Informed Consent Form for TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP, DIGITAL COMPETENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION IN REGION XII: AN EXPLANATORY SEQUENTIAL DESIGN
Name of the Researcher(s): REYNANTE A. NARAL
Institution: UNIVERSITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
You are invited to participate in a research study conducted by REYNANTE A. NARAL, PhDEL student, at the University of the Immaculate Conception, because you meet the specific inclusion criteria for this study. You have been identified as a participant based on your status as a licensed public secondary school teacher in Region XII holding a regular and permanent position. Furthermore, your selection is based on your professional experience of at least one year in your current station and your affiliation with a school that is an official recipient of the DepEd Computerization Program (DCP).
Your participation is completely voluntary. Please read the information below, and ask questions about anything you do not understand, before deciding whether to participate. Please take as much time as you need to read the consent form. You may also decide to discuss participation with your family or friends.
If you decide to participate, you will be asked to sign this form (electronically agree). You will be given a copy of this form.
The primary purpose of this study is to determine the significant influence of technology leadership and digital competence on your technology integration as a public secondary school teacher in Region XII. We aim to understand how the support of school leadership and your own proficiency with digital tools directly impact the way you incorporate technology into your classroom instruction.
By participating in this research, you are contributing to a deeper understanding of the factors that empower or hinder educators in the digital age. This study seeks to move beyond mere statistics to capture the essence of your professional reality, highlighting how administrative guidance and individual skill sets converge to enhance the teaching and learning process. Your involvement is essential in identifying the specific aspects of leadership and competence that most effectively support teachers in creating a technology-rich educational environment.
Ultimately, the goal is to provide a comprehensive explanation of how these variables interact. While the study begins with an analysis of broad trends, its true value lies in exploring your unique perspectives and experiences. By sharing your insights, you help ensure that the study’s findings are not just theoretically sound but are also practically relevant to the needs and professional growth of teachers across the region.
If you volunteer to participate in this qualitative phase, the following procedures will be implemented to ensure your convenience and the integrity of the narrative data.
Selected participants will be invited to share deeper insights into their experiences. If you participate in an In-Depth Interview (IDI), the session will last approximately 45 to 60 minutes, while a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) will take about 60 to 90 minutes. These sessions can be conducted either online via a secure video conferencing platform or on-campus at a private facility, depending on your preference. To ensure minimal disruption to your professional duties, you may choose the most convenient time and place for the session.
Before the start of any interview or focus group discussion, the researcher will explicitly ask for your permission to audio record the session. This process ensures that your narratives are captured accurately for transcription. Consent for recording will be secured through a specific checkbox in the supplemental consent form or via a recorded verbal affirmation at the beginning of the meeting. You have the right to decline recording and still participate, or to request that the recording be paused at any time during the conversation.
The topic of this study is not sensitive in nature. However, the researcher acknowledges that you may experience minor psychological or emotional distress, or perhaps physical fatigue, when reflecting on your professional experiences or answering a long questionnaire. If you feel uncomfortable at any point, you may opt not to answer specific items, or you may withdraw as a participant from the study entirely if you feel you cannot discuss the information requested.
Once the specific schedule for the interview or focus group is identified, please be informed that you are encouraged to take breaks as needed during the session to ensure your comfort. The researcher values your participation and will place your welfare as the highest priority throughout the duration of the study. To mitigate any pressure, you are free to pause the conversation or reschedule if you feel the session is becoming too taxing.
This study has the potential to provide meaningful benefits at both the individual and societal levels. For teachers, it emphasizes the importance of developing digital competence, which can enhance instructional practices, increase student engagement, and improve learning outcomes. Teachers who strengthen their digital skills will be better equipped to integrate technology effectively in the classroom and adapt to the demands of 21st-century education.
For school leaders and administrators, the findings will serve as a guide in formulating strategic initiatives that promote effective technology leadership. This includes identifying best practices that can bridge gaps in technology integration, particularly in schools supported by the Department of Education’s Computerization Program (DCP).
At the policy and societal level, the study will inform the development of training programs and policies that foster sustainable digital transformation in schools. Insights from this research may support more inclusive and equitable access to quality education, particularly in underserved communities, by ensuring that technology resources are maximized and equitably distributed.
On a broader scale, this research contributes to advancing educational equity and social development. By exploring the interplay between technology leadership and teachers’ digital competence, it can help shape future initiatives that prepare learners for a digitally connected world. Furthermore, it enriches the academic literature on technology integration in education, serving as a foundation for future studies aimed at improving digital education practices nationwide.
The study strictly ensures the privacy and confidentiality of your information in accordance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012. Your identity and responses will be treated with the highest respect and safeguarded through anonymization. All identifiable information will remain confidential, and the researcher will resist the release of any information regarding your participation to individuals not connected with the study.
Access to your raw data will be strictly limited. Only the researcher will have primary access, though the research adviser may review the data for academic validation, and the Research Ethics Committee (UIC-REC) may be granted access if the study is selected for an ethics audit. Audio recordings will be stored in an encrypted password-protected folder accessible only to the researcher. Once the recordings are transcribed and the transcripts are verified for accuracy, the original audio files will be deleted to further protect your privacy.
All research data, including signed consent forms, survey responses, and transcripts, will be securely stored for a period of five years. After this duration, all physical documents will be shredded, and digital files will be permanently deleted using secure erasure software. Furthermore, the researcher affirms that your data will not be reused for another study or any future research project without obtaining a separate, explicit consent from you. When the results of this research are published or presented at conferences, only aggregated data and unique participant codes will be used to ensure that no individual can be identified.
Your participation is voluntary. Your refusal to participate will involve no penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. You may withdraw your consent at any time and discontinue participation without penalty. You are not waiving any legal claims, rights, or remedies because of your participation in this research study.
Your participation in this study is vital to its success and will be highly appreciated. As a token of sincere gratitude for your time and the valuable insights you provide in helping the researcher accomplish this study, you will be given a reasonable incentive. This incentive will be provided in the form of refreshment or token upon the completion of your participation.
If you have any questions or concerns about the research, please feel free to contact the researcher through the mobile phone number 09275090334 or through email at rnaral_230000002832@uic.edu.ph; or if you need to see him, he can be located at Department of Education - Schools Division of Kidapawan City; or you may contact his research adviser Sylvia Pidor, through her phone number 0919 6595442 or email address spidor@uic.edu.ph. His adviser is a faculty of the University of the Immaculate Conception Graduate School, Bonifacio Street, Davao City.
If you have questions, concerns, or complaints about your right as a research participant or the research in general and are unable to contact the research team, or if you want to talk to someone independent of the research team, please contact the University of the Immaculate Conception Research Ethics Committee at 227-4860 or 2061- local 211.
FOR THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW (IDI) AND FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION (FGD)