NIST, Information Technology Laboratory (ITL), Parent Password Survey

Information Sheet

Project Title: Parent Password Survey

NIST Principal Investigators:

Principal Investigator: Mary Theofanos, Phone: 301-975-5889

Co-Investigator: Yee-Yin Choong, Phone: 301-075-3248

Research Description

The purpose of this study is to examine parents’ password practices and their involvement (or lack of involvement) in their grade school children’s password usage. The ultimate goal is the development of useful guidance for parents/guardians to help their children understand best practices for passwords. The research is funded and conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Requirements for Participation

In order to participate in this research project, you must be the parents or legal guardians of grade school children between Kindergarten (K) and 12^th grades. Parents with students from three to nine different school districts will be asked to participate. There will be between 30 and 60 parent/guardian participants per school for a maximum of 500 parents/guardians for the study.

Study Procedures

The participating schools will assist in disseminating information about this survey (including the survey) to student parents/guardians for participation. Taking the survey will take at most 20 minutes.

Confidentiality

You will be assigned a participant number that will be used for all data in this project. Your identity will be protected to the extent permitted by law, including the Freedom of Information Act. The Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, appropriate NIST researchers, and other appropriate Federal employees may review the records of this study. The study data will be used only by NIST researchers to develop useful guidance for parents/guardians to help their children understand best practices for passwords. All of the data will be recorded without identifiers. The data will only be identified by a number and will not be linked back to an individual in any way. NIST will not keep a list that links the participant number to your name or other identifying information.

Voluntary Participation

Your participation is voluntary. Refusal to participate will involve no penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. You are free to withdraw from the survey at any time during the survey without penalty. You may decline to answer a survey or demographic question. If you withdraw from the survey, the data will not be removed from the study.

Potential Risks and Benefits

The risks during performance of the study activities are minimal and not greater than those ordinarily encountered in daily life or in responding to a routine questionnaire or survey. You will not benefit directly by participating in the study. The long-term benefits of this study should be improved digital literacy education.

Contact Information

For questions regarding this study, please contact Mary Theofanos at 301-975-5889, maryt@nist.gov. For questions regarding your rights as a human research subject, please contact Anne Andrews, Director, NIST Human Subjects Protection Office, at 301-975-5445, anne.andrews@nist.gov. Any research-related injury during the study should be reported to Mary Theofanos (contact information above).