An Invitation to Participate in Voluntary  Research

My name is Dianna Terrell and I am a doctoral candidate at Boston College. I am conducting an anonymous survey on history and social studies teachers’ opinions about the 10th/11th grade MCAS test in US History, and teachers’ beliefs about the purpose of history and social studies. Many people make unfounded assumptions about teachers’ beliefs about the purpose and practice of history and social studies and how those beliefs translate into pupil’s test scores on high stakes tests. However, little actual research has been done to explore that relationship. Would you be interested in voicing your opinion about the MCAS and the purpose of history and social studies? To participate, you must be 18 years or older. The survey is voluntary and may be discontinued at any time. Withdrawal from participation will not result in denial of entitled benefits.

Aggregate findings from the study will be shared with my dissertation committee and with state officials who are preparing to do the final pilot of the MCAS US History test before it becomes a high-stakes test next year. The results will be reported for the group of respondents as a whole. I assure you that individual answers to survey questions will be kept confidential. If you are interested in seeing the results of this survey, please indicate your interest by providing your email address on the final page of the survey.

As a former history and social studies teacher, I can recall the many things on the faculty’s agenda. I sincerely hope you find interest in this study and can allocate time to lend your voice to this research. The survey will take approximately 10 minutes. Please answer the questions to your comfort level. Since your answers are to remain anonymous, PLEASE DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ON THIS SURVEY.

Participants who return completed surveys on or before March 1st will be entered into a raffle to win one of three $20 dollar gift cards to Barnes and Noble Bookstores.  If you have any questions about the authenticity of this study or my credentials, please contact my dissertation chair, Dr. Marilyn Cochran-Smith at Marilyn.Cochran-Smith.1@bc.edu or via her website.

Sincerely,

Dianna Terrell