International Students’ Barriers and Campus Counseling Services

Informed Consent for Participants

 

 

Investigator: Elmira Hamidi

Faculty advisor: Dr. Adrienne Holz Ivory

 

 

I. Purpose of this Research

The study is designed to examine Virginia Tech international students’ barriers while pursuing higher education in the US. You are among nearly 200 undergraduate and graduate students at Virginia Tech who are participating in this study.

 

II. Procedures

After completing this form, you will respond to some general questions regarding your gender, age, educational level, country of origin, family background, and your English proficiency. You will then complete some scales asking about your perception about counseling services, stigmatization, and acculturation. Following that, you will answer some questions regarding the obstacles you have already experienced as an international students and will rank the help sources you would consider for dealing with your issues. Only students who (1) are 18 or older, (2) left their country of origin and moved to the United Sates to study, (3) have not grown up in the US (4) do not have an American heritage, and (5) whom English is their second language can participate in the study. The time spent answering all questions will range between 30 and 40 minutes. You have the option of leaving the study at any point if you wish.

 

III. Risks

The study might cause the possibility of recalling discomforting memories of studying and living abroad that participants experienced before. Discomfort or risk, if any, will be minimal.

 

IV. Benefits

This study may raise awareness about foreign students` difficulties, and improve the participants’ knowledge regarding their campus counseling services. The research might persuade participants to consider utilization of counseling services in order to handle their issues.

 

V. Extent of Anonymity and Confidentiality

Your privacy will be protected throughout this process and all the information you submit will be kept confidential.  It is possible that the Institutional Review Board (IRB) may view this study’s collected data for auditing purposes.  The IRB is responsible for the oversight of the protection of human participants involved in research.

 

According to Virginia Tech Institutional Review Board for Human Participants, maintaining confidentiality of information collected from research participants means that only the investigator(s) or individuals of the research team can identify the responses of individual subjects; however, the researchers must make every effort to prevent anyone outside of the project from connecting individual subjects with their responses.

 

 

In addition, your responses will be completely anonymous; your name and contact information will not appear anywhere on the survey. Furthermore, at no time will the researchers release identifiable results of the study to anyone other than individuals working on the project without your written consent.

 

According to Virginia Tech Institutional Review Board for Human Participants, providing anonymity of information collected from research participants means that either the project does not collect identifying information of individual subjects (e.g., name, address, Email address, etc.), or the project cannot link individual responses with participants’ identities.

 

VI. Compensation

Participants will not receive compensation for participating in the study.

 

VII. Freedom to Withdraw

You are free to withdraw from a study at any time without penalty. You are free not to answer any questions without penalty.

 

VIII. Participant's Responsibilities

 

I voluntarily agree to participate in this study. 

 

Should I have any pertinent questions about this research or its conduct, and research subjects' rights, and whom to contact in the event of a research-related injury to the subject, I may contact Elmira Hamidi at elmirah@vt.edu.

 

 

Adrienne Holz Ivory, Ph.D.                                       540-231-1671/ aivory@vt.edu

Assistant Professor                                                     Telephone/e-mail

Department of Communication

140 Shanks Hall (0311)

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA 24061

 

 

David M. Moore                                                         540-231-4991/moored@vt.edu

Chair, Virginia Tech Institutional Review                  Telephone/e-mail

 

Board for the Protection of Human Subjects

 

 

 

 

I have read the Consent Form and conditions of this project. I have had all my questions answered. I hereby acknowledge the above and give my voluntary consent.