Consent Letter

Dear Teacher,

You are invited to participate in a study, “How the Perspectives of School Heads Influence the Implementation of Curricula in [insert your city/country] Schools,” conducted by [Insert your name and profession]

According to Ballantine & Hammack, the different perspectives about the purpose of education can be classified into three broad categories, functionalism, symbolic interactionism and conflict theory[1]. Basing on the functionalist approach, education serves a myriad of functions in the society including socialisation, social and cultural innovation, social integration, and social placement. Other latent functions include establishment of peer relationships, childcare, and lowering the rate of unemployment. The symbolic interactionism approach lays emphasis on social interaction in different school avenues such as the classroom and the playground. Several authors have argued that social interaction in schools has a great bearing on gender roles and that teachers’ expectations of intellectual abilities among students influences how much they learn. Finally, the conflict theory stipulates that education promotes social inequality as a result of learning disparities occasioned by differences in funding and learning conditions.

In light of the different perspectives about the purpose of education, policy makers need to consider several factors while developing school curricular. Nonetheless, while principals and school heads are required to follow these curricular to the letter, they might have conflicting perspectives about the purpose of education. As such, school heads might overlook certain aspects of the curriculum thereby resulting in further disparities between schools. The main aim of this research will therefore be to determine how the perspectives of school heads influences the implementation of school curricula.

Knowledge gained from this research will contribute a great deal to our understanding about the disparity in learning conditions in schools. In so doing, policy makers will be in a better position to formulate more holistic curricula that will incorporate varying perspectives from different stakeholders. Teachers and school heads who participate in this study will appreciate how their perspectives about the purpose of education influence the implementation of the curriculum in their schools. Moreover, they will have the opportunity to contribute to future curriculum formulation by providing their perspectives about the purpose of education and offering their suggestions on possible reforms than can be made to the current curriculum.

The study will be conducted in fifty schools in [Insert your City] over a two month period. During this period, the research team will conduct face to face interviews with principals and department heads. Personal information about the interviewees will not be disclosed to third parties and as such, there are no foreseeable ramifications, professional or otherwise, associated with participation in this research. You participation in the research is also voluntary and your reserve the right to discontinue the interview at any moment. While the interviews might be recorded on audio devices, such recordings will be stored in an encrypted format and will only be accessed by the research team. This team will also make deliberate efforts to safeguard them at all costs.

This study has been approved by [The relevant body in your institution] If you have any additional questions or concerns, you can contact the researcher: [Your name, telephone number and email]

Further, should you have any questions or concerns about your rights as research participants you
can contact [Chairperson of the relevant body in your institution and their contact details]

I agree to participate in the study and I have read and received a copy of this consent
______________________ (signature).
I give permission to audio-record the interview ______________________ (signature).
______________________ (name printed) ______________ (date).

[1] Ballantine, J. H., & Hammack, F. M. (2012). The sociology of education: A systematic analysis. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.