Absolutely!
I am Elizabeth Forehand, a student of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. Completing an Interqualifying Project (IQP), a research project, is a graduation requirement for us. Amir and I chose to research Geocaching motivations under the supervision of Professor, and geocacher, Lindeman. I'm not going to fib here I'm using this from what I posted on Geocaching NSW because they are the same questions.
I would like to point out in addition to the questions asked that we are not recieving any monetary benefit from the research and also no one is paying for the research. As part of our 3-term IQP we are doing all the research during our own time as a semi-unsupervised class. We do of course have the guidance and expertice of Professor Lindeman.
Purpose: The purpose of our study, to expand upon what is listed below, is the motivations of geocachers. Are there any commonalities between geocachers? If so, what are they? (From Informed Consent: The purpose of this study is to understand motivations of Geocaching practices within the community of Geocachers. )
Uses: We are interested in the betterment of geocaching, as there is very little research done in this area. It is possible that certain elements of geocaching may be more rewarding to some players and conversely there may be some elements that are not rewarding. The survey is not intended to be used for marketing purposes.
I do hope you chose to participate in th survey, every response counts! The larger and more diverse sample size the better the results!
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Forehand
Informed Consent Agreement for Participation in a Research Study
Investigators: Robert W. Lindeman, Amirhossein Farvardin, Elizabeth Forehand
Contact Information: Tel: +1-508-831-6712 Email:
geocachingsurvey@wpi.eduThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it <mailto:
geocachingsurvey@wpi.eduThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it >
Introduction: You are being asked to participate in a research study. Before you start, however, you must be fully informed about the purpose of the study, and the procedures to be followed. The following information may help you make a fully informed decision regarding your participation in this study.
Purpose of the study: The purpose of this study is to understand motivations of Geocaching practices within the community of Geocachers.
Participation: Your participation in this research is voluntary. You may decide to stop participating in the research at any time. Data obtained in this experiment will become the property of the investigators and WPI. If you withdraw from the study, data already collected from you will remain in the study. All participants must be 18 years of age or older.
Record keeping and confidentiality: All responses will remain anonymous. If you choose to provide your geocaching.com<geocaching.com/> handle and/or email address, this information will not be distributed to outside sources or published in any findings or reports. Other data may be used in research reports and scientific publications. Only those involved in the study, including the study investigators and the WPI IRB, will have full access to the information you provide.