HREA COVER SHEET

Please include this completed cover sheet when submitting and resubmitted HREAs to the HREC.

Applicant name:

Ms. XY

Project title:

Navigating the Everyday: A Narrative Inquiry into the Evolution of Identity in an Interracial Relationship

Supervisor name:

Dr. Fiona Ann Papps

Student number:

999999

Course:

Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours)

Project Description Summary Template

The total length of the Project Description should not exceed two pages of size 12, single spaced font.

1. Project title: Navigating the Everyday: A Narrative Inquiry into the Evolution of Identity in an Interracial Relationship.

2. Project team: Dr. Fiona Ann Papps and Ms. XY

3. Project SummaryComment by Fiona Ann Papps: Must be 149 words or less.

Despite a controversial history of socio-political and legal resistance resulting in violence and marginalisation, interracial relationships have occurred in Australia since before colonialisation. With mixed marriages now accounting for one third of registered Australian marriages, research on this minority group is lacking, especially concerning identity development from a narrative perspective which recognises people’s life stories as part of their identities. While most studies focus on black and white interracial relationships, non-white racial backgrounds of Australian mixed couples include Chinese, Afghan, and Indian ethnicities. Using in-depth qualitative narratives from four individuals currently in an interracial relationship, this study aims to investigate how one’s identity is shaped in an interracial romantic relationship within an Australian context using narrative inquiry. The analysis of verbatim narrative interviews will help to advance this area of research, and uncover new research angles for future studies and provide couple and relationship therapy insights.

4. Resources

4.1 Resources necessary for the project to be conducted: $120.00 – four interviews with $30 honorarium each.

4.2 Funding/support being sought or secured: $120.00

5. Background

5.1 Literature review:

An ABC News article, titled ‘Australian couples share the pros and cons of intercultural relationships’, featured Australian-born interviewee Kayla Medica, recounting unwelcome attention she receives when in public with her shorter Chinese-Burmese partner (Zhou, 2018).

“We get a lot of looks … the height is probably one of [the reasons], but race is the one that actually makes people comment when they walk past,” she says.

“I've had someone ask was I not able to get a white boy, and I was like, ‘What?’”

This news story exposes the prejudice and discrimination Australian-based mixed-race couples experience today and also shows how diverse these relationships can be in this multicultural society (ABS, 2000). In contrast to countries such as the United States, Australian interethnic relationships are more than a romantic bond between a white and black person. Studies show non-white partners of Australian mixed relationships include Philippine, African, Afghan, Vietnamese, Indian, Japanese, and Chinese ethnicities (Owen, 2002). Interracial relationships are referred to as mixed, interethnic and intercultural relationships (Schäfer, 2010) and defined by Allen (2017) as romantic relationships where each partner is a different race. Since before colonialisation, interracial relationships have occurred in Australia despite a dark history of legal and socio-political resistance, resulting in marginalisation and violence (Ellinghaus, 2002). In 2016, mixed marriages accounted for nearly one third (31.6 per cent) of registered Australian marriages and data shows this number is increasing (ABS, 2017). Considered a significant cultural phenomenon, a small body of international studies explores topics related to interracial relationships including family acceptance (Mills, Daly, Longmore, & Kilbride, 1995), conflict resolution (Troy, Lewis-Smith, & Laurenceau, 2006) and racism (Steinbugler, 2015). Despite its prominence in Australia’s history, research is lacking in this area, especially racial identity development.

The narratives people construct about their lives are salient aspects of their identities (McAdams, 2001). In his Life Story Model of Identity, McAdams (1985, 1993, 1996) argues that one’s identity is expressed through stories, complete with characters, plots and themes which help create meaning in one’s life. Drawing from Erikson’s (1963) developmental concept of ego identity, McAdams maintains that during young adulthood, people are confronted for the first time with the challenge of identity versus role confusion and are tasked with integrating a variety of beliefs and experiences in order to achieve a holistic and harmonious life story for themselves and their audience. However, identity configuration is often challenging as one’s identity is constantly evolving and often conflicting. McAdams (2001) defines identity broadly as the way people understand themselves and the particular theme they use to shape their perspective to achieve unity and purpose. He asserts that individual life stories are a very important channel of psychological research as they have the ability to reflect cultural values and norms, especially in relation to race.

Narrative research is often used as a qualitative methodological vehicle to understand life stories but can often appear complex and multilayered due to the way terms such as narrative research, narrative inquiry, and narrative analysis are used interchangeably. For simplicity, Bamberg (2010) explains there are two main ways narratives are used in analysis, the first is research with narratives, where narratives are the tools to explore something else such as human experience and secondly is research on narratives, where narratives are the object of the study. Polkinghorne (1988, p.1) argues that if a story is considered as “the primary form by which human experience is made meaningful” then drawing on McAdams theory on Life Story Identity, one could argue that the narratives we convey are such because they echo the stories of who we are (McAdams, 1993). Recently, the psychological sciences have started to focus on ‘the narrative study of lives’ (McAdams, 2001), a movement that records, interprets and gives a voice to groups of minorities. Like the concept of race, generally these narratives are often understood through a social constructionist framework. The combination of qualitative analysis and the Life Story Identity framework offers a unique backdrop for understanding how one’s identity develops and evolves within an interracial relationship when two very different life story narratives come together in a romantic bond.

In a similar vein to McAdam’s work, Sökefeld (1999) explains identity is now perceived as multiple, composed across differing, often conflicting positions and discourses, instead of being individual or singular. The synergies of these theories and frameworks raise interesting questions about identity when considering interracial relationships. Specifically, how do multiple identities of each individual evolve within their romantic bond? Schäfer (2010) explored the concept of multiple identifications in her New Zealand-based qualitative study of interethnic Pakeha and Maori couples. Results showed most of the 38 participants developed multiple identifications because they intimately experienced their partner’s culture, resulting in an improved cultural competency. Furthermore, Hill and Thomas (2002) investigated how seven women in black-white interracial relationships retrospectively described how their identities evolved in their interracial relationships. The study highlighted the complexity of how privilege identity and minority identity play a meaningful role in the way one’s racial identity develops. Compared to black women who had already experienced oppression from their minority status, it found white women with a racially privileged background experienced a significant change when moving into a minority family.

5.2 Rationale/justification (i.e., how the research will fill any gaps/contribute to the field of research or contribute to existing or improved practice):

The aforementioned studies and theories share similarities in the ways they understand identity to be multiple, contradictory, and evolving over time, rather than a fixed, stable, and static attribute of the individual. They also provide a voice for minority groups (Braun & Clarke, 2013) and can be beneficial for couple and relationship therapy (Hill & Thomas, 2002). However, there is limited research focusing on Australian interracial couples.

5.3 Research questions/aims/objectives/hypothesis:

The proposed study will seek to answer the following question: How do personal identity stories change and evolve in the negotiation of the everyday for those in interracial relationships?

5.4 Expected outcomes:

Embedded firmly in the cultural fabric of Australia, interracial relationships continue to be a growing part of this multicultural society. This embeddedness calls for a deeper understanding of this unique community, specifically in relation to identity development. The current research will provide a rich exploration of the lived experience of those navigating the everyday of an interracial relationship and how their identity develops and evolves within this very specific context. This study will aspire to uncover new research angles for future scholars, provide couple and relationship therapy insights, and help advance research in this area.

6. Project design

6.1. Methodological approach:

A qualitative approach was selected for this study as theories explaining racial identity development are in their infancy (Hill & Thomas, 2000). The current research will take a Narrative Inquiry approach to data collection and analysis, which is both a way of intimately understanding experience in context and time and is also a research methodology (Clandinin & Connelly, 2004). The analysis will be based on the recommendations of Nasheeda, Abdullah, Krauss, and Ahmed (2019) utilising a multimethod re-storying framework (see Appendix A).

6.2. Participants:

6.2.1. Inclusion criteria. All participants will self-select for the research, on the basis of being over 18 years of age, speaking English well enough to be able to answer interview questions in English, and are currently in an interracial romantic relationship. All participants will be selected at arm’s length: the student researcher will not have any prior relationship with the individual whom they interview for the research (Taylor, 2011).

6.2.2. Exclusion criteria. Anyone under the age of 18 years, and those who self-identify as not speaking English adequately for the purposes of answering interview questions in English. Any individual known to the individual student researcher will not be eligible to be interviewed by that student.

6.2.3. Sample size. Four participants will be selected for this study. The sample size is based on recommendations for narrative inquiry (Baker & Edwards, 2012) which uses thick description to gain richness of story, coupled with the time and care taken to uphold a high level of analysis quality.

6.3: Measures used to collect data:

Participants will be asked to complete a demographic questionnaire to obtain descriptive information on gender, age, ethnicity, birthplace, spirituality, and relationship length. Upon completion, participants will take part in a semi-structured interview lasting approximately 90 minutes based on open questions and prompts which will be used to collect data (see Appendix B). A research journal will also be kept by the associate researcher to record observations in an attempt to bracket off personal fore-conceptions concerning inter-racial relationships (important, given her own standpoint as a member of an inter-racial dyad).

6.4 Procedure:

Participants will be recruited via Facebook groups including South Africans living in Sydney (Facebook, 2020a), Indian Mums Sydney (Facebook, 2020b) and the Australian College of Applied Psychology student page (Facebook, 2020c) with call outs including the researcher’s student email to ensure volunteers can privately make contact. The advertisement will advise that a $30 honorarium will be given in acknowledgement of their time. In addition, the associate researcher will source participants via their network, only engaging applicants who fall outside of their friendship circle to safeguard against dual relationships (Taylor, 2011). Once four participants are confirmed, they will be emailed a copy of the research participant information statement and interview questions. Data will be provided by each participant via a brief online demographic questionnaire and a 90 minute semi-structured interview. Consent will be obtained prior to the commencement of the interview, and a services sheet offered in case the participant experiences distress. Interviews will be conducted face-to-face via Zoom for recording purposes. Audio-recordings will be transcribed verbatim and the verbatim transcript will be sent to participants for member reflection. They will have two weeks to respond with any amendments.

6.5. Data analysis:

After transcribing each interview verbatim, the student researcher will familiarise themself with each transcript by immersing themselves in the data through reading and rereading. Following this the student researcher will commence a descriptive reading, before completing an interpretive reading where they identify key ideas that occur from being in an interracial relationship. Once each case is analyised analysis will move across to identify overall patterns in the data.

6.6. Potential standpoint issues:

The associate researcher will be encouraged to maintain a research diary throughout the entire research process, taking note of personal interactions with the interviewing process, the emergent data, and analytic process. Their reflexivity process will result in them writing a positional statement, focusing on on the following pointss:

· How the associate researecher understood the research process and knowledge? (paradigm)

· The associate researcher’s own unique experiences of being in an inter-racial relationship and how that position may have affected the research.

· Any commonalities, identities, or experiences that the associate researcher shares with the participant.

· The associate researcher’s hopes for the study.

· Anything else that is important about the associate researcher that might have affected how they chose to do the study or how they approcahed the analysis of the data resulting from the study.

7. References

Allen, C. (2017). The Attitudes and Stigmas Surrounding Modern Day Interracial Relationships. Siegel Institute Ethics Research Scholars, 2(3), 1-15.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2000, July 4). Family Formation: Cultural diversity in marriages. Retrieved from Australian Bureau of Statistics: https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/2f762f95845417aeca25706c00834efa/c414ec2a595eb029ca2570ec000e2817!OpenDocument

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2017, November 27). Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved from Increase in marriages for Australians born overseas: https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/lookup/3310.0Media%20Release12016

Bamberg, M. (2010). Who am I? Narration and its contribution to self and identity. Theory & Psychology, 21(1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354309355852.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2013). Successful Qualitative Research: A Practical Guide for Beginners. London: SAGE.

Clandinin, D. J., & Connelly, F. (2004). Narrative Inquiry: Experience and Story in Qualitative Research. Wiley.

Ellinghaus, K. (2002). Margins of Acceptability: Class, Education, and Interracial Marriage in Australia and North America. Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, 23(3), 55-75. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3347332.

Erikson, E. H. (1963). Childhood and Society. Norton.

Facebook. (2020a, February 26). South Africans living in Sydney. Retrieved from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1125562557474598/

Facebook. (2020b, February 26). Indian Mums Sydney. Retrieved from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1391230164271312/

Facebook. (2020c, February 26). Australian College of Applied Psychology (ACAP) Students. Retrieved from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ACAPStudents/

Hill, M. R., & Thomas, V. (2000). Strategies for Racial Identity Development: Narratives of Black and White Women in Interracial Partner Relationships. Family Relations, 49(2), 193-200. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2000.00193.x.

Hill, M. R., & Thomas, V. (2002). Racial and Gender Identity Development for Black and White Women in Interracial Partner Relationships. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy: Innovations in Clinical and Educational Interventions, 1(4), 1-35. https://doi.org/10.1300/J398v01n04_01.

McAdams, D. P. (1985). Power, intimacy, and the life story: Personological inquiries into identity. Homewood: Dorsey Press.

McAdams, D. P. (1993). The Stories We Live by: Personal Myths and the Making of the Self. William Morrow and Company.

McAdams, D. P. (1996). Personality, Modernity, and the storied self: A contemporary framework for studying persons. Psychological Inquiry, 7(4), 295–321. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli0704_1.

McAdams, D. P. (2001). The Psychology of Life Stories. Review of General Psychology, 5(2), 100-122. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.5.2.100.

Nasheeda, A., Abdullah, H. B., Krauss, S. E., & Ahmed, N. B. (2019). Transforming Transcripts Into Stories: A Multimethod Approach to Narrative Analysis. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 18(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406919856797.

Owen, J. D. (2002). Mixed Matches: Interracial Marriage in Australia. Sydney: UNSW Press.

Polkinghorne, D. E. (1988). Narrative knowing and human sciences. New York: State University of New York Press.

Sökefeld, M. (1999). Debating self, identity, and culture in anthropology. Current Anthropology, 40(4), 417-447. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/200042.

Schäfer, G. (2010). Multiple identifications, movement, and place making in cross-cultural heterosexual relationships in New Zealand. New Zealand Sociology, 25(1), 4-15.

Steinbugler, A. (2015). ‘I'm black and I'll always be that way’: black identities through the lens of interracial intimacy. Journal of Ethnic and Racial Studies, 38(10), 1690-1706, https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2015.1023820.

Taylor, J. (2011). The intimate insider: negotiating the ethics of friendship when doing insider research. Qualitative Research, 11(1), 3-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794110384447.

Troy, A. B., Lewis-Smith, J., & Laurenceau, J.-P. (2006). Interracial and intraracial romantic relationships: The search for differences in satisfaction, conflict, and attachment style. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 23(1), 65-80. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0265407506060178.

Zhou, C. (2018, March 11). Australian couples share the pros and cons of intercultural relationships. Retrieved from ABC News: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-11/intercultural-relationships-pros-and-cons/9181434

Project Description Appendices

Appendix A: Participant Recruitment Advertisement

Appendix B: Research Participant Information Statement

Appendix C: Services List

Appendix D: Consent Form

Appendix E: Withdrawal of Consent Form

Appendix F: Interviewer Agreement Statement

Appendix G: Debriefing Statement

Appendix H: Interview Questions

Appendix A

Participant Recruitment Advertisement

Full text of post:

What’s this study all about?

Despite a controversial history of socio-political and legal resistance, resulting in violence and marginalisation, interracial relationships have occurred in Australia since before colonialisation. With mixed marriages now accounting for one third of registered Australian marriages, research on this minority group is lacking, especially concerning identity development from a narrative perspective which recognises people’s life stories as part of their identities. Whilst most studies focus on black and white interracial relationships, non-white racial backgrounds of Australian mixed couples include Chinese, Afghan, and Indian ethnicities. Exploring how one’s identity is shaped in an interracial romantic relationship within an Australian context could help advance this underdeveloped area of research and also provide insights for couple and relationship therapy.

I am conducting this research toward a Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) degree at the Australian College of Applied Psychology, supervised by Dr. Fiona Ann Papps, a senior lecturer in Psychological Sciences. To participate in this research, you need to:

(a) Be over 18 years old

(b) Speak English

(c) Be in an interracial relationship, either Australian-born or a partner of a person of different race or ethnicity.

If you decide to participate, you’ll be completing an interview with me over Zoom. The interview will last for approximately one and a half hours and will be audio recorded. You’ll be reimbursed with an honorarium of $30 to compensate you for your time. If you are interested in learning more about my research, please send me a private message at this page.

The research has been approved by the ACAP HREC (approval number: insert number).

Appendix B

Research Participant Information Statement

Research Study Title:

Identity Development and Interracial Relationships

ACAP HREC Approval Number

insert number

Researcher’s Name

XY

Researcher’s Relationship to ACAP

Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) student

1. What is the study about?

You are invited to participate in a study about how one’s identity evolves in an interracial relationship. Despite a dark history of social and legal resistance, and violence, interracial relationships have occurred in Australia since before colonialisation. With mixed marriages now accounting for one third of registered Australian marriages, research on this minority group is lacking, especially concerning identity development from a narrative perspective which recognises people’s life stories as part of their identities. While most studies focus on American black and white interracial relationships, non-white racial backgrounds of Australian mixed couples include Chinese, Afghan, and Indian ethnicities. Research in this area will help advance this underdeveloped area of research, uncover new research angles for future studies and provide insights for couple and relationship therapy.

2. Who is carrying out the study?

XY, a student in the Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) at the Australian College of Applied Psychology (ACAP), is conducting this research. This research is part of XY’s studies toward the Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) degree. XY is working under the supervision of Dr Fiona Ann Papps, Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Psychological Sciences.

3. What does the study involve?

If you choose to participate in the study, I’ll interview you about your interracial relationship and how your identity has evolved due to this particular life experience. I’ll will audio-record the interview and then transcribe your responses word-for-word. Before the interview, I’ll e-mail you a copy of the interview questions. You are then free not to answer any question with which you feel uncomfortable. I’ll de-identify all of your responses in the transcript, and in any publication that results from this research, although she will be aware of your identity.

4. How long will the study take?

The study should take 1.5 hours of your time.

5. Will I incur any costs by participating in this study?

There are no costs attached to participation in this research, except for the time burden that it may place on you. You’ll receive an honorarium of $30 to compensate you for your time.

6. Are there any risks attached participating in the study?

Because of the stigma and racism some interracial couples experience, there may be risk attached to participation in this research when disclosing personal information and recounting your personal experiences. In the semi-structured interview, you will be asked questions about how your identity is developing in relation to your interracial relationship. These types of questions may bring up joyful experiences or bring up pain, anxieties, sorrows, and regrets. Therefore, depending upon your interracial relationship and personal experiences, reflecting on these questions could be a positive experience or negative experience (which could in turn be distressing and/or possibly emotionally freeing). Therefore, participation in the research may be associated with risk of emotional distress. Only you can determine what your response might be when you reflect on the questions you will be asked, and therefore only you can determine the level of emotional distress that taking part in this research might pose for you. If you think you might experience emotional distress in discussing the issues explored in this research, please consider carefully if taking part is appropriate for you. I’ll also provide you with a list of services that you may consult should you experience any distress as a consequence of your participation. However, if you do experience distress at any stage you are also free to stop the interview with me at any time, and ask for your responses to be withdrawn, without any consequence to you or your relationship with ACAP.

7. Can I tell other people about the study?

You are welcome to tell other people about the study.

8. Will I receive the results of the study?

The results of the research will be available after October 31, 2020. Please check the social media page for the research after this date for a release of the results (https://www.facebook.com/Identity-Development-and-Interracial-Romantic-Relationships-104534211163849/).

9. Confidentiality and disclosure of information

Because I only collect basic demographic information about you (age and gender) and because you will not use your real name, or the names of any other individuals, workplaces, or organisations, in the interview, you will not be able to be identified by any of your responses to the interview questions. Only I (your interviewer) will know that you participated and will be aware of your identity. No other individual, including the supervisor of the project, Dr Fiona Ann Papps, will know your identity. Even though you are required to sign a form giving your explicit consent to participate in the research, the form will be saved to a password protected USB and will be stored securely by the secretary of the ACAP HREC. I’ll delete all e-mail correspondence between us once I have received your consent form and received your checked finalised transcript, and then after I have sent you the results of the research. If you agree to participate in this study, I’ll audio-record your responses and then transcribe them to a document. Once I have transcribed your responses and you have checked one copy of your transcript, I will erase the audiofile. The transcript will be the data upon which I base my research. As you or any other individual, workplace, or organisation known to you is not identified in any way in the transcript of the interview; your confidentiality and anonymity are protected. You will not be identified in any presentation or publication that results from the research, as only summated patterns from the data will be used to compile this presentation and publication. Any information that is obtained in connection with this study and that can be associated with you will remain confidential and will be disclosed only with your consent. Any information that is obtained in connection with this study and that can be identified with you will remain confidential. Please note that research in some instances may discover illegal activity, including notifiable activity, giving rise to legal implications which may include:Comment by Fiona Ann Papps: This statement must be included in this section of the Research Participant Information Statement in all qualitative research.

· a statutory obligation for the researcher to disclose information revealed or discovered;

· legal orders that compel disclosure of information obtained by the researcher

10. Can I withdraw from the study?

Participation in this study is voluntary - you are not under any obligation to consent and your decision to withdraw at any point will in no way affect your relationship with the Australian College of Applied Psychology. In order to withdraw from the research, please contact me before August 1, 2020, when the results of the research will be written up, and request that your responses not be used.

11. How can I obtain further information?

When you have read this information, I’ll be happy to discuss it with you further and answer any questions you may have. If you would like to know more at any stage, please feel free to contact Dr. Fiona Ann Papps, who is supervising this research (email: FionaAnn.Papps@acap.edu.au).

12. What can I do if I have a complaint or concern?

Any concerns or complaints about the conduct of this study should be directed to the:

ACAP HREC Secretary

Australian College of Applied Psychology

Locked Bag 11, Strawberry Hills NSW 2012

Email: hrec@navitas.com.

Any complaint will be investigated promptly, and you will be informed of the outcome.

This information sheet is for you to keep.

Appendix CComment by Fiona Ann Papps: This sheet is a standard sheet. Modify services (adding and/or removing) according to the needs of your research.

In the course of this study, we are collecting information about issues that may have personal significance for some people. If you are troubled by any issue about which we are collecting information and would like support or counselling, please ensure that you seek external support from a counsellor and/or a social service.

If you are an Australian resident the following free services may be able to help:

Aboriginal Counselling: https://www.aboriginalcounsellingservices.com.au/contact/ 0410539905

Aboriginal Contact Line: https://www.victimsservices.justice.nsw.gov.au/Documents/pt12_atsi-contact-line.pdf

Beyond Blue: https://online.beyondblue.org.au/email/#/send1 300 22 4636

Eheadspace: https://www.eheadspace.org.au/

Kids Helpline: https://kidshelpline.com.au/1 800 55 1800

Lifeline: https://www.lifeline.org.au/get-help/online-services/crisis-chat13 11 14

Mental Health Line: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/Pages/contact-service.aspx

1 800 011 511

Mission Australia Helpline: https://www.missionaustralia.com.au/1 300 886 999

QLife:1 800 184 527

Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australiahttps://www.rape-dvservices.org.au/

NSW Rape Crisis1 800 424 017

Relationships Australia: https://www.relationships.org.au/1 300 364 277

1 800 RESPECT: https://www.1800respect.org.au/contact-us/1 800 737 732

1800 019 123

Sexual Assault Counselling Australia1 800 211 028

If you live outside Australia, please enter in the following to a search engine (e.g. google, internet explorer):

“mental health crisis support (your country)”

Together We Are Strong: Website http://togetherweare-strong.tumblr.com/helpline)

Disclaimer: We do not assume any responsibility for the quality of the services offered by these organizations.

Appendix D

Consent Form (Qualitative)

Research Study Title:

Identity Development and Interracial Relationships

ACAP HREC Approval Number

insert number

Researcher’s Name

XY

Researcher’s Relationship to ACAP

Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) student

I, __________________________, agree to participate in this research. I have read the Research Participant Information Statement and had any question I have about the research answered for me by the researcher.

Please complete, placing a in applicable boxes ________________________________________________________________________

Name of Research Participant (First name and Surname)(Print)

Are you 18 years of age or older and speak English? Yes

Are you in a romantic interracial relationship where one partner is either Australian-born or a partner of a different race or ethnicity, born overseas? Yes

Live in Australia? Yes

I understand that research in some instances may discover illegal activity, including notifiable activity, giving rise to legal implications which may include:Comment by Fiona Ann Papps: This statement must be included in this section of the Participant Consent Form in all qualitative research.

· a statutory obligation for the researcher to disclose information revealed or discovered

· legal orders that compel disclosure of information obtained by the researcher.

Yes

______________________________________________________________________

Research Participant SignatureDate

_____________________________________________________________________

Researcher’s SignatureDate

Appendix E

Research Participant Withdrawal of Consent Form (Qualitative)

You can withdraw your participation consent by advising the researcher verbally, via private message to the social media page for the research (https://www.facebook.com/Identity-Development-and-Interracial-Romantic-Relationships-104534211163849/)

Research Study Title:

Identity Development and Interracial Relationships

ACAP HREC Approval Number

insert number

Researcher’s Name

XY

Researcher’s Relationship to ACAP

Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) student

I hereby wish to WITHDRAW my consent to participate in the research proposal described above and understand that such withdrawal WILL NOT jeopardise any treatment or my relationship with the Australian College of Applied Psychology.

Research Participant Name (Print)

_______________________________________ ___________________________ Research Participant SignatureDate

Appendix F

Interviewer Agreement Form

I, (researcher name), in conducting interviews agree to the following:Comment by Fiona Ann Papps: The researcher’s name is inserted here. In student applications, this name will be that of the student, not the supervisor.

1. To clearly tell you the aims of the research;

2. To provide you with a list of potential questions before our interview, so that you can remove or change any questions;

3. To provide you with a list of services that you can pursue in the case you experience any distress during or after the interview;

4. To treat with respect any information you choose to share with me, by not continuing with a line of questioning if you tell me you do not wish to answer it and by protecting your confidentiality at all times;

5. To make sure that you, or any workplace, company, organisation or other person referred to during the interview cannot be identified in any way in transcript of the conversation or in any publication that results from the research;

6. To erase the audio-recording of the interview after I have transcribed it and you have checked the transcription and confirmed that you are happy for me to use it;

7. To respect your decision to stop the interview at any time without giving a reason for stopping.

This research has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Australian College of Applied Psychology (Approval Number: insert number)

Interviewer’s Name (please print):__________________________________________

Interviewer’s Signature: __________________________________________________

Date: ____/____/____

Appendix G

Debriefing Statement

Thank you for participating in this research. The next steps are for me to turn the interview into text for analysis. I’ll transcribe the interview into text, and once finished, I’ll e-mail you a copy of the transcript for checking. You’ll have two weeks in which to read the transcript and get back to me with any changes that you would like made. If I do not hear from you after this two-week period, I’ll assume that you are satisfied with the transcript and that I may use it.

After this period, I’ll erase the recording of the interview. I’ll then examine the text of all the interviews, developing individual life stories that describe the range of responses to my research question. Once I have completed this analysis, I’ll write a report of the project which I’ll submit for grading and possibly for publication to a scholarly journal and presentation at scholarly conferences.

The copy of the Participant Consent Form that you return to me will be scanned to a secure USB, and submitted to my supervisor. My supervisor will ensure the USB is submitted to the secretary of the ACAP HREC, who will transfer the information on the USB to a secure drive and destroy the USB. I’ll destroy the original form by confidential shredding once I have scanned it.

At the end of the project, the secretary of the ACAP HREC will scan the contents of the secure USB that contains the scanned consent forms, transcripts, and my thesis to a protected drive and destroy the USB so that no data can be retrieved. After a period of five years from the date of the completion of the research (i.e., October 31, 2025), all documents related to this research will be deleted from the drive so that they cannot be retrieved. All e-mail correspondence between you and I during the course of the research will be deleted once the research has been completed (i.e., October 31, 2020).

If you would like to be informed of the results of the research, please check the report which will be posted to the Facebook research page after October 31, 2020.

Remember, if you experience any distress after participating in this research, you are able to contact any of the services on the list that I provided you at the beginning of the research. For any further questions, please contact the social media site for the research (https://www.facebook.com/Identity-Development-and-Interracial-Romantic-Relationships-104534211163849/)

Appendix H

Interview Questions

Opening Remarks

After welcoming the participant, thanking them for their time and securing written consent for their participation, the researcher with provide an overview of the study, including the purpose of the research. Within this section the research will note they are also are a member of the in-group, which was a motivation for taking on this research project. The researcher will explain that all identifying information will be de-identified including names, times, places and the participant will be given a pseudonym to ensure anonymity and explain how data will be kept confidential. The participant will be advised that they can terminate the interview at any stage, and they are not under any pressure to provide information that they would prefer to keep private. Lastly, the participant will be informed that parts of their story may be used verbatim in the thesis and this may be published. Before starting, the researcher will ask if the participant has any questions.

Questions

PART 1: Life Chapters

· This is an interview about the story of a particular time in your life, your interracial relationship and how your identity has evolved or shifted. To kick-off the interview, please begin by thinking about this time in your life as if it were a book with chapters. Please briefly describe each chapter by giving it a title, and a short summation about that chapter. Be mindful to link each chapter by saying a word or two about how they’re connected. As you are the storyteller, please give me an overall plot summary of your story, going chapter by chapter.

PART 2: Key Scenes

· Now you have described the overall plot I’d like to understand a few key scenes from this time in your life. A key scene should standout for a particular reason (it can be memorable, vivid, good or bad). For each please explain in detail what happened, what you were thinking and feeling and who else was involved. Lastly, please share with me why this scene was important in relation to this chapter of your life? What does it say about you?

· What was a high point for you during this time?

· What was a low point?

· Is there a significant turning point for you which caused a shift in identity? Please tell me about it.

· What does it tell you about yourself, that you and your partner have different racial identities to each other?

· What does it tell you about your partner, that they have a different racial identity to you and you to them?

· How has your race shaped the way you see yourself within your relationship, your family and community?

· How has your partner’s race shaped the way you see yourself within your relationship, your family and community?

PART 3: Future Script

Now we’re going to discuss the future.

· Considering the past chapters, we have discussed, what does the next chapter look like for you?

· What are your dreams, plans and hopes for the future?

PART 4: Challenges

This next section considers the various problems and challenges you have encountered during this period of your life.

· Looking back at this part of your life, what is the greatest single challenge during this time?

· Looking back at this part of your life, what is the greatest regret or failure you have during this time?

· Has there been an experience of loss or grief that has impacted your identity during this time?

PART 5: Personal Ideologies

Now, I would like to explore your fundamental beliefs, values and morals that have guided you through this section of your life.

· If you are religious or spiritual, how would you say these ideologies have impacted this time in your life?

· How do you approach political, social or legal issues during this time? Are there particular social issues or causes about which you feel strongly? Please explain.

· Please explain how your political, social or religious views have changed over the duration of this time.

· Thinking about your values system, what is the most important value when part of an interracial romantic relationship? Please explain.

· What else can you tell me that would help me understand how you view the world? What else can you tell me that would help me understand your overall life philosophy?

PART 6: Life Theme

· If you reflected on this time of your life, what would be the central theme, message or idea for this part of your life?

PART 7: Closing

· What advice would you give yourself entering into an interracial relationship, having now experienced what you have?

· In reflection, how was the interview for you? And do you have anything further to add or any questions you would like to ask?

Closing Remarks

At the conclusion of the interview, the researcher will reiterate how much they appreciate the participants time and thank them again for sharing their personal experiences. Before they leave, the researcher will politely remind them they may reach out again via email to arrange a follow up discussion by phone. The participant will be shown how that they can find information about the study via their consent forms and point out the researchers contact details if they needed to get in contact after the session. Lastly, the participant will be taken through a carefully crafted debriefing statement and will be reminded of the importance of seeking help if they felt distress about any of the information discussed during the interview.

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