EXPLANATORY STATEMENT 

 

Project: Who takes part and why: Perceptions of University Research

Project number: 20332

 

 

We are interested in how Australians understand University research. If you are an Adult in Australia and have not taken part in university research in the last 10 years, we would appreciate you taking the time to provide us with your perceptions of research through this 15-minute online questionnaire. If you have taken part in university research please CLICK HERE to be taken to alternative version of the questionnaire . This research project is being conducted by the above-listed students under the supervision of Dr. Nicholas Gamble the Faculty of Education at Monash University.

 

Please read this Explanatory Statement in full before deciding whether or not to participate in this research. If you would like further information regarding any aspect of this project, you are encouraged to contact the researchers via the contact details listed above.

 

What does the research involve?

This online study seeks to understand how the Australian public perceives university research. Given recent election results here and overseas in addition to votes such as Brexit where the polls have not accurately reflected community views, we believed there is a need to better understand who does and does not take part in university research. If there is a segment of the population who does not take part in university research then this may impact on the outcome of university research. Therefore our study is looking at how people perceive research and what characteristics might be missing from most university studies.

 

This questionnaire will involve a small number of questions relating to your demographic profile (e.g., age, employment status), your views on universities and their research and some questionnaires on how you view the world more broadly. You are welcome to take a rest break at any stage during the research if you become tired. The questionnaire will take approximately 15 minutes to complete.  There are no consequences for leaving question items blank if you prefer.

 

Consenting to participate in the project and withdrawing from the research

If you would like to take part in this study you will need to provide consent on the following page of this website (please click on the next button below).  Participants have the right to withdraw from further participation at any stage during the questionnaire. However, because participation is anonymous questionnaire data will not be able to be withdrawn once responses have been provided.

 

Possible benefits and risks to participants

There is no direct benefit to you for undertaking this research. It is hoped that through this research we will develop a better understanding of how university research is perceived. With the information gained from this research, we aim to help university research better understand who does and does not take part in their research and what this means for the findings.

 

You will also have the option of entering into a draw to win one of two $200 gift cards.

 

In the unlikely event that you experience discomfort following participation in the survey, or if you have concerns regarding your own well-being generally, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or www.lifeline.org.au/

  

Confidentiality

The following survey is anonymous. General demographic information will be requested however it is unlikely that this would be sufficient to reveal an individual’s identity to the researchers. The data will be collected through the Qualtrics website. This site is the Faculty’s preferred data collection tool which collects and stores data securely (Security statement can be seen here: https://www.qualtrics.com/security-statement/). The completed questionnaire will be stored securely on Monash University servers which comply with the university’s guidelines on privacy.  Data access will be password protected and restricted to those on the research team.  

 

Results

Findings of this study may be submitted for publication in professional publications, academic journals or conferences. Given the anonymous nature of the data, individual participants will not be identifiable in such publications.

 

Complaints

Should you have any concerns or complaints about the conduct of the project, you are welcome to contact the Executive Officer, Monash University Human Research Ethics (MUHREC):

 

Executive Officer Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (MUHREC) Room 111, Chancellery Building E, 24 Sports Walk, Clayton Campus Research Office Monash University VIC 3800 Tel: +61 3 9905 2052         Email: muhrec@monash.edu        Fax: +61 3 9905 3831

Thank you,
 

Dr. Nicholas Gamble