Thesis Title: Assistive Technology Implementation in the Mainstream Classroom to Support Children with Learning Difficulties
Dear Parents,
I, Alexandra Corr, am currently undertaking a Master’s Degree in Educational Lead-ership in Tampere University of Applied Sciences. This Master’s Degree Programme is a unique collaborative distance-learning programme. Before the COVID-19 out-break, I had the opportunity to visit my university on a couple of occasions to observe the teaching and learning in Finnish primary schools. These visits, alongside numer-ous course modules over the past two years have encouraged me to question current and new practices in teaching and learning in special education. For my thesis, I will be carrying out an action research project in the school, which will explore if, and how the use of Assistive Technology can be implemented into the mainstream class-room to support students with their learning. Assistive Technology is a term used for an assistive device for people with learning difficulties. In this case, the assistive technology is an iPad.
The purpose of this form is to provide you (as the parent of a prospective research study participant) information that may affect your decision as to whether or not to let your child participate in this research study. I will describe the study to you and answer all your questions. Read the information below and ask any questions you might have before deciding whether or not to give your permission for your child to take part. If you decide to let your child be involved in this study, this form and your consent through email will be used to record your permission.
Purpose of the Study
If you agree, you will be asked to participate in a research study, which will explore assistive technology implementation for children who have literacy difficulties in a mainstream classroom. The purpose of this study is to find out how assistive technology can be implemented in the mainstream classroom
for students with literacy difficulties. The study will question the effectiveness, as well as the logistics of the implementation of this type of assistive technol-ogy into a mainstream classroom, and the role of the school, teacher and stu-dent.
What is my child going to be asked to do?
If you allow your child to participate in this study, they will be asked to take part in iPad training and will use the following features and applications in the classroom:
iPad accessibility features
iPad ‘Notes’
Natural Reader
TTRS (Touch, Type, Read & Spell).
Your child will use the iPad in the classroom in the first term of the school year 2021. In using the above iPad features and applications, your child will have the opportunity to use the following:
Text-to-speech
Speech-to-text
Word prediction
Typing skills practice
Your child will also be asked to answer an anonymous survey about the AT im-plementation at the end of the trial.
The class teachers have been trained in; in case your child has any issues or questions with the assistive technology. I will be available to support both stu-dents and teachers during the assistive technology implementation trial.
In order to create the training for the students and teachers, I completed two courses on Assistive Technology in the summer; one with Enable Ireland and the other with UrAbility, in addition to trialing and testing various features and applications.
The action research will take place from September to November 2021. There will be nine other students taking part in this study; two students from each class level.
By the end of this research, the class teachers will have had the opportunity to observe these students in the classroom without and with the assistive tech-nology.
The class teachers will be interviewed at the end of the trial about their obser-vations of the use of the assistive technology in the mainstream classroom.
I will be writing up assistive technology recommendations for the school from my findings, and will share these with all parents.
What are the risks involved in this study?
NOTE: If risks are minimal include the statement: There are no foreseea-ble risks to participating in this study.
What are the possible benefits of this study?
The possible benefits of participation are:
Training in the iPad accessibility features and applications stated above.
Developing ICT (Information Communication Technology) skills.
Use of the iPad as a tool and resource in the classroom to access the curriculum.
Becoming a more independent learner.
Does my child have to participate?
No, your child’s participation in this study is voluntary. Your child may decline to participate or to withdraw from participation at any time.
This research study will take place during regular classroom activities.
How will your child’s privacy and confidentiality be protected if she partic-ipates in this research study?
Your child’s privacy and the confidentiality of his/her data will be protected as the data will contain no identifying information that could associate it with your child, or with your child’s participation in the study.
Whom to contact with questions about the study?
Prior, during or after your participation you can contact the researcher Alexandra Corr by sending an email to XXX for any questions. This study has been reviewed and approved by Tampere University of Applied Sciences.
Please read this document carefully and send me an email in response if you agree to allow your child take part in this research. Please state the following in the email:
‘I, full name have read the consent form and give my child, name permission to take part in the research study conducted by Alexandra Corr.
Signature: name or initials’
Your privacy and your child’s privacy again will be protected and no identifying data from your response email will be shared.
Response email stating your permission to allow your child to participate in the study
You are making a decision about allowing your child to participate in this study. Your below indicates that you have read the information provided above and have decided to allow them to participate in the study. If you later decide that you wish to withdraw your permission for your child to participate in the study you may discontinue her participation at any time.