Dear Participant
You are invited to participate in a research project with LIFT UP VIKES!. Before you agree to take part in this research project you must please read this information sheet as it contains important information to help you decide whether or not it is in your best interest to participate in this project. You are encouraged to ask as many questions as you need in order to be sure that you inderstand the study procedures, including possible risks and benefits. If you have any questions that are not properly explained or answered in this information leaflet, please feel free to ask someone from the LIFT UP VIKES! staff to give you more information.
The research subject is the student body of CSU (approx. 17,000 students), who were chosen and invited to participate in the research (Q1).
The study is being conducted by the Lift Up Vikes, a brainchild of the Cleveland State University (CSU) student community and faculty. Lift Up Vikes! is a Student Resource Center & Food Pantry that caters to Cleveland University via a convenient, dignified and compassionate process (Q2).
The purpose of the study is to analyze the ability of the needy college students to continue with their education when their needs for food and healthy life are met. The study involves statistical findings on the extent of their performance and improvement of their health and academics in comparison to those who do not receive the food pantry services. The study strives to find out the causal relationship between food security of the needy college students and their academic performance (Q3).
The study will take place in Cleveland State University (CSU). As the study might take time to accomplish and examine the changes in the variables, the students’ conditions may rapidly change due to other factors in their respective academic fields. This alters the internal validity of the study due to changes in the initial scores of the needy students under study (Q4).
Of the research subject it is required to accept the services provided by the Lift Up Vikes! (Q5).
When the food insecurity and academic performance are correlated, there may be instances where poor performance undermine the needy students’ attitudes about education thus may opt to discontinue their learning in the institution. This brings the possibility of either variable being the cause or effect to the participants. Conclusions about the causal relationship between the variables can be difficult to determine because there may be other varied variables such as attitudes of students, incomes, and social lifestyles, which affect all the needy students whether they access the food pantry services or not (Q6).
Possible benefits of particiation is that it helps to establish the reasons as to why the needy students will most likely have better academic performance if provided with the food pantry services, and also provide the basis upon which variations between them and those who do not use the services. Also, the benefit is that chances of gaining internal validity due to a systematic selection of the needy students as participants for the study are higher and the research examines all the confounding variables that may exist in the causal relationship under study (Q7).
Alternatives associated with non-participation are to do your best and pray to God (Q8).
Participation is costenloss (Q9).
Payment or incentives for taking part in the study are Viking Food Pantry, Laundry Facilities, Lockers, Workshops, and Connections to outside service providers (food & clothing assistance) (Q10).
Stopping or ending participation is available anytime if needed. However, stopping or ending participation may be applied if the subject graduates or is being made to stop his/her education for any reason (Q11).
Medical intervention is not provided in this research. However, if there is a need of medical attention, the subject is highly recommended to visit a doctor (Q12).
Questions about the project may be answered by the Lift Up Vikes! Student Resource Center & Food Pantry and Cleveland State University (CSU) (Q13).
Three most salient ethical issues pertaining to this research are (1) beneficence (doing good), (2) non‐maleficence (preventing or mitigating harm) and (3) privacy of personal information. Beneficence is meant to do good to needy students and is addressed to provide the needy students with goods, they can not afford. Non‐maleficence is meant to prevent or mitigate harm needy students may be subjects to and is addressed to provide needy students with necessary goods. Privacy of personal information means that no third part will ever know any personal information of the subject and is addressed to protect the personal information.
References
Consent Templates (n.d.) Institutional Review Board for Social & Behavioral Sciences.
http://www.virginia.edu/vpr/irb/sbs/forms_consent.html
Kapp, M. B. (2006) Ethical and Legal Issues in Research Involving Human Subjects: Do You
Want a Piece of Me? 59(4): 335–339. doi: 10.1136/jcp.2005.030957 PMCID:
PMC1860367. 5 Apr, 2016. Retrieved from:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1860367/
LIFT UP VIKES! (n.d.) Lift Up Vikes! EVER HAD ONE OF THOSE DAYS WHEN 5 Apr,
2016. Retrieved from: https://www.csuohio.edu/liftupvikes/liftupvikes
Research Design for a Food Pantry (n.d.) Lift Up Vikes! Research Design for Food Pantry
(Power Point Slides)
Program Evaluation (n.d.) Lift Up Vikes! Programm Evaluation (Power Point Slides)
