Lutheran Student Community has been invited to particpate in a research study on college religious groups that is underway at DePaul University in Chicago.
Below you will find information about the study, and a link to follow if you would like to participate. Our staff or leadership are not involved with the study, but are sharing the information with you.
INFORMATION ABOUT RESEARCH STUDY ON COLLEGE RELIGIOUS GROUPS
You are being asked to participate in a research study being conducted by Dr. Nathan Todd, Ph.D., at DePaul University. We are asking you because we are trying to learn more about religious student groups, or groups where students meet to participate in religious activities. This study will take about 30 minutes of your time. If you agree to participate, you will be asked to fill out a survey including questions about you, some of your political and religious attitudes and beliefs, and questions about your friends and your religious student group. One question will also ask you to give us your name so that we can identify people who are friends. We will not share your name or any responses with anyone and will keep all of your responses confidential. You can choose not to participate. There will be no negative consequences if you decide not to participate or change your mind later. You need to be 18 years old or older to participate.
HOW TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY
The survey can be completed online at http://nathanrtodd.netfirms.com/studentsrgstudy.html. When asked for your Group Code, please type in 480. This code allows us to know that you are part of the Lutheran Student Community at Penn State. Knowing which group you are a part of will give us a better picture of your group so please make sure to include this information. Your responses will not be made available to your group or anyone besides those on our research team.
POSSIBLE PRIZE FOR PARTICIPATION
To encourage participation and to thank you for your time, if you provide your email at the end of the survey we will enter you into a drawing for an $8 (about 200 will be given away) or $100 (about 5 will be given away) I-Tunes or amazon.com gift card. Entering your email does not guarantee that you will receive a gift card, but we will conduct a random drawing from all the emails at the conclusion of the study and will then notify the winners. Your email will only be used for the purpose of being entered into the random drawing and will not be shared with anyone.
OTHER INFORMATION
Being in this study does not involve any risks other than what you would encounter in daily life. We will keep your responses confidential. You may skip any questions you do not feel comfortable answering. You will not personally benefit from being in this study. However, what we learn will likely help us to better understand groups like yours. When the study is complete, we also will send your group a report of the findings where we combine responses from all people from all groups who participated. Your group will not be identified in this report.
If you have any questions about this study, please contact Nathan Todd, Ph.D., 773-325-7880, ntodd@depaul.edu. If you have questions about your rights as a research subject, you may contact Susan Loess-Perez, DePaul University’s Director of Research Protections at 312-362-7593 or by email at sloesspe@depaul.edu.
Thank You
DePaul Department of Psychology
2219 North Kenmore Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60614-3504
Office: 773.325.7887 FAX: 773.325.7888