Informed Consent
Practical Implications of Instructional Humor on Student Behavior in Library Learning Environments
IRB Tracking # H24267
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR:
Jessica Swaringen, Assistant Professor
Information Studies Department, University Libraries
11935 Abercorn St
Savannah, GA 31429
jswaringen@georgiasouthern.edu
INTRODUCTION:
You are invited to participate in a research study on instructional humor and student behavior in library learning environments. This study is being conducted by Jessica Swaringen, M.A., MLS, at Georgia Southern University on the Statesboro, Armstrong, and Liberty Campuses.
PURPOSE OF STUDY:
This study will investigate the effect that instructional humor, when used in one-shot library instruction sessions, has on student behaviors after the library instruction has ended. The results of this study will help teaching librarians understand how instructional humor is perceived by students, as well as how it affects students' decisions in utilizing library resources after the library instruction session.
VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION & STUDY PROCEDURES:
Your participation in this study is completely voluntary. Refusal to participate in study will not result in any penalty or loss of entitled benefits. If you agree to be in the study, but later change your mind, you may drop out at any time. If you choose to withdraw from the research study, your data will be excluded from the results.
If you agree to participate in this study, you will be asked to complete an online survey about your perception of the librarian instructor’s humor orientation. Humor orientation means a person’s predisposition to successfully enact humorous communication. The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. If you do not wish to answer a question included in the survey, you may skip the question and move on to the next question.
RISKS:
This is a minimal risk research study. That means that the risks of participating are no more likely or serious than those you encounter in everyday activities. It is possible that you might be identifiable based on the information you share. To minimize this risk, you should remember not to mention others by name and when writing of others to describe them in a way that protects their identity. We have taken steps to minimize risk as outlined in a section below.
CONFIDENTIALITY:
We will make every effort to keep information about you confidential. We will store encrypted data on a password-protected Qualtrics account for a minimum of three years. Data collected containing identifiable information will be encrypted and stored separately in a password-protected Georgia Southern University Google Drive.
At the conclusion of this study, papers related to the results of this study may also be submitted for local, regional, and national conferences and/or for peer-reviewed publication. Data will be reported thematically and in aggregate. Any demographic or geographic information or responses including titles or names of persons, institutions, associations, local landmarks, email addresses, URLs, etc. used by the participant in a quotation will be deleted. This de-identified information may be used or distributed for future research without additional consent from you.
Your confidentiality will be kept to the degree permitted by the technology being used. We cannot guarantee against interception of data sent via the internet by third parties. Please note that email communication is neither private nor secure. Though we are taking precautions to protect your privacy, you should be aware that information sent through email could be read by a third party.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
This study has been reviewed and approved by Georgia Southern University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB has determined that this study meets the ethical obligations required by federal law and University policies.
If you have questions or concerns regarding this study, please contact the Principal Investigator Jessica Swaringen, email: jswaringen@georgiasouthern.edu: phone: 912-344-3012
If you have any questions regarding your rights as a research participant, please contact the Office of Research Integrity, email: irb@georgiasouthern.edu; phone: 912-478-5465