Participant Information Sheet
Title of the project: Exploring Critical Thinking of Young People: The Case of YouTube
Researcher: Evelyn Keryova
Supervisors: Dr Liam Berriman, Prof Rachel Thomson
University/Department: University of Sussex, School of Education & Social Work
Hello, my name is Evelyn Keryova and I am a PhD student at University of Sussex. I am inviting you to take part in a research study exploring critical thinking of young people who watch YouTube videos, to learn more about your experiences with this social media platform.
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Before you decide to take part, I would like you to understand why the research is being done and how you would be involved. This sheet is an additional source of information to the animated video that I prepared for you https://youtu.be/Mxb-R8qUGP8 which I’d like you to watch before agreeing to participate in this research study.
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What is the study about, and do I have to take part?
If you choose to take part in the study, this will involve completing an online questionnaire (link to Qualtrics survey will be added here) where you will be asked 27 questions about YouTube and social media, for example who your favourite YouTuber is and why. It should take less than 20 minutes to complete the questionnaire, but you can have as much time as you need. Please remember, this is not a test, there are no right or wrong answers.
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It is completely up to you to decide to join the study. If you decide to take part, everything is confidential and anonymous, which means that your name and email address won’t be linked to any of your answers. This also means that no one (other than you and your parent/guardian/carer) will know you took part in this study, unless you decide to tell someone, which is completely fine.
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What if I don’t want to carry on with the study?
You can leave the survey at any time by simply closing the browser and none of your answers will be submitted. If you complete the survey and you hit the submit button, your answers will be officially submitted. If you decide that you don’t want to be part of this research anymore after you submit the survey, I will delete your responses.
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Are there any risks associated with the study?
There are no foreseeable discomforts or dangers to you in this study. The questionnaire is asking you to comment on viewing that is already taking place and it does not require you to watch any YouTube videos in order to complete the survey. In this sense, it does not pose any harm but provides an opportunity for you to contribute with your knowledge. The questions have been carefully selected in order to avoid any triggering of traumatic experiences or asking for such experiences to be recounted.
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What are the possible benefits of taking part?
There are no direct benefits to you personally but taking part will help me to gather essential information and to understand your position within the social media. Together, with your knowledge and experiences, we can develop or improve materials for schools and services for young people.
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How will my information be stored and how long for?
The results of the survey will be used as part of my university research. Findings will be shared in academic journals and conferences. Some of the findings from the research might be used as pilot data for other studies and it might be used to prepare materials for schools and young people communities and organisations.
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Who has reviewed this study?
This study was approved by the Social Sciences and Arts Cross Schools Research Ethics Committee at the University of Sussex. The study was reviewed by the members of the committee and prior to that it was reviewed by my supervisors Dr Liam Berriman and Prof Rachel Thomson.
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Do you have a question?
If you have any questions regarding the participation in this research, you can contact me at