The title of this research study is, “Rural Arizona Teachers’ Descriptions of the Influence of School Principals’
Transformational Leadership Styles on Organizational Commitment.”

I am Andre' Ponder, a doctoral student under the supervision of Dr. Mary Shuttlesworth in the College of Doctoral Studies at Grand Canyon University.  The purpose of this study is to better understand how rural Arizona teachers describe the influence of school principals’ transformational leadership styles on teachers’ organizational commitment in rural Arizona schools.

This document defines the terms and conditions for consenting to participate in this research study.
How do I know if I can be in this study?
• You can participate in this study if:
        * You are currently employed as a teacher in an Arizona rural school district.
        * You have worked in the same Arizona rural school district for at least 6 months.
        * You have been supervised by the same Arizona rural school principal for at least 6 months.
        * You are between ages 21-65.

• You cannot participate in this study if:
        * You are NOT currently employed as a teacher in an Arizona rural school district.
        * You have NOT worked in the same Arizona rural school district for at least 6 months.
        * You have NOT been supervised by the same Arizona rural school principal for at least 6 months.
        * You are NOT between ages 21-65.

Participate in an Online Questionnaire:
        *  What: After completion of the preliminary questions to determine your eligibility to participate in the study with questions about the influence of transformational leadership, you will be directed to complete the Online Questionnaire on Principal transformational leadership style and its influence on your job commitment.
        *  When: Online Questionnaires are expected to take no longer than 30 minutes and will take place in Spring of 2022.
        *  Where: The Online Questionnaire will be collected online via Google Forms.
        *  How: You will open the Online Questionnaire after providing consent in this document. You will answer the Online Questionnaire questions honestly based on your experiences with the research topic. The Questionnaire is self-paced.

• Who will have access to my information? Myself, my dissertation chair, and my dissertation committee. Participation is voluntary. However, you can leave the study at any time, even if you have not finished, without any penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. If you decide to stop participation, you may do so by emailing me at aponder@my.gcu.edu. If so, I will not use the information I gathered from you.
• Any possible risks or discomforts? There are no known risks associated with this study.
• Any direct benefits for me? There are no direct benefits to you.
• How will my information and/or identity be protected? The information will not be connected to anyone’s name. Each person taking part in the study will be assigned a code.  Using codes to separate the names from the information collected will protect those taking part in the study. The researcher will store any data collected for this study in password-protected devices and software stored in the researcher's personal office that only the researcher will have access to. Data will be stored for up to 3 years and then will be destroyed.

This data will be published as a dissertation. The results will be available from ProQuest.    

• Will researchers ever be able to link my data/responses back to me? Researchers will not be able to link responses back to you because I will not release any identifying information.  
• Will my data include information that can identify me (names, addresses, etc.)? No, data will not include any information that can identify you.
• Will researchers assign my data/responses a research ID code to use instead of my name? Yes, participants will be assigned a research ID code from numbers 1-100.
o If yes, will researchers create a list to link names with their research ID codes? Yes, this list is only made available to the researcher.
o If yes, how will researchers secure the link of names and research ID codes? How long will the link be kept? Who has access? Approximate destroy date? The researcher will store any data collected for this study in password-protected devices and software stored in the researcher's personal office that only the researcher will have access to. The data will be destroyed after three years. The researcher is the only person that has access to the data.
• How will my data be protected (electronic and hardcopy)? Where? How long? Who will have access? Approximate destroy or de-identification date? Data will be protected electronically by password-protected devices and software stored in the researcher's personal office that only the researcher has access to. Data will be stored for up to 3 years and then will be deleted from all devices and software. The approximate destroy date will be in the year 2024.
• Where and how will the signed consent forms be secured? The signed consent forms are stored separately from the data on a password-protected file on the researcher's personal password-protected computer. This information will be destroyed within 3 years.  

Once identifiers such as names and email addresses are removed from the data collected for this study, pseudonyms and de-identified information could be used for future research studies or distributed to other investigators for future research studies without additional informed consent from you or your legally authorized representative.

Any questions you have concerning the research study or your participation in the study, before or after your consent, will be answered by Andre Ponder, aponder@my.gcu.edu, (954) 699-5976 or the researcher’s Chair, Dr. Mary Shuttlesworth, mary.shuttlesworth@my.gcu.edu.

If you have questions about your rights as a subject/participant in this research, or if you feel you have been placed at risk, you can contact the Chair of the Human Subjects Institutional Review Board, through the College of Doctoral Studies at IRB@gcu.edu; (602) 639-7804.

• You have been given an opportunity to read and discuss the informed consent and ask questions about this study;
• You have been given enough time to consider whether or not you want to participate;
• You have read and understood the terms and conditions and agree to take part in this research study;
• You understand your participation is voluntary and that you may stop participation at any time without penalty.