Letter of Information

You are asked to participate in a research study conducted by Yixin Qiao from the Department of Education at the University of Windsor.  If you have any questions or concerns about the research, please feel to contact the investigator through qiao115@uwindsor.ca.

TITLE OF STUDY

Chinese Female Students and the STEM Gender Gap:  How Stereotype Threat and Expectancy Value Shape Performance and Engagement  

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

This study seeks to understand the gender gap in STEM enrollment in China so as to identify the reasons for the STEM gap in China and identify ways that it can be addressed.  It will explore how social institutions shape female Chinese students' perceptions of their STEM abilities, and what factors female students consider when deciding whether to enrol in STEM programs.

PROCEDURES

If you volunteer to participate in this study, you will be asked to participate in one individual interview during the fall 2020 semester. We anticipate that each interview/focus group will take approximately 45 minutes.

POTENTIAL RISKS AND DISCOMFORTS

You may feel some discomfort due to the recollection of an unpleasant memory.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS TO PARTICIPANTS AND/OR TO SOCIETY

You will benefit by increasing your awareness about the STEM gender gap in China.

COMPENSATION FOR PARTICIPATION

Each research participant will be eligible to receive a $20 gift card upon completion of the interview.

CONFIDENTIALITY

All identifying data will be collected and the participants will not be anonymous to researchers. Only researchers will be involved in the interviews and analyze participants’ data. All participants will be anonymous in the study results. All records of interviews will be kept on researchers’ personal laptops and will not be shared, and participants have the right to review or edit the record. When this study is completed, the thesis will be published on Scholarship at UWindsor. Participants’ data will be published anonymously.

PARTICIPATION AND WITHDRAWAL

Research participants have the right to withdraw from the research study at any time prior to the data verification/analysis stage.  To withdraw from the study, participants will need to send an email to the research team informing them of the participant’s plan to withdraw from the study, 

Participants who withdraw from the study will have their data removed from the study and deleted from the study database. 

FEEDBACK OF THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY TO THE PARTICIPANTS

Survey findings will be placed online at the conclusion of the study.

Web address: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/research-result-summaries/ 

Date when results are available: January 31, 2021.

SUBSEQUENT USE OF DATA

These data may be used in subsequent studies, in publications, and in presentations.

RIGHTS OF RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS

If you have questions regarding your rights as a research participant, contact:  The Office of Research Ethics, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4; Telephone: 519-253-3000, ext. 3948; e‑mail:  ethics@uwindsor.ca