You are invited to take part in our research study, carried out by the School of Psychology at the University of Glasgow. The following information explains why the research is being conducted and what it will involve. It is important that you read and understand this before you decide to participate in the study. If you have any questions about the following information or the study in general, please do ask.
What is the purpose of the study? The aim of the study is to investigate the feelings of difference that people experience when using English as their second language. We aim to investigate which factors predict feelings of difference including language proficiency, personality, and biculturalism.
What does my participation involve? Your participation in this study will involve completing a questionnaire with six sections – demographic information, language proficiency, personality inventory, feelings of difference scale, and a biculturalism scale. Some of the questions require to rate how agreeable or disagreeable you are to particular statements, while some questions require you to answer how proficient you are or when you would use English or your first language. Completion of the questionnaire is expected to take around 15 – 20 minutes.
Why have I been chosen and do I have to take part? You have been invited to take part in this study because you fit the population specification of being bilingual with English as your second language, currently living in the UK, and are over the age of 18. You are not required to accept this invitation, participation is not part of any summative assignment and does not count towards the grade of any course/unit, and we are happy to answer any of your questions regarding the study. Contact information of the project lead is provided at the beginning of this Information Form. You are able to withdraw from the study at any point without stating a reason.
Will my taking part in this study be kept confidential? The data that you provide to us during this study will be anonymous. The data gathered will be stored within the university’s secure storage and access will be available only to the researcher and the supervisor. Please note that assurances on confidentiality will be strictly adhered to unless evidence of wrongdoing or potential harm is uncovered. In such cases the University may be obliged to contact relevant statutory bodies/agencies.
What will happen to the results of the research study? The results will be reported in the researcher’s Dissertation report and will also be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Anonymised data and analysis code will be made available to the wider research community.
Who can I contact if I want more information? If you would like further information regarding any aspects of the study, or you would like to request a summary of the group results, please feel free to contact the Researcher – Ram Kumar Pari (2425631P@student.gla.ac.uk) Supervisor – Dr Emily Nordmann (Emily.Nordmann@glasgow.ac.uk)