Global Leaders research project

The Global Leaders research project is open to all domestic and international students who have studied overseas or in their home countries. The research project examines global learning environments and students’ experiences making the transition to studying both within and outside of Australia. As part of this research participants will be asked a range of questions with the aim of gaining further insights into experiences studying in diverse international learning environments and asked to reflect on their own experiences.

To be part of the research project or for further enquiries about the research please email Megan Mcintosh.

Download the information below as a plain language statement pdf (185kb pdf)

Project title

Going global: Reflections on a pre-departure peer support model and international learning environments

Introduction

Thank you for your interest in participating in this research project. The following few pages will provide you with further information about the project, so that you can decide if you would like to take part in this research.

Please take the time to read this information carefully. You may ask questions about anything you don’t understand or want to know more about.

Your participation is voluntary. If you don’t wish to take part, you don’t have to. If you begin participating, you can also stop at any time.

What is this research about?

This research contains both a program evaluation of the Unimelb Global Leaders program as well as a research project aimed at collecting data on Australian and international students’ experiences studying in global learning environments. The program evaluation component of this project includes the completion of a survey which aims to understand how international and domestic students describe their experiences giving and receiving peer support prior to study abroad in the Unimelb Global Leaders Program.

The information collected from interviews and focus groups will ask you to reflect on experiences studying internationally to provide insights into diverse learning environments and contribute to greater understanding of how students transition to and navigate international and Australian learning environments.

What will I be asked to do?

Should you agree to participate you can do so by taking part in a one-on-one interview with the researcher, a focus group and/or completing a survey. The questions included in the survey are meant to gauge your perceptions of the UniMelb Global Leaders Program and the survey will take 15-20 minutes. The interview and focus group questions aim to gain further insights into your experiences studying in diverse international learning environments. The interview will last roughly one hour and the focus group will be one to one and a half hours. The provision of multiple avenues of participation are aimed to provide you with options for participation and you may choose to participate in all or none of these activities.

What are the possible benefits?

This study will contribute to knowledge related to student preparation for study abroad through examining your experiences in the Unimelb Global Leaders Program. It will also provide information to improve the program for both leaders and mentee students in the future. Your reflections on international learning environments will also contribute to a project website that shares information on diverse international learning environments to generate more informed perspectives on the environments students are going to and coming from at the University of Melbourne.

What are the possible risks?

The risks associated with this research are minimal. You will be asked to reflect on your participation in the Unimelb Global Leaders Program and on your time studying outside of Australia. Most of the questions will be related to your experience studying outside of Australia. Should you feel uncomfortable sharing experiences you may choose not to answer and may cease participation at any time if you feel uncomfortable. All information you share is strictly confidential, will not be attributed to you, is not subject to evaluation and will not affect your position or access to services at the university at any time.

For those participating in focus groups, although every effort will be made to ensure strict confidentiality, but please be advised that the nature of focus groups prevents the researchers from guaranteeing confidentiality. The researcher will remind participants to respect the privacy of fellow participants and not repeat what is said in the focus group to others. Participants concerned about confidentiality of focus groups may choose to participate in a one-on-one interview or survey to mitigate this risk.

Do I have to take part?

No. Participation in an interview, focus group or survey is completely voluntary, and you may withdraw at any time for any reason without negative consequences. The researcher will destroy any unanalysed data from you if you decline to participate in this study.

Will I hear about the results of this project?

The researcher will disseminate the results of the research through journal articles, conference presentations, and professional associations. Moreover, the goal is for this research to contribute to pre departure resources for University of Melbourne students and staff working related to global learning through a project website. You can request to review transcripts of your data as well as view the project website once it is developed.

What will happen to information about me?

All your responses will be treated as confidential and never associated with your name. Only the researcher will have access to the data collected, and it will be stored in a secure password laptop. Data regarding all participating individuals will be kept confidential through the use of pseudonyms in transcribing, analysing and presenting the data. Data will be securely stored for 6 years for future analysis.

Where can I get further information?

If you would like more information about the project, please contact the researcher; email Megan McIntosh, or phone +61 3 8344 7650.

Who can I contact if I have any concerns about the project?

This research project has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the University of Melbourne. If you have any concerns or complaints about the conduct of this research project, which you do not wish to discuss with the research team, you should contact:

Manager, Human Research Ethics,
Research Ethics and Integrity,
University of Melbourne, VIC 3010
Phone: +61 3 8344 2073
Email: HumanEthics-complaints@unimelb.edu.au

All complaints will be treated confidentially. In any correspondence please provide the name of the research team or the name or ethics ID number of the research project:

Ethics ID Number: 1954679.1