Project Title:
Evaluating the Effect of G.E.T. (Geoscience Experiences for Teachers) in the Field on Teachers’ Conceptions of Geology

Investigators:
PI: Toni A. Ivey, Ph.D., Associate Professor, STLES; Oklahoma State University (OSU).

Purpose:
You are being asked to participate in this research study because you are participating in the G.E.T. (Geoscience Experiences for Teachers) in the Field professional development program for teachers The purpose of this research study is to obtain critical information about the effectiveness of our program and its effects on teacher content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge of the geosciences.

Procedures:
Dr. Ivey will analyze data that you have already completed as a part of your workshop. No additional requirements outside of the workshop will be required of you. However, I am asking your permission to use this data for research purposes.
Risks of Participation:
There are no known risks associated with this project which are greater than those ordinarily encountered in everyday life.
Benefits:
You will gain no direct benefits by participating in this research study. The results of this study will be beneficial to the School of Teaching, Learning and Educational Sciences and the Geosciences Education community in matters of geoscience teacher professional development and geoscience curriculum development.

Confidentiality:
All data collected from the participants will be kept confidential. The participant work will have all names removed and replaced with a code. Once the code is placed on the participant work, the coding sheet will be destroyed, thus there will be no way to identify any particular piece of data with a particular participant. In any reports made from this research study, all participants will be identified with a code or with a pseudonym to maintain confidentiality.

Your responses to questionnaires and demographic information are confidential. The consent form will be collected and stored separately from course work, response to questionnaires, and demographic information. The data will be securely stored in a locked file cabinet in Willard 235. The paper copies will be destroyed once data is entered into a computer system, de-identified, and verified for accuracy. Only the researcher will have access to the information that is stored on a computer disk without any identifying information and it will be destroyed five years from completion of the study.

The OSU Investigation Review Board (IRB) has the authority to inspect consent records and data files to assure compliance with approved procedures.

Compensation:
You will not receive any compensation for participating in the research study.

Voluntary Nature of the Study:
Your participation in the research is voluntary. There is no penalty for refusal to participate, and you are free to withdraw your consent and participation in this project at any time. The alternative is to not participate.

Contacts and Questions:
The Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the protection of human research participants at Oklahoma State University has reviewed and approved this study. If you have any questions about the research study itself, please contact the Principal Investigator at (405) 744-8019, toni.ivey@okstate.edu. If you have questions about your rights as a research volunteer or world simply like to speak with someone other than the research about concerns regarding this study, please contact the IRB at (405) 744-3377 or irb@okstate.edu. All reports or correspondence will be kept confidential