Recruitment and Consent Materials

Attachment I

Student Cognitive Interview Recruitment Procedures and Materials

Identification of Respondents

Shugoll Research has been actively developing its database of over 100,000 people in the Washington, DC area since the mid-1970’s. The database was developed originally through cold-calling and recruiting from mall-intercept locations and has continued to grow both through cold-calling from directory listings as well as through referrals, word-of-mouth, and social media. The database contains demographic information such as age, gender, and employment/education so that the contact information can be sorted based on the needs of each individual study performed by Shugoll.

Respondents will be recruited by Shugoll Research using its consumer database of individuals in the Washington, DC area who have at one time expressed interest or participated in Shugoll’s research activities.

Shugoll Research may also use a variety of other recruiting methods in order to enhance its consumer database. These methods include networking and referrals; e-blasting from the database and online screening; and a variety of social media outlets that may include Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Sample Twitter Post:

#DC college students. We are looking for participants for a study about your education experiences. Find out more here (appropriate link).

Sample Facebook Post:

Shugoll Research is looking for students for a postsecondary education study.

Sample Recruitment Advertisement

Advertisements will be targeted toward individuals qualified for this particular study, describing briefly the purpose of the cognitive/usability testing and the opportunity for respondents to contribute to the development of a survey. The advertisements will identify the need for college students, the time commitment of the interview, and the compensation amount for participation. Sample advertisement is presented below:

College students needed. Proof required. Call to be screened for qualifications.

Answer a few questions about your education experiences and if you qualify and participate in a follow up interview you will RECEIVE $40 for your time!

Email us or Call: 1-8XX-XXX-XXXX

Your responses will be used to refine survey questions.

On average, these sessions take about 90 minutes.

Attachment II

Student Cognitive Interview Consent to Participate in Research

Title of Research: National Postsecondary Student Aid Study – Cognitive Interviews

Introduction and Purpose

You, along with other students, are being asked to participate in in-depth interviews being carried out by RTI International and Shugoll Research for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of the interviews is to obtain your feedback on some of the questions that will be used in the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study.

Procedures

You are one of approximately 30 students who will take part in the research.

The interviews will be audio and video recorded to make sure we don’t miss anything that you say and to help us write a report summarizing the results of the interviews. Upon completion of the written report, the recordings will be destroyed. Your name will never be used in the report that we write.

Study Duration

Your participation in an interview will take about 1½ hours.

Possible Risks or Discomforts

We do not anticipate that any of the discussion topics will make you uncomfortable or upset. However you may refuse to answer any question or take a break at any time.

Benefits

Your Benefits You will receive $40 to thank you for your participation in this study.

Benefits for Other People We hope that these interviews will help us develop and improve the questionnaires used in this study so that they are clear and can be easily understood and answered.

Confidentiality

Shugoll Research and RTI International are carrying out this research for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education. NCES is authorized to conduct this study under the Education Sciences Reform Act (20 U.S.C., § 9543). Your participation is voluntary. Your responses are protected from disclosure by federal statute (20 U.S.C., § 9573). All responses that relate to or describe identifiable characteristics of individuals may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law.

Future Contacts

We will not contact you in the future as part of this study.

Your Rights

Your decision to take part in this research study is completely voluntary. You can refuse any part of the study and you can stop participating at any time.

Your Questions

If you have any questions about the study, you may call Merrill Shugoll at Shugoll Research (301-656-0310) or Jennifer Wine at RTI International (919-541-6870). If you have any questions about your rights as a study participant, you may call RTI’s Office of Research Protection at 1-866-214-2043 (a toll-free number).

YOU WILL BE GIVEN A COPY OF THIS CONSENT FORM TO KEEP.

Your signature below indicates that you have read the information provided above, have received answers to your questions, and have freely decided to participate in this research. By agreeing to participate in this research, you are not giving up any of your legal rights.

Attachment III

Contacting Materials

NPSAS:16 Focus Groups Confirmation Email

Thank you for your commitment to participate in an online video focus group for the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study.

 We look forward to your participation in the group on [ ].

 The focus group will begin at [ ].

 The focus group will last approximately 90 minutes.

• According to our records, the e-mail address and telephone number at the location where you will be participating in the group are [ ] and [ ]. If this information is incorrect, please contact us as soon as possible at [ ].

• The mailing address where we will send the webcam (if needed) is [ ].

• The topic of the focus group is to get your feedback on ways to improve the procedures and forms that will be used to collect student records for the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) and other similar studies.

 As a token of our appreciation, you will receive by email a $25 gift certificate from Amazon.com soon after the completion of the interview.

Your participation is completely voluntary. Please reply that you have received this e-mail. Our confirmation department will contact you 24-48 hours prior to your group to provide the link and login information for group participation and re-confirm your attendance. If we are unable to re-confirm your attendance 24 hours prior to the time of your group, we reserve the right to cancel your participation and select another participant.

Thank you again,

Shugoll Research

NPSAS:16 Focus Groups Link and Login Email

Thank you for your commitment to participate in an online video focus group for the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study.

This email is being sent to you to re-confirm your participation in an online video focus group for the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study.

 We look forward to your participation in the group on [ ].

 The focus group will begin at [ ].

 The focus group will last approximately 90 minutes.

• The link for group participation is [ ].

• The log in is [ ].

• According to our records, the e-mail address and telephone number at the location where you will be participating in the group are [ ] and [ ]. If this information is incorrect, please contact us as soon as possible at [ ].

Thank you again for your participation,

Shugoll Research

Attachment IV

C onsent Form

Consent to Participate in Research

Title of Research: National Postsecondary Student Aid Study – Focus Groups

Introduction and Purpose

You, along with participants from other institutions, are being asked to participate in a focus group being carried out by RTI International and Shugoll Research for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of the focus group is to bring together various institution staff experienced with the NPSAS student record collection for discussion of terminology, formats, data availability, collection methods, and usability of the application. The results of focus group discussions will be used to improve student records collection instruments for future NPSAS and other NCES studies.

Procedures

You are one of approximately 10 individuals in this focus group who will be asked to discuss factors related to providing data for NPSAS and other NCES student records collections. There will be two additional focus groups of approximately 8 participants each from other types of institutions that will be asked similar questions.

The focus group will be audio recorded to make sure we don’t miss anything that you say and to help us write a report summarizing the results of the group discussions. Upon completion of the written report, the recording will be destroyed. Your name will never be used in the report that we write. Although we will ask participants not to reveal anything about others in the group, we cannot guarantee this.

Study Duration

Your participation in the focus group will take about 1½ hours.

Possible Risks or Discomforts

We do not anticipate that any of the discussion topics will make you uncomfortable or upset. However you may refuse to answer any question or take a break at any time.

Benefits

Your Benefits You will receive a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate, by email, as a token of thanks for your participation in this study.

Benefits for Other People We hope that this focus group will help us develop and improve student records collections for future NCES studies that will aid in understanding students’ college experiences and how they pay for college or trade school.

Confidentiality

Shugoll Research and RTI International are carrying out this research for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education. NCES is authorized to conduct this study under the Education Sciences Reform Act (20 U.S.C., § 9543). Your participation is voluntary. Your responses are protected from disclosure by federal statute (20 U.S.C., § 9573). All responses that relate to or describe identifiable characteristics of individuals may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law.

Future Contacts

We will not contact you in the future as part of this focus group study.

Your Rights

Your decision to take part in this research study is completely voluntary. You can refuse any part of the study and you can stop participating at any time.

Your Questions

If you have any questions about the study, you may call Merrill Shugoll at Shugoll Research (301-656-0310) or Jennifer Wine at RTI International (919-541-6870). If you have any questions about your rights as a study participant, you may call RTI’s Office of Research Protection at 1-866-214-2043 (a toll-free number).

YOU WILL BE GIVEN A COPY OF THIS CONSENT FORM TO KEEP.

Your signature below indicates that you have read the information provided above, have received answers to your questions, and have freely decided to participate in this research. By agreeing to participate in this research, you are not giving up any of your legal rights.

________________ Date _____________________________________ _ Signature of Participant

____________________________________ __

Printed Name of Participant

I certify that the nature and purpose, the potential benefits, and possible risks associated with participating in this research have been explained to the above-named individual.

______________ Date _____________________________________ _ Signature of Person Obtaining Consent

____________________________________ __

Printed Name of Person Obtaining Consent

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