We invite you to participate in a research study being conducted by investigators from The University of Iowa.
The purpose of the study is to collect survey information on the professional preparation of speech-language pathologists in the area of aural rehabilitation for children (i.e., birth to 18 years). Studies like this one are important in providing insight into current professional preparation to best serve the deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) patient population.
If you agree to participate, the project will involve completing an online electronic survey that may take 10-15 minutes to complete. The survey will include questions that focus on demographic characteristics, region, professional preparation, and comfort levels of performing tasks in aural rehabilitation. Open-ended questions are provided to allow you to expand on your responses or to add comments. You are free to skip any questions that you prefer not to answer.
You will not receive any direct benefits from participating in this study. Findings from the proposed study might benefit speech-language pathologists in the future by adding to the existing literature on understanding professional preparation for speech-language pathologists in aural rehabilitation. Participants may choose to submit an email address to be entered into a drawing for one of twenty $15 gift cards to Amazon. Submission of an email address is not required if the participant does not wish to be entered in the raffle.
Information obtained during this study which could identify you will be kept strictly confidential. The summarized findings with no identifying information may be published in an academic journal or presented at a scholarly conference. Your confidentiality will be maintained to the degree permitted by the technology used. Specifically, no guarantees can be made regarding the interception of data sent via the Internet by any third parties.
Taking part in this research study is completely voluntary. If you do not wish to participate in this study, you are free to withdraw from participation at any time or to choose not to participate at all, and by doing so, you will not be penalized or lose benefits to which you are otherwise entitled.
If you have questions about the rights of research subjects, please contact the Human Subjects Office, 105 Hardin Library for the Health Sciences, 600 Newton Rd, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242-1098, (319) 335-6564, or e-mail irb@uiowa.edu.
We encourage you to ask questions. If you have any questions about the research study itself, please contact: Lindsey Carter or Elizabeth Walker at lindsey-carter@uiowa.edu or (319)467-4304 in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Iowa.
Thank you very much for your consideration of this research study.
