Thank you for expressing interest in contributing further to my research (University of Tasmania H0018658). These focus groups/interviews are for educators (researcher, teacher, parent, librarian, community leader, creative producer, artist or other creative individual), who completed my survey about publishing books with children as authors, and who expressed interest in contributing further. (Thank you so much!)
Each focus group will take the form of a collaborative creative exchange, including discussion and the creation of a book (a micro-publication). We will spend approximately 2.5 hours (with a break) engaging in story sharing, collage making, and collaborative narrative construction).
Each interview will be an indepth, two way exchange (dyadic) interview with investigator, Victoria Ryle.
Further information:
The basics
What is the purpose of the study?
The aim of this study is to research the pedagogies (motivations for teaching and learning) that educators and others draw on when co-publishing with children in formal and informal education settings.
Why have I been invited to participate?
You have been asked to participate in this study because you have been involved with publishing books with children as authors and we value your expertise and experience in this field as a researcher, teacher, parent, librarian, community leader, creative producer, artist or other creative practitioner.
You may have engaged in research or written about your experience; you may have led a children’s community publishing project as an educator, librarian, artist, or community leader; or you may have co-published books with children as a parent or another role.
Participation in this study is completely voluntary. You are not under any obligation to consent and if you do consent, you can withdraw at any time up to three months after your engagement with us. If you decide not to participate in this study, your decision will not affect your relationship with the University of Tasmania, or the research team Dr Mary Ann Hunter, Professor Elaine Stratford, or Ms Victoria Ryle.
What will I be asked to do?
Phase one, is an online survey. These questions will mostly relate to how and why you have engaged with co-publishing with children. (The survey is now closed.)
The online survey asks you to consider participating in two optional further phases of this study:You may indicate your willingness to participate in phase two, an in-depth two-way exchange (dyadic) interview with Victoria Ryle to share stories of your experience of co-publishing with children and discuss why and how you undertake these practices.
You may indicate your willingness to participate in phase three, a focus group to share perceptions of co-publishing with children through stories, discussion, art making and co-publishing a book together (micro-publishing). If you live within reach of Melbourne, Perth, or Hobart, there may be an opportunity for a face to face workshop, but with travel restrictions phase three may be conducted via Zoom video conferencing technology.
Submitting this survey confirms your consent for the information you have provided to be used in this research. Quotations from this survey will be attributed to you by role (that is, teacher, parent, librarian, researcher) unless you specifically request to be named in the study. Where relevant you will have the opportunity to review these quotations to confirm their accuracy. The quotations may be used, in part or in full, in Victoria Ryle’s thesis, and published in potential future publications. If necessary, you may also be contacted after the survey is submitted to provide any clarification of content.
The small print
Are there any possible benefits from participation in this study?
This project offers opportunities for you to reflect on your experience of working with children as authors, exchange ideas and extend your knowledge. By contributing to this study, you will help to build wider understandings of co-publishing books with young children as authors and strengthen its community of practice.
Are there any possible risks from participation in this study?
There are no foreseeable risks associated with participating in this study.
What if I change my mind during or after the study?
You are free to withdraw from this study within three months of your participation and can do so without providing an explanation. We will try our best to address any requests to withdraw after this time but cannot guarantee that this will be possible due to the analysis and thesis-writing process.
Please note that if you participate in phase three, it may not be possible to withdraw the data you have co-created with others in the workshop as that data is connected to other data. If you participate in an interview, a complete transcript of the data, assisted by a transcription service, will be confidentially emailed to you for verification of your contributions. Once verification has been gained all quotations will be attributed by role—that is, ‘teacher’, ‘librarian’ and so on. It is possible that some data may be identifiable due to the specificity of your role, and you may choose to be anonymous or named in the study.
What will happen to the information when this study is over?
During the active research phase of the project, data will be stored on Victoria Ryle’s personal laptop, her University of Tasmania (UTAS) network account and in her OneDrive account, which are all password protected. In line with UTAS’ data management plan, all electronic data will be stored securely on the UTAS R Drive (University Research Share) in a folder only accessible to the team. When the study is over, all data (PDF copy of survey results, handwritten notes) will be burnt to CD, and the CD(s) archived. The CD(s) and documents containing the data will be shredded after five (5) years from the date of the first publication, with the exception of artworks co-created during the workshops in phase two.
How will the results of the study be published?
This research will inform Victoria Ryle’s thesis in partial requirement for her PhD at the University of Tasmania. It may also be incorporated in articles or as a part of future publications. You will have the opportunity to review quotations prior to publication to confirm their accuracy. You may be identified by name on request in these publications, or identifiable by your role. Please contact Victoria Ryle if you would like to be sent copies of any publications that result from this study.
Any questions?
What if I have questions about this study?
If you have any questions about this study, please feel free to contact the Chief Investigator Dr Mary Ann Hunter, Co-Investigator Professor Elaine Stratford, or Student Investigator Victoria Ryle via the contact details below, or the Tasmanian Social Sciences Human Research Ethics Committee.
Chief investigator: Mary Ann Hunter: maryann.hunter@utas.edu.au
Co-Investigator: Elaine Stratford: elaine.stratford@utas.edu.au
Student investigator: Victoria Ryle: victoria.ryle@utas.edu.au
The Tasmania Social Sciences Human Research Ethics Committee have approved this study. If you have concerns or complaints about the conduct of this study, you can contact the Executive Officer of the HREC (Tasmania) Network on (03) 6226 2975 or email ss.ethics@utas.edu.au. The Executive Officer is the person nominated to receive complaints from research participants. You need to quote H0018658.