Can you help us by taking part in our research study?

We are interested in everyone’s views about the toolkit and this way of working. You may be someone who is deeply engaged with the climate crisis or you may not have given this topic much thought in the past. We are interested in gathering feedback from everyone, regardless of your level of knowledge, awareness or previous experience. You do not need to know anything at all about climate change to take part in this study. On the other hand, if you are very informed about climate change or work in a directly related area such as climate research, policy-making or education, you can take part in this study.

No, your participation is entirely voluntary.

You will be asked to explore and try out some creative exercises (called Experiments) available on this web site. These exercises use writing and/or doodling/ drawing and reflection and are designed to help you to explore your feelings, ideas and any experiences you may have around climate change. We invite you to do the activities individually and privately in a notebook, on paper or using whatever tools are accessible to you. There is no expectation that you share your writing, drawing and reflections publicly or with us, though there will be an opportunity for you to send us examples of your writing and drawing, if you would like to do that.   

After you explore the Experiments on this web site, you will be asked to give your consent to participate in the study. If you consent, you will answer a short online questionnaire designed to find out more about your feelings around climate change and how, if at all, these affect your life. You will also be asked to answer some short questions about the toolkit activities and whether you found them helpful.                  

At the end of the online survey, you will also be asked to indicate if you would be willing to participate in a short one-to-one interview with a researcher, after around four to six weeks have elapsed. You do not have to agree to participate in this interview and you can choose not to do so.

The one-to-one interview will be conducted over the phone or over Teams (an online video platform), depending on your preference. The audio of the interview will be recorded and, after the interview, the audio recording will be transcribed. The transcription will be coded with your unique participant number (not your name), any detail that could identify you in the transcription will be removed and the original audio will be destroyed. The non-identifiable transcript will then be stored securely in line with the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulations 2018.

We do not envisage any disadvantages or risks of taking part. However, the nature of self-reflection and reflective or creative writing is that it may sometimes surface strong or surprising emotions, which can turn out to be uncomfortable or upsetting. At the workshop, we will talk through some guidelines about how to keep yourself safe when writing about difficult emotions. We will also point you towards further helpful information and resources and provide you with a Debrief sheet, so that you can contact us or find appropriate support, should you need to. 

Although there are no direct benefits of taking part in this study, it may be that you find some of the toolkit materials and activities helpful to your wellbeing. The ultimate aim of the study is to find out whether this is a helpful way to involve everyone in managing climate emotions and/or finding solutions that address climate change.  

In this research study, we will use information that we have collected from you. We will only use information that we need for the research study. Your responses to the online survey will be anonymous. You will not be asked to give you name or provide any identifying information.

However, if you choose to participate in a follow-up interview, we will ask you to provide an email address where we can contact you. Your email address will be stored securely on a Teesside University server. No one outside the research team will know your name or any other details about you as, when you agree to take part in a follow-up interview, you will be given a unique Participant Number. All data about you will use this number instead of your name. Everyone involved in this study will keep your data safe and secure. We will also follow all privacy rules. If you agree toa follow-up interview, we will ask you to sign a Consent form, which we will keep in a password protected folder on the secure Teesside University server, which no-one else will have access to. All other de-identified information will be kept for ten years on a password protected server at Teesside University.           

After using the toolkit, you will be invited to share writing, notes, artwork or reflective pieces with Dr Sophie Nicholls by email, should you choose and feel comfortable with this. There is no expectation by the research team that you should share these materials and you should not feel coerced to do so. If you choose to share them, these materials should not include any identifying features such as your name.

If we decide to feature your work on the toolkit web site gallery, we will do so anonymously and we will make sure that no-one can work out who you are. If we decide that we would like to use the work in a future publication, we will contact you to ask your permission and you will retain full copyright.

Personal data including special category data obtained for the purposes of this research project is processed lawfully in the necessary performance of scientific or historical research or for statistical purposes carried out in the public interest. Processing of personal data including special category data is proportionate to the aims pursued, respects the essence of data protection and provides suitable and specific measures to safeguard the rights and interests of the data subject in full compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.                      

If you decide to take part, you can withdraw at any point before or during the follow-up interview, and up to 2 weeks after you have been interviewed (but no later than 1 September 2025), without giving a reason.

If you decide during the interview that you no longer wish to take part, you can indicate this to the interviewer and the recording will stop. The interview recording will be destroyed and any information we have collected, including the interview recording, will be destroyed.

If you wish to withdraw art work or writing that you have submitted by email from the study or from the toolkit web site gallery  you can withdraw it without giving a reason by contacting Sophie Nicholls at s.nicholls@tees.ac.uk. The research team will securely destroy this work.

If you have a concern about any aspect of the study, you should speak to the researchers who will do their best to answer your questions. You can contact Sophie Nicholls using the contact details below in the first instance. If you remain unhappy and wish to complain formally, you can do this by contacting Professor Nigel Copsey, Chair of the University Social Sciences, Humanities and Law Research Ethics Committee. Details can be obtained from the research team by contacting Sophie Nicholls at the email address below.           

Thank you for reading this information sheet and for considering whether or not to take part in this study. If you would like to take part, then please contact Sophie Nicholls (s.nicholls@tees.ac.uk) who will provide you with a consent form to complete and return and confirm details of how to attend the workshop.