Title of Project: Supporting Employment Counsellors in Rural and northern Regions

Researcher: Louise Nichol
Phone: (xxx) xxx-xxxx – day
(xxx) xxx-xxxx – evenings
Address: xxxxxxxxxxx
Toll free: 1-(xxx) xxx-xxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
e-mail: xxxxx.xxx@xxxx.xx

Sincerely,

Louise Nichol

Master of Arts in Leadership and Training (MALT) 2005-2

xxxx@xxxx.xx

There are three steps to the data collection process in this study. There will be a one hour phone interview followed by two focus groups. Participants will be asked to talk about: What supports do you need as an Employment Counsellor, to enhance your effectiveness?

Following the interview, you are invited to participate in a series of two focus groups. The purpose of the focus groups is to provide an opportunity for you to expand upon, hear from others, and collectively share further insights. The focus group also provides an opportunity for the researcher to validate the themes that were identified and ensure all views and contributions are included. Should you wish to protect your anonymity, you may choose to not participate in the focus groups.

The interview (and focus groups) will be audio-recorded. You will be sent a copy of the direct quotations from your interview, which are intended to be included in the final report document, so you may check the accuracy of the information you have provided, and/or suggest a modification/s if your intent was not captured accurately.

While the Researcher would like to use your name and the name of your organization in the final research report and thesis, if you so choose, you may use a pseudonym and all of the data you provide will be kept strictly confidential. This research project is designed to be a positive experience for participants and their places of employment, and, as such, the sharing of stories and experiences of individuals is to be celebrated. However, the audio recordings will be listened to only by the researcher (and the transcriptionist), and if you should choose to participate anonymously, you will be identified by code only. Following the interview, you will have an opportunity to correct or remove any quotations from the transcript before they may be used in the final document. At the conclusion of this research, the Researcher will send you a summary of the research findings.

In addition, the audiotapes and transcripts for this research will be kept in a secure file cabinet and destroyed two years after the completion of the study. The results from these interviews and subsequent analysis and interpretation of the data will be integrated into the Researcher’s Master’s Thesis. The Institutional Review Board of the Organizational Leadership (MALT) Program at Royal Roads University, School of Leadership and Learning, is responsible and legally liable for the ethical conduct of its Master’s thesis researchers and needs access to all materials pertinent to the evaluation of issues related to research ethics. Therefore, The Institutional Review Board of the MALT Program at Royal Roads University retains access to all materials pertinent to the evaluation of research ethics.

While there is no financial remuneration for participating in this study, as a result of your participation, you may receive other personal benefits. In the focus group you may have an opportunity to share your experiences and knowledge with others. Through the sharing of your stories and the stories of others, you may increase your understanding of your organization and your job.

The risks in this project are considered as minimal. One concern may be the time commitment for the project. The entire data collection process will take place from late September, 2006 to December 1, 2006. Participation requires approximately 3 days’ commitment. A Letter of Invitation has already been extended to your employer. At all times, the Researcher will abide by Participants’ wishes in working respectfully and culturally appropriately within their organizations.

If you have any questions about the study or your involvement in it, now or at any time during the study, please call the Researcher for further information. You may also contact the Researcher’s Faculty Advisor or the Director of the School of Organizational Leadership and Learning, listed below. Your willingness to participate in this thesis project is greatly appreciated.