Since this is a research study, we need both the child participant and a parent or guardian to sign digital forms of consent. Parents should read the form below and approve it. The assent form for children is on the next page. Only after agreeing to both forms will you be able to sign up.
Rob Thompson
University of Washington, Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering
PhD Student
425-263-2826
Steve Tanimoto
University of Washington, Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering
Professor
206-697-4735
We are asking you and your child to be in a research study. The purpose of this consent form is to give you the information you will need to help you decide whether to be in the study or not. Please read the form carefully. You may ask questions about the purpose of the research, what we would ask you to do, the possible risks and benefits, your rights as a volunteer, and anything else about the research or this form that is not clear. When we have answered all your questions, you can decide if you want to be in the study or not. This process is called “informed consent.” We also encourage you to print a copy of this form for your records.
The purpose of this study is to better understand the effect reading difficulties have on children who are learning to program computers. To do this we need to observe children as they learn to program. This includes children who have reading difficulties but also children who do not. We are most interested in studying children age 8-13. Children outside of this age range are allowed to participate, but their data may not be analyzed. We have built a programming environment and a set of beginner programming lessons that we expect to be more suitable to children with reading difficulties than existing environments. This study will help us understand what specific difficulties children with reading difficulties have while learning to program and how we can address those difficulties through better tools.
First, after signing in with your email we will ask you to take a short questionnaire and your child will take a test to give us a sense of any difficulties your child may have with reading. The questionnaire and test should take about 20 minutes to complete. The questionnaire will involve a set of questions asking you about your child’s behavior like “Does your child often daydream?” as well as if your child has been diagnosed with learning disorder before. You can refuse to answer any question that is part of the questionnaire. The test will be a series of simple activities like asking the child to pronounce a word they see on screen, or reading a paragraph of text and then answering multiple-choice questions about it. Regardless of the results of the initial test, after finishing it your child will be able to participate in the programming lessons. Again, your child does not need to have difficulty reading to be able to participate. We will retain your email as a way for you to access the lessons. We may also use it to contact you after the study has concluded about a possible follow-up interview.
The programming lessons are divided up into 2 groups of activities. Each group is expected to take approximately 60 minutes to complete. Activities must be completed in-order but your child can start and stop activities whenever they wish. We will ask you to create an online account that can be used to save your child’s progress through the activities so they can come back to them at a later time. We ask that you, as the parent, let your child do as many of the activities as they can on their own before asking for help. We will record the programs and actions your child takes while progressing through the activities for data analysis. During some lessons we may also ask permission to record video of your child participating in a lesson. At these times we will ask for specific permission to use your computer’s video camera, if you have one at all. You or your child do not have to agree to be video recorded to continue participating in the programming lessons.
Once your child has completed all of the programming activities, they will be given a “diploma” to show their achievement, which you can print out for them. We will also be able to share some information on the strengths your child exhibited as they went through the activities. If they are willing, we also ask that your child complete an exit questionnaire asking about their experience in the study and their opinion of programming after completing it.
If your child has reading difficulties and does not know, this study may make them aware of that fact, which could cause them stress. While the programming activities can be done at their own pace, each activity must be completed to move on to the next, which may cause your child frustration at several points. If your child becomes stuck on an activity and wishes to proceed, the research staff can be contacted at: 
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If your child finishes the programming activities, they will have learned some of the most basic and fundamental concepts of computer programming. This understanding could benefit them greatly later on as they receive more formal education on programming. Programming itself is highly desirable skill among professionals and is becoming useful in nearly all areas of study. To show their accomplishment, we also will have a certificate ready that can be printed out once the lessons are completed.
We will not collect any identifying information about you or your child beyond the email address you use to create an account. Data your child creates while participating in the study will not be shared publicly unless it has been anonymized. University staff sometimes review studies such as this one to make sure they are being done safely and legally. If a review of this study takes place, your records may be examined. The reviewers will protect your privacy. The study records will not be used to put you at legal risk of harm.
If you think you or your child has been harmed from being in this research, contact Rob Thompson at .
Participation in this study is voluntary. You or your child may refuse to participate and you are free to withdraw from this study at any time without penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. To participate in this study you will need a computer that can run a modern web-browser as well as an active internet connection.
This study has been explained to me. I volunteer to take part in this research. I have had a chance to ask questions. If I have questions later about the research, or if I have been harmed by participating in this study, I can contact one of the researchers listed on the first page of this consent form. If I have questions about my rights as a research subject, I can call the Human Subjects Division at (206) 543-0098 or call collect at (206) 221-5940. Clicking “I Agree” at the bottom of the page means that you agree to be in this study. You should print a copy of this form for you to keep as well.