Principal Investigator: Sachin Maharaj, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa
Email: sachin.maharaj@uottawa.ca
Purpose of the Study: This is a study by researchers at the University of Ottawa that is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and is being conducted by Dr. Sachin Maharaj, an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, Policy and Program Evaluation. The purpose of this study is to examine teacher perceptions of the implementation of the Toronto District School Board’s student mobile device use policy. This will be done through the use of an online survey that will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. The survey asks teachers about the following: 1) How consistently the policy was implemented in their classroom 2) The level of support they received from parents and school administrators; 3) How consistently the policy was enforced at their school; 4) The academic and social benefits students experienced as a result of the policy. All teachers in the Toronto District School Board will be invited to participate. Participation is entirely voluntary.
Invitation to Participate: I am being asked to complete an online survey that should take approximately 20 minutes and will be completely anonymous. The purpose of this study is to examine teacher perceptions of the implementation of the Toronto District School Board’s student mobile device use policy.
Voluntary Participation: My participation is entirely voluntary, and I may withdraw from the study at any time prior to submitting the survey and/or refuse to answer any questions without suffering any negative consequences. While I may withdraw from the study at any time, please note that once the survey is submitted, the researchers will not be able to withdraw my responses to the survey as they will be unable to retrace individual datasets due to the anonymous nature of the survey.
Benefits: Participants may benefit by being involved in a process that allows them to reflect upon their professional practice and provide feedback about policies they have been tasked with implementing. The study will also add to scholars understanding of the role that that teachers play in policy implementation, which should be of interest to policymakers across Canada and elsewhere. It is intended that the results of this study will be published in academic venues.
Compensation: Participants will have the option of entering an email address for a draw to win one of 20 Amazon gift cards worth $250 each. The draw is open to all research participants who enter an email address in the draw, regardless of whether they decide to withdraw from further participating in the research project. By December 1, 2025, 20 email addresses among those that have been entered will be randomly selected and contacted. To win the prize, the person must correctly answer a skill testing question. If the person cannot be reached within 14 days from the date of the draw, the prize will be awarded to the next email address that is randomly selected. The odds of winning a prize are approximately 1 in 88. We reserve the right to cancel the draw or cancel the awarding of the prize if the integrity of the draw or the research or the confidentiality of participants is compromised. The draw is governed by the applicable laws of Canada.
