Project Title:  What is the most effective strategy to teach children words in a second language?

Investigators:  Axel Cuellar, Researcher. Cass Foursha-Stevenson, Primary Investigator

Contact Information:  csfrawork@gmail.com 
cfourshastevenson@mtroyal.ca (403-440-8829)

You are being invited to participate in a research project, as described above and in this consent form.  Please note this consent form serves to provide an overview of what the research in question is about and what your participation would entail; it is only one part of the consent process. Read this consent form carefully. If you have any questions, please ask for help. You will receive a copy of this form.

Summary of the Study:

The purpose of the study is to understand what strategies help 3-5 year old children learn a second language most effectively and the influences on word learning.  First you will fill out a survey about your child’s language experience.  Your child will then be asked to participate. Your child will hear Spanish words and sentences that contain Spanish words. Your child will be randomly assigned to one of the three conditions. The conditions of the current study are translating the Spanish word into English (ie. “Muñeca” means doll), the Spanish word in an English sentence (ie.“Her favourite muñeca is Barbie), and pairing the Spanish word with the object (ie. a picture of a doll). After learning 12 Spanish words, your child will also be tested on two different tests. The picture subtest will ask your child to point out the object to the Spanish word. The vocabulary subtest will ask your child “what is ____?” and/or “what does ____ mean?”. Your child’s participation will be video recorded to verify accuracy.


Participant's Involvement/What would my involvement entail?

If you choose to participate, you will be asked to complete an information sheet and brief survey that will take a few minutes. This will include your child's name and date of birth, your contact information, and background information regarding language, impairments, income, education, and employment. This information will be asked to examine differences between bilinguals and monolinguals and how other characteristics may be related to those differences. You or another guardian will be present during the study. As described above, your child will be asked to answer various questions about language. The study will either take place at your home, your child’s school or daycare, the Centre for Psychological Innovation at Mount Royal University (if you choose to participate at MRU, you will have to pay for short term parking), or online over Google Meets according with your preference and local health guidelines. A guardian will be present with the child and two research assistants will present the study over Google Meets. The study presentation will be the same, it will just take place online. The study will take 30 minutes and children generally enjoy participating in these types of studies,  but there is no other compensation for the study. A video of your child’s participation will be collected to verify the accuracy of responses.

Collection of Personal Information/What sort of personal information would be collected and how?

If you decide to have your child participate, your child’s identity as a participant in this study and any other personal information (e.g. contact information) gathered during the study will be kept strictly confidential and will never be made public. All data and videos will be stored on a password protected computer or a hard-drive stored in a locked office (supervisor’s office).  Only individuals involved with the study will have access to this information.  The videos will only be used for data analysis and will not be shared with the public. All data and videos will be downloaded and stored on a password protected computer or a hard-drive stored in a locked office. Only individuals involved with the study will have access to this information. permission. Each child will be assigned a participant number and the published results of the study will contain only statistical or group data from which no individual participant can be identified. Data sets may be published as required by many research journals, but individual data will be coded anonymously so your child cannot be identified.

However, your information will be collected using Google software when the study is conducted online (Mountain View, CA, USA). The information you submit may thus be subject to laws in force outside of Canada. As with any information transmitted via the internet, there is some risk that data may be accessed by unauthorized parties and, therefore, privacy cannot be absolutely guaranteed.


Study Risks or Benefits for Participants/What are the risks or benefits involved in my participation?

This study poses no risks to your child.  In most cases, children enjoy participating and parents show an interest in research on language development.


Voluntary Participation and Withdrawal of Consent:

You are under no obligation to participate in this research study. You are free to withdraw at any time until the data has been coded anonymously without prejudice to pre-existing entitlements. Deadline to withdraw is the following day after participation. After this point data will be anonymous. You will not suffer any disadvantage or reprisal for withdrawing.  If you child becomes restless, agitated, or expresses that he or she does not want to participate for any reason or if you or another parent or guardian request, the study will be discontinued immediately with no penalty.

If you would like to withdraw the data after the study has occurred, prior to anonymous coding, you can contact the Principal Investigator, Cass Foursha-Stevenson (contact information can be found below).
You will be given, in a timely manner throughout the course of the research project, information that is relevant to your decision to continue or withdraw from participation.

What will happen to the results of this research project?

The goal of this research is to present the group findings at conferences in the discipline and prepare the findings for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Who should I contact if I have concerns regarding ethical issues related to this research project?

If you have any questions concerning your rights as a possible participant in this research, please contact the Research Ethics Officer, at Mount Royal University, 403-440-8470, hreb@mtroyal.ca.

Signature (written consent):

Your signature on this form indicates that you:
-Are voluntarily consenting to participate in this research project,
understand to your satisfaction the information regarding your participation in the research project and your agreement to participate

-Have not yet commenced participation in the research project – your participation will only begin once you have provided your consent, and

-Have been given adequate time and opportunity to:
consider the information provided, pose any questions you may have, and  discuss and consider whether you will participate.

If you have further questions concerning matters related to this research, please contact: Cass Foursha-Stevenson, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, 403-440-8829, cfourshastevenson@mtroyal.ca.


The Human Research Ethics Board of Mount Royal University has approved this research study.

A copy of this consent form has been provided to you for your records and references.