NURTURES 3 – Information and Parent-Child Consent form

Dear Family,

I am pleased to announce that I am participating in a program entitled NURTURES, where I am learning new techniques about teaching and assessing science. I will be engaging your children in inquiry science lessons and trying new classroom assessments based on current standards and practices. NURTURES will also be providing our classroom with Family Science Packs (take home science activities) and Community Engagement event materials (family/community events you will be invited to). Your children will be bringing home the packs throughout the year and our class will hold engagement events at minimum twice during the school year. This award-winning program was developed by the University of Toledo (UT), and UT is conducting a study about the program.

A brief synopsis of the study and what you will be consenting to:

This study looks at the delivery of the program and documents the effectiveness of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) instructional strategies. Additional components to this research include understanding how children demonstrate STEM practices and understanding – through exposures to high-quality STEM inquiry at school, home, and in community settings.

The information from this study will help researchers understand more about teaching practices and how teachers talk about scientific concepts with young children as well as documenting which teaching strategies are the most effective in engaging children as they learn science. The information from this study will also help researchers understand how children develop scientific thinking and what school, family and community supports will help increase children’s interest and understanding of science.

All of the inquiry lessons and classroom assessments will occur as part of regular classroom instruction. You will have the opportunity to provide consent to use the data from the assessments and video-recording of your child’s classroom activities.

If you choose not to be part of the research, you will still receive the packs as a part of regular lessons, but will not be asked to respond to research surveys and your child’s work will not be submitted as a part of the research.

You are not prevented from participating in the Community Engagement events. You will be provided with separate consent forms at the event, you/your family would be eligible to participate in the research for the duration the events if you agree at that time. If you do not want your family to participate in the research at the event – they will be able to participate fully in the activities.

If you choose to not have your child participate in the research, your child will not be deprived of any instruction provided. They will be kept off camera and their assessment data will not be used in research per your wishes. They will be able to participate in all classroom lessons.

If you have any questions at any time you should contact Dr. Charlene M. Czerniak, College of Engineering, or Chris Wojciechowski, NURTURES Assistant Project Director, 419-530-1635.

Note: The full text of the consent form is available at the end of this eMail. It is also available at the following URL where you may sign the form:

https://toledouw.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eOHADKK2UWyawoS

Sincerely,

[INSERT YOUR SIGNATURE]

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Consent Form Text

CHILD RESEARCH SUBJECT – CHILD ASSESSMENT PARENTAL CONSENT FORM

Nurturing STEM in Early Childhood for Military-Connected Families (NURTURES)

Key Information:

• Please address all points with participating minors in terms they can understand, and make clear to them that they will be able to cease participation at any time.
• Your child’s teacher is participating in a research study.
• The purpose of this study is to better document and understand the relationship between specific teaching practices and children’s understanding.
• This research is funded by a United States Department of Defense education grant.
• This research will take place in your child’s school and will consist of collecting written/drawn documentation of regular classroom activities (such as performing science investigations, engaging in inquiry, exploring Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) topics*, and taking science quizzes or assessments**).
• There is potential minimal risk of loss of confidentiality and slight stress or excitement.
• Researchers may benefit through better understanding of how children engage in learning science.
• Your child’s participation in this research is voluntary.

Principal Investigator:
Dr. Charlene M. Czerniak, Professor of Science Education, 419-530-2094

Purpose: Your child’s teacher is participating in a research project entitled Nurturing STEM in Early Childhood for Military-Connected Families (NURTURES), a study being conducted by the University of Toledo (UT) under the direction of Dr. Charlene M. Czerniak, in partnership with the Department of Defense’s Office of Naval Research (DoD ONR), Washington School Research Associates, and Georgia State University. The source of funding for this research is a United States Department of Defense education grant. The purpose of this study is to better document and understand effective Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) instructional strategies. Additional components to this research include understanding how children demonstrate STEM practices and understanding through exposures to high-quality STEM inquiry at school, home, and in community settings.

Description of Procedures: This research will take place at your child’s school. As part of this research:

• Your child will engage in regular classroom science instruction that his/her teacher provides, but may be asked to further explain his or her understanding of the science concepts so that we can understand how good science teaching helps children learn in all subject areas.
• We may collect samples of your child’s classroom work including written/drawn assignments.
  • Students who do not agree to participate in research will still participate the normal classroom activities, but their work will not be a part of the research.
• Teachers will send home engaging science activities, called Family Packs, to be completed. Packs include experience surveys and activity recording sheets. Surveys will be completed through an online system. Activity recording sheets will be returned to the classroom teacher. The surveys and sheets will be used for research purposes to study student learning at home.
  • Students who do not agree to participate in research will still receive family science packs and the opportunity to engage in the activities, but their responses will not be a part of the research.
• Your child’s classroom teacher or NURTURES staff will engage your child in science activities during the school day in the course of regular classroom instruction (such as scientific investigations, engaging in inquiry, and exploring STEM topics). They will also take no more than 5 quizzes or assessments during the entire school year to measure learning. Duration of science quiz or assessments do not to exceed four hours total over the entire school year. Students who choose to not participate in science quiz or assessments will be provided with the opportunity to engage in other academic pursuits such as: remediation, completion of coursework, lesson extensions, etc.

Video Recording of Science Activities: Some science lessons or activities may be video recorded. These activities are part of the teacher’s regular classroom instruction, so your child’s image may be caught in the video-recording as he or she interacts with the teacher, but your child is not the focus of the research. If you are uncomfortable with your child being recorded, your child will be placed in a part of the classroom that will not be recorded.

Potential Risks: There are minimal risks to participation in this study, including loss of confidentiality. It is unlikely, but your child may feel excited, stressed, or uncomfortable during quizzes/assessments or the video-recording or activities. If this occurs, he or she will not be expected to continue. ID numbers will be used in order to keep students’ names confidential. Identifying data will not be recombined, used or released for the purpose of this or future research.

Potential Benefits: The information from this study has an educational benefit by helping teachers learn how to include more science instruction in early grade classrooms and helping researchers understand more about how teachers behave and talk about scientific concepts with young children as well as documenting which teaching strategies are the most effective in engaging children as they learn science. The information from this study will also help researchers understand how children develop scientific thinking and what school, family and community supports will help increase children’s interest and understanding of science.

Confidentiality: Your consent forms with signatures will be kept separate from the classroom quizzes/assessments and video-recordings. Your child’s name or school name will not be used or released. Information will be coded with a number and the number (not your child’s name) will be used to record the data. Personnel from the United States Department of Defense may have access to identifiable research records. NURTURES will not maintain an identifier that connects results to your child. As a result of this research, outcomes will not be available to be reviewed for individual students.

Signed consent forms will be kept on a password protected computer, with access limited to the researchers, they are required by policy to be kept for at least three years after the project has been closed. Data will also be kept on a password protected computer, with access limited to the researchers and contracted data analysts. Signed consent forms with signatures will be kept separate from the data collected.

With your permission, the information that is collected from your child’s participation in this research may be used in future research studies, but only after your child’s identifying information has been removed from the information. If you do not grant permission for your child’s data to be de-identified and used for future research purposes, your child will not be eligible to participate in the research described in this document. As a reminder, agreement for your child to participate in this research is voluntary.

Voluntary Participation: Your refusal for your child to participate in this study will involve no penalty or loss of benefits to which you or your child are otherwise entitled and will not affect you or your child’s relationship with UT, partner programs, or your child’s school program. In addition, you may ask for your child to discontinue participation at any time without any penalty or loss of benefits. Your child may also choose to discontinue participation at any time without any penalty.

Contact Information: If you have any questions at any time before, during or after your participation you should contact Dr. Charlene M. Czerniak, College of Engineering, or Chris Wojciechowski, NURTURES Assistant Project Director, 419-530-1635.

If you have any questions beyond those answered by the research team or regarding your rights as a research subject or research-related injuries, the Chairperson of the SBE Institutional Review Board may be contacted through the Human Research Protection Program on the main campus of UT at 419-530-6167.

*  To help you understand the type of activities that might occur as part of regular science instruction, below are a pre-school science example and a grade 2 example:

Pre-School: “Blue Colored Water Races” – This science activity asks children to predict which type of paper will absorb water faster. The children set up an experiment using strips of equal length and blue-tinted water. This activity provides the opportunity for children to pose research questions, make predictions, and evaluate results. Researchers will observe students for behaviors such as: talking about physical changes observed in objects, predicting changes in objects when liquid is added, asking “Why” questions to learn about current/past events, etc.

Grade 2 Example: “A Closer Look at Food” – In this science activity students develop their understanding of the properties of matter by understanding that properties can suit purposes, both in nature and for people. Students will examine common food items (e.g., onions, lemons, flour, ketchup) with a variety of tools (e.g., scissors, spoons, tongs) to determine the appropriate tools and procedures for examining the food and then exploring properties. In the end, students will discuss what purpose the properties they identify might serve in nature and how people might find those properties useful.

** To help you understand the type of quizzes/assessments to measurement learning, we provide two examples below for Pre-School and Grade 2:

Pre-School:

Grade 2 Example:

To access the signature section of the consent form and you must click the following link to the consent form:

https://toledouw.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eOHADKK2UWyawoS

300996-UT Approved

10/28/2021