the information for researcher analysis and reporting. I will not collect information from the vendor regarding who chooses to participate, and Zoomerang has designed all research procedures to protect participant privacy.

The survey will be posted on Twitter via my personal learning network of approximately 1,000 educators. I will be asking my ‘followers’ to encourage participation in the survey via their ‘followers’. I have also received permission of Thomas Whitby, Educator’s PLN and Jayne James, ISTE (International Society of Technology Educators) Board of Directors to distribute the survey to their members via mass messages to their Nings. All of the Twitter and email recruitment methods will consist of a link that will take participants to the survey hosted by Zoomerang. The survey should take no more than 15 minutes to complete. In order to keep the data collected manageable, Zoomerang will close the survey at 500 respondents.

Educator participation in this survey is voluntary. Educators may exit the survey at any time. Although my dissertation will include an analysis and summary of participants’ responses to open-ended questions, no data with personal information will be collected, therefore, there is a loss of anonymity risk that will be minimized by not collecting any identifiers. Participation in this study will not benefit you directly.

If you have questions about this research study, please feel free to contact me at dfucolor@slu.edu or 314-477-7828, or @debbiefuco on Twitter. If you have questions about your rights as a research participant, you may call the Saint Louis University Institutional Review Board at 314-977-2029.

Sincerely,

Debbie Fucoloro, M.A.T. Doctoral Student, Saint Louis University