Any school may use the questionnaire free of charge with their middle school or high school students (for school years corresponding to students of 13, 15 or 17 years of age). The data collected from all the participating schools will be analyzed globally by researchers from the YourLife project. The results published in the final report will never include any information that could identify the participating schools.
PROCEDURE TO FOLLOW
If your school would like to use this service, they should follow the steps below:
- The contact person should register by filling in the Registration form.
- Once they’ve registered, they will receive an e-mail with the website address that the students will need to use to access the questionnaire.
- The students should be informed about the questionnaire at least ten days before completing it, so they are free to decide if they’d like to participate or not.
- The students from the school year in question will then go to computer room on the specified day and use the computers to enter the website address, which should be provided at that moment.
- First of all, the instructions for completing the questionnaire will appear on the students’ screens, in addition to a notice to advise them that their participation is voluntary and that they may leave the classroom if they wish.
- The teachers should keep their distance from the students while they are completing the questionnaire, to ensure their answers are confidential.
- Once the questionnaires have been completed, the contact person will be able to access the website that we sent them by email to download the course reports.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
The school will need to meet certain requirements in order to complete the online questionnaire:
- A room with computers that have at least 512 MB of RAM.
- A stable internet connection of at least 256 KB/s.
- Internet browsers updated to at least the following versions:
Chrome – Vers. 38 / Firefox – Vers. 38 / Explorer – Vers. 9 / Safari – Vers. 5
QUESTIONNAIRES
We use anonymous questionnaires to identify the opinions, knowledge, and attitudes of students regarding their lifestyles and various aspects related to sexuality and relationships, in addition to the factors that influence them.
These questionnaires will be completed exclusively online.
However, you can see the questions that are included here.
CONSENT PROTOCOLS
We will provide the school with the necessary documentation to inform the students’ parents. We will also offer the school whatever assistance they need in order to carry out their chosen protocol, using circular letter templates.
There are various different ways of proceeding*, depending on the action and communication protocol that each school normally uses with parents. Each school will need to choose the most appropriate system in accordance with their particular circumstances. As researchers, we would generally recommend protocols 1 or 2 because, among other advantages, they are the most straightforward for schools and the most effective way to maximize participation
*Ruiz-Canela M, Lopez-del Burgo C, Carlos S, Calatrava M, Beltramo C, Osorio A, et al. Observational research with adolescents: A framework for the management of the parental permission. BMC Medical Ethics 2013;14:2.
PROCEED WITH NO NEED TO INFORM THE PARENTS - IMPLICIT AUTHORIZATION
It is considered an educational activity that is part of the school curriculum, which parents implicitly authorize by enrolling their children at the school. For example, this would be applicable should students be given a presentation about smoking, alcohol, or drugs.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE ACTIVITY - IMPLICIT AUTHORIZATION
Parents are sent a circular letter, either by post or by email, to inform them that the school intends to participate in the project and that the students will be invited to participate by filling in a questionnaire. The parents will also be given the opportunity to see the structure of the questionnaire, by providing them with a link to follow. It is considered an activity that is part of the school curriculum, which parents implicitly authorize by enrolling their children at the school. For example, this would be applicable when parents are sent a letter to inform them of the textbooks that students will need to attend their classes at school, and that the school has selected without explicit consent from parents.
Request explicit refusal
Parents are sent a circular letter, either by post or by email, to inform them that the school intends to participate in the project and that the students will be invited to participate by filling in a questionnaire. The parents will also be given the opportunity to see the structure of the questionnaire, by providing them with a link to follow. They will be asked to notify the school within a determined period of time if they don’t want their children to complete the questionnaire. Those parents that don’t explicitly refuse will be considered informed and in agreement. This is a common school procedure for activities such as enrolling students for external language exams or scheduled cultural outings.
Request explict authorization
Parents are sent a circular letter, either by post or by email, to inform them that the school intends to participate in the project and that the students will be invited to participate by filling in a questionnaire. The parents will also be given the opportunity to see the structure of the questionnaire, by providing them with a link to follow. Parents will be asked to give their explicit authorization for their children to complete the questionnaire.
This method is commonly used for when primary care services come to a school in order to vaccinate the students, in line with the routine immunization schedule. This option presents the problem of how to respond to those parents who don’t reply to the letter.
This method is commonly used for when primary care services come to a school in order to vaccinate the students, in line with the routine immunization schedule. This option presents the problem of how to respond to those parents who don’t reply to the letter.
INFORMING THE STUDENTS
Participation in the study must be voluntary. The students should be informed about the study at least two days in advance, and they should be advised that by agreeing to fill in the questionnaire, they are giving their informed consent.
The students may decide to not complete the questionnaire. Furthermore, it should be explained that if a student doesn’t feel comfortable answering a particular question, they can just choose “I don’t want to answer”, which is an available option for every question.
IN A FEW DAYS...
In a few days, your school will give you the opportunity to complete anonymous online questionnaire regarding lifestyles (entertainment, mobile phone use, etc.) and personal relationships (opinions about love, romantic relationships, etc.). The data obtained from this questionnaire will be used to better understand young people of your age.
The questionnaire is ANONYMOUS.. You will not need to enter your name, which means that no-one will ever know who completed your answers. Furthermore, your answers will only be seen by the researchers, never by your parents, your teachers or anyone else at your school.
The questionnaire is VOLUNTARY.If you don’t want to participate, you are totally free to not go to the location where it will be completed. There will be no consequences whatsoever if this is your decision. You may also attend without participating, and just wait while the others complete the questionnaire, or leave the room whenever you choose. Furthermore, if you don’t feel comfortable answering any of the questions, don’t worry as you can just select“I don’t want to answer”,which will be an option available on every question.
This questionnaire is not an exam.You will not receive any grade, so we encourage you to answer the questions as honestly as possible. The same questions are also being used in various other countries with different cultures. As such, some questions may seem slightly strange or irrelevant to your daily life. If in some questions we propose various different possible answers, this does not mean that all of them are considered equally healthy or advisable. We propose such answers because, in some places and age groups, there may be some people who find themselves in the circumstances described. You should try and answer these questions anyway.
How to complete the questionnaire:
Each question will offer you different potential answers. Only check one box box for each question, unless specified otherwise. If you find it difficult to choose an answer, check the one that is closest to what you think or do most of the time.
You will have around 20-30 minutes to complete the questionnaire.
MANY THANKS FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!
THIS QUESTIONNAIRE IS NOT AN EXAM
We’d like to thank you for helping us with this study. It is an international study to gain a better understanding of young people of your age.
This questionnaire is ANONYMOUS. You do not need to enter your name. No-one will know who completed the answers.
The questionnaire is VOLUNTARY.If you don’t want to complete it, you may leave the room whenever you like, or you may wait without participating, while the others finish. There will be no consequences for any of these decisions. If you don’t feel comfortable answering any question, you may choose the option “I don’t want to answer”.
This questionnaire IS NOT AN EXAM.You will not receive any grade, so we encourage you to answer as honestly as possible. Only check one answer box for each question. If you find it difficult to choose an answer, check the one that is closest to what you think or do most of the time.
In some questions not all the answers are equally healthy or advisable. We put them there because there may be some people that find themselves in these circumstances. Some of these questions may also seem a bit strange for your environment, but this is because they are also being used in countries with different culture. Even so, you should try to answer them as best you can.
Some questions will refer to your parents.Depending on your circumstances, these questions may apply to your biological or adoptive parents, legal guardians, or other people that are responsible for you.
You will have around 20-30 minutes to complete the questionnaire.
Clicking on “Next” means that you agree to participate in the questionnaire.
MANY THANKS FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!
OTHER ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Considerations that should be taken into account.
ABOUT THE PROTECTION OF STUDENTS’ DATA
The questionnaire is anonymous, self-administered and completed online. The answers will only be seen by the researchers, never by parents or teachers. The students and their privacy are fully protected because there will be no way to identify who has completed the questionnaire. All the information provided by the student will be transferred to a database, which will then be analyzed using statistical techniques. Security and data protection standards will be respected at all times. Under no circumstances will the data of a specific school be shared with third parties, and the database will not contain the name of any particular school. The database that contains the school codes will be kept separate from the main database, and for increased security, it will not be connected to the internet. The guidelines outlined by the current data protection legislation will be followed throughout the process (Spanish Organic Law 3/2018 on Data Protection and Guarantee of Digital Rights, and EU Regulation 2016/679 from the European Parliament and Council).
ABOUT THE POTENTIAL INFLUENCE THAT SOME QUESTIONS MAY HAVE ON STUDENTS
When the student finishes the questionnaire, the final screen will display the following message:
Although we have asked you about some activities that may be harmful to your health (drinking alcohol, taking drugs, etc.), this does not mean that teenagers should do these activities. The questions contained in this questionnaire are asked purely for research purposes.
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