RESEARCHER INVITES PARENTS AND STUDENTS TO COMPLETE SURVEY ABOUT ONLINE LEARNING IN ONTARIO’S PUBLICLY FUNDED SCHOOLS

Dear parents, guardians, and caregivers,

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. The survey is one component of an evaluation to explore the current and future implications of online/virtual teaching and learning in the K-12 educational context in Ontario.

The Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF) has commissioned this external evaluation and will support its implementation at arm’s length. In phase one of the project, we facilitated focus groups with parents who shared their experiences and insights. We used this invaluable information to design a survey that reflects respondents’ collective experiences especially in relation to learning and well-being.

Now, in phase two of the project, we are circulating the survey across Ontario and inviting you to share your lived experiences, perspectives and insights by participating in the online survey. Your responses to the survey as a parent/guardian/caregiver will help us gather further meaningful information about the implications of online/virtual teaching and learning. We are also inviting you to share the student version of the survey with your child/children in order to learn about what online/virtual learning has been like for students in Ontario.

The survey takes approximately 30 minutes to complete, depending on the length of your open-ended responses. The student survey takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete, depending on your child/children’s age/ages.

Please note that the deadline for completion of the surveys is March 1, 2022. Please also note the following:

  • Participation is completely voluntary.
  • You and your child/children may choose to end your participation at any time.
  • You and your child/children may choose to skip ANY question that you prefer not to answer.
  • One or more questions may trigger an emotional response or resurface a difficult experience. If you and your child/children require counselling or support, please connect with a medical professional.
  • All of your responses will remain anonymous.
  • Any identifying information will be removed from the completed surveys.
  • The data will only be accessible to the research team.

To participate in the parent/guardian/caregiver survey, please click on the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FW66K2D  

If you agree to their participation and your child/children is/are in GRADES 5-8 , please click on the following link in order for your child/children to complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FCSY97W

If you agree to their participation and your child/children is/are in GRADES 9-12 , please click on the following link in order for your child/children to complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3LF29YS

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Dr. Lisa Bayrami (lead researcher) via email info@lisabayrami.com or phone (416) 722-9050.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for considering the invitation to participate.

Sincerely, Lisa Bayrami and the Research Team