Dr. Elola and Gloria Cadenas Rodríguez, from the Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures at Texas Tech University want to invite you to participate in a research study about students' Spanish language classroom experiences. In particular, they want to better understand the challenges students face when learning Spanish as foreign language and being able to find ways to improve pedagogical approaches that better meet the need of our students. For this study, they are specifically looking for students who have some learning challenges (e.g., ADHD, Dyslexia, Autism, Dyspraxia, hearing impairment, etc.) enrolled in the Spanish Foundations courses.
Students willing to participate need to be enrolled in Spanish courses, will be interviewed on four occasions and will receive a survey to be completed at the end of the interview process. These interviews will take place on a recorded Zoom call with one of the researchers. The date and time will be chosen depending on the participant’s availability during the spring of 2025. The research team asks for your permission to record the audio on Zoom. One researcher will ask questions about the participant’s past and current challenges, perspectives, and previous experiences on the modality of Spanish language classrooms. The researcher will also suggest strategies for the use of technology and AI as an assistive tool (e.g. ChatGPT or the Speech-To-Text tool for the development of your writing skills in Spanish) and ask about your perspectives on those strategies in a follow-up interview. Additionally, the researchers will ask you to complete a survey if they consider it convenient after the interview process. All your information will be kept confidential. The researcher understands that your time is valuable, so you will receive financial compensation (a $50 gift card) for your time.
Your whole participation in this study will not take more than 4 hours and a half of your time (i.e., 1 hour each interview and 30 minutes for the survey at most) and is completely voluntary. You can stop at any point in the study. Your decision to participate or not participate in or withdraw from this research is voluntary.
If you are interested in participating in this study, please feel free to contact Gloria Cadenas Rodriguez via email (gcadenas@ttu.edu). You may also contact the Human Research Protection Program at Texas Tech University for any questions regarding the rights of participants. Their phone number is (806)-742-2064, and their email is hrpp@ttu.edu .
The research team is truly grateful for your time and consideration in helping them conduct this research. They look forward to hearing from you soon.
Thank you,
Gloria Cadenas Rodríguez
This study has been approved by the Human Research Protection Program at Texas Tech University.