Project title: Investigating the current state of anti-doping education in karate
Details of the project
You are being invited to participate in a research project investigating the current state of anti-doping education and clean sport in karate. This participant information sheet explains your rights as a participant and what participation involves. The project is subject to ethical guidelines set out by the British Psychological Society and has been approved by the University of Birmingham Ethics Committee. All data will be collected in accordance with GDPR regulations. The project is funded by the UK Research and Innovation’s Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
Why was I selected to participate?
You are being invited to participate in the research based on your involvement with karate, either as a karateka, coach, referee, official, volunteer, parent of a karateka, or multiple of the above.
What does participation in this study entail?
Participation in the study involves completing an online questionnaire pack that will last around 10-15 minutes. The questionnaire is designed to help us understand the attitudes and values karate practitioners hold towards doping and anti-doping, as well as karate practitioners’ knowledge and literacy regarding anti-doping matters, and the perceived legitimacy of anti-doping organisations, at every level of the sport, from grassroots karate to international competitors. We also aim to understand how these views are connected to the education currently available. The questionnaire will be completed in your own time. Participation is voluntary and completely confidential. You are free to withdraw at any time without providing a reason, up to two weeks after completing the questionnaires; if you choose to withdraw, all data collected to the point of withdrawal will be destroyed immediately.
What are the benefits of participating?
You will contribute to our understanding of anti-doping education and processes, which may help inform future policy decisions both within your NGB, broadly in the WKF, and potentially in the WADA.
How will my data be used?
The data you provide will be anonymised. A key containing any personally identifying details, should you provide them, will be stored in a separate, password-protected file, only accessible to the Primary Researcher for the purposes of potential withdrawals. In any subsequent analysis, only the anonymous data file will be used. Electronic data files will be stored only on the password-protected computers of members of the immediate research team. This data will be stored for a period of ten years before being destroyed. All data will remain confidential and anonymous throughout the study. During the anonymisation process, all names and other potentially identifying information will be deleted or replaced by a participant number, such that no participant will be identifiable after transcription. Participants will henceforth only be referred to by their participant numbers. Study data will normally only be accessible by the principal investigator and the immediate research team. However, in accordance with data-sharing legislation, the study data may be shared with relevant authorities upon legal compulsion if disclosure of any illegal activity/risk of harm occurs. Data collected in this study may be used in future reports such as academic journals and conference presentations. In such publications, no individual data will be presented, only an aggregate of all or a subset of participants.