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8.1 Information letter for parents
Dear Parent or Carer
"How Children Experience Scottish Identity through Classroom Books"
We are conducting a research project on how children from different cultures experience Scottish identity through the classroom books they read. This research is sponsored by the Education Department of the Scottish Executive. Your school has kindly agreed to take part in our project and your child's classroom has been selected to participate. From the classroom we may wish to interview your child about his or her responses to a chosen children's book that everyone is reading with the teacher. This would involve audio-taped discussions or interviews with a teacher- researcher for up to half an hour on three occasions (your child's teacher will be consulted as to the best time for this, so that schoolwork will not be affected).
We can assure you that involvement in the project is voluntary and that you are free to withdraw consent at any time and to withdraw any data previously supplied. In other words, if you decide at any time during this project that you do not want your child to continue participating, you may do so and we will not use any parts of the interviews we've had with your child.
We will take all the necessary steps to protect the confidentiality of children and families. Eventually, parts of the interview may be included in a research report or in a scholarly article for an academic journal. Your child's identity will be protected as we will use different names that have no connection with the children's real names or the school name.
If you have any concerns about the conduct of this research project, you can contact Dr --Ethics Officer, Faculty of Education, University of Glasgow, G3 6NH.
We do hope that you will give your permission for your child to take part in the research. It will help us understand how books can help children develop within the culture in which they live. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us or with your child's class teacher if you have any queries.
Kind regards
Dr Evelyn Arizpe, Associate Researcher in Children's Literature
Prof Jim McGonigal, Professor of English in Education
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