Exploring relationships between self-esteem, self-

Introduction and study purpose
You are invited to take part in a study about Facebook Intensity levels in students in Glasgow. The aim of the study is to look the relationship between how much students in Glasgow use Facebook and how they feel about themselves. It will also look at the relationship between how much students use Facebook and how confident they are in their abilities to use the internet. Furthermore, the study will look to understand whether or not there are any gender differences in these issues. This study will be based on students at Glasgow Caledonian University. This research is being carried out by Aysha Mir at Glasgow Caledonian University under the supervision of Dr. Barbara Duncan.

Your contribution to the study will help us to understand more about how people think and feel about using Facebook.. Before you decide whether or not to take part, it is important for you to understand what participation in the study will involve for you. Please take time to read the following information carefully and discuss it with others if you wish. Please contact us at the address below if you would like more information.

What will I have to do if I take part?
If you are interested in taking part, you are asked to complete the questionnaire that follows. Instructions on completing each section of the questionnaire will be provided. It may take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.

Do I have to take part?
No. It is up to you to decide whether or not to take part. You can stop taking part in the study at any time, without giving a reason.

What are the possible disadvantages and risks of taking part?
You might find some of the questionnaire items to be personal as you will be asked questions about how you feel about yourself as an individual. You do not need to answer any questions if you do not wish to do so.it

What are the possible benefits of taking part?
We can’t promise that the study will help you personally. However, the results should help our understanding of the experience of Facebook and its use. This, in turn, is expected to be beneficial to the researcher as it is part of an undergraduate project.

What happens when the research study stops?
Written reports of the study findings will be produced as an undergraduate project.

What will happen to the information that you give?
The data gathered for this research will be stored safely by the researcher so that it can be analysed using statistical analysis software. The information collected will be destroyed once results are analysed. Once the results have been analysed they will be produced into an undergraduate project.

Will my taking part in this study be kept confidential?
Yes. Ethical and legal practice will be followed, and all of your information will be handled in confidence. The questionnaire that you will be asked to fill in will not ask for your name or any other personal details that you can be identified by therefore, it is completely anonymous. The responses that you provide will be treated in confidence. Your rights are protected under the Data Protection Act and any information that might identify you will not be shared outside of the research team. No identifying information will appear in any documents or in the final report. However, at the beginning of the questionnaire you will be asked to provide the first 3 digits of your postcode and the day and month of your birthday as a unique identifier so that if you decide you wish to withdraw, this will be used to identify and remove the data.

What happens next?
If you decide you are interested in participating in the study after reading this information sheet, please tick the box to give your consent to take part and then complete and submit the questionnaire that follows. If you would like to find out more about the research before participating please do not hesitate to contact Aysha Mir – [email protected]

Further information and contact details
You can get more study information or discuss the project with:

Researcher: Aysha Mir – [email protected]
Supervisor: Dr Barbara Duncan – [email protected]

Thank you for taking the time to read this study information sheet.

* I confirm that I have read and understood the information sheet dated 03/12/2013 (version 1) for the above study and have had the opportunity to ask questions and have these answered satisfactorily.

I agree

* I understand that my participation is voluntary and that I am free to withdraw at any time without giving any reason

I agree

* I agree to take part in the above study

I agree

* I understand that my participation will be used in publications about the research however it will not be possible to identify me from this information. I give permission for this.

I agree

* I understand that the results from this work may be published however it will not be possible to identify any participant from this.

I agree

* Please select your gender.

Male

Female

* Please select your age.

* Please enter the first three digits of your postcode and day and month of their birthday as unique identifier.

Please indicate how you feel about the following questions relating to Facebook.

1 - Strongly disagree, 2 - Disagree, 3 - Neautral, 4 - Agree, 5 - Strongly agree.