Recruitment Considerations for Christian, Dental, Short-Term Missions
Relating to the Holistic Development of Dentists
Diane K. Meyer
Liberty University
Rawlings School of Divinity
You are invited to be in a research study concerning the benefits and the detractors of dental, short-term, mission trips and recommendations on how to better recruit dentists for missions to reach the under-served and to show God’s love through dentistry. You were selected as a possible participant because you are a Christian dentist who may have an interest or experience concerning short-term, dental mission trips. Please read this form and ask any questions you may have before agreeing to be in the study.
Diane K. Meyer is conducting this study. She is a doctoral candidate in the Rawlings School of Divinity at Liberty University, an Advisory Council Member of the Christian Dental Society, a member of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations, and has 20 years of mission experience on 60 dental, short-term missions to 35 countries.
Background Information: The purpose of this research will be to analyze your experience and insights to identify and to understand the benefits and the detractors of dental, short-term missions relating to dentists’ holistic development involving the six dimensions of spiritual, intellectual, physical, moral, emotional, and social growth. The results will provide recruitment considerations for dentists to participate in Christian missions to serve under-resourced people in Christ’s name.
Procedures: I would greatly appreciate it if you would agree to participate in this study. I would ask you to do the following:
1. Take a survey, which will involve approximately ten minutes of your time.
2. If you have been on three or more dental, short-term missions, you are eligible to participate in a half-hour, in-depth interview. The interview will be audio-recorded and concerns the benefits and the detractors of short-term missions and your recommendations about recruitment for dental missions. You will be asked to provide your contact information at the end of the survey if you would consider participating in an interview.
Risks: The risks involved in this study are minimal, which means they are equal to the risks you would encounter in everyday life.
Benefits: Participants should not expect to receive a direct benefit from taking part in this study.
Potential benefits to society include improvements in how dentists are recruited for short-term, dental missions to help under-resourced people and to share God’s love with others.
Compensation: Participants will not be compensated for taking part in this study.
Confidentiality: The records of this study will be kept private. In any sort of report, I might publish, I will not include any information that will make it possible to identify you, the participant. Research records will be stored securely, and only the researcher and her faculty chair will have access to the records. I may share the data I collect from you for use in future research studies or with other researchers; if I share the data that I collect, I will remove any information that could identify you before I share the data.
- Surveys will be conducted anonymously, unless participants choose to enter their name and contact information to participate in the interviews. Submitted surveys will be printed out, electronic copies will be deleted from the computer, volunteers’ names and contact information will be cut off and stored separately from the survey responses, and all printed out surveys will be coded for organization purposes and placed in a common stack without identifying information.
- Interview participants will be assigned a pseudonym to conceal their identity. Interviews will be conducted in a location where others cannot easily overhear the conversation.
- Data will be stored in a locked filing cabinet or a locked safe and may be used in future presentations. After three years, all paper records will be shredded.
- Interviews will be recorded and transcribed. Recordings will be stored on a recording device within a locked safe for three years and then erased. Only the researcher will have access to these recordings.
Voluntary Nature of the Study: Participation in this study is voluntary. Your decision whether or not to participate will not affect your current or future relations with Liberty University or any other organization involved with this study. If you decide to participate, you are free to not answer any question or to withdraw at any time prior to submitting the survey and/or during the interview, without affecting these relationships.
How to Withdraw from the Study: If you choose to withdraw from the study prior to submitting your survey, please exit the survey and close your internet browser. Your responses will not be recorded or included in the study. If you agree to be interviewed and choose to withdraw, please contact the researcher at the email address/phone number included in the next paragraph. Should you choose to withdraw, data collected from you, apart from your survey data, will be destroyed immediately and will not be included in this study. Survey data will not be destroyed because it will be anonymized and the researcher will be unable to link a participant to their survey responses.
Contacts and Questions: The researcher conducting this study is Diane Meyer. If you have questions, you are encouraged to contact Diane at 719-216-2217 or bdmeyer@comcast.net. You may also contact the researcher’s faculty chair, Dr. Stephen Lowe, at slowe9@liberty.edu. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this study and would like to talk to someone other than the researcher and the faculty chair, you are encouraged to contact the Institutional Review Board, 1971 University Blvd., Green Hall Ste. 2845, Lynchburg, VA 24515 or email at irb@liberty.edu.
Please notify the researcher if you would like a copy of this information for your records.
Statement of Consent: I have read and understood the above information. I have had my questions answered. I consent to participate in the study.