Welcome to Clara's Corner

Thank you for visiting Clara's Corner! I am a doctoral student with the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Department of Conflict Analysis and Resolution, at the Nova Southeastern University (NSU), 3301 College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314. NSU holds numerous accreditations. Please visit NSU's website at www.nova.edu to learn about its exciting educational opportunities.

Clara’s Corner consists of a:

1. Welcome Page (this page)
2. About the Study Page 
3. Informed Consent Page
4. Links to the Surveys

This page (the Welcome Page) introduces me as the investigator, provides a brief overview of  Nova Southeastern University (NSU), discusses the Informed Consent Page and describes the two (2) online surveys - the Participant Satisfaction Survey (PSS) and the Mediator Self-Assessment Survey (MSAS).  The About the Study Page describes the research study, purpose of the study, the significance of the study and the location of the study.

The Informed Consent Page contains information about your participants' rights with regard to participating in this study. *Please note that participants will not be able to access the surveys without reviewing the Informed Consent page. You will be asked to identify your agency for the purpose of tracking the agencies’ response rate. However, you will not be required to provide any personal or identifiable information such as your name, social security number, date of birth, race, or gender. Your identity will remain anonymous throughout the survey.

The purpose of the survey is to determine whether a mediator’s status influences the mediator’s performance and overall effectiveness in resolving disputes. In this study, status refers to the mediator as being either internal or external to an agency. Internal mediators are employees of the agency who serve as collateral duty mediators or full-time mediators. External mediators are from outside of the agency as contract mediators, shared neutrals, or mediators from other external organizations that provide mediation services to federal agencies. 

The online surveys will be accessible twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week, and it can be accessed from any Internet-based location. The surveys are user-friendly, secure, and confidential.

Once the Informed Consent Page has been reviewed, participants may select the I Agree button for the PSS or the I Agree button for the MSAS. The buttons are located at the bottom ot the Informed Consent Page. Each survey consists of twenty-three (23) questions which should take approximately twenty (20) minutes to complete. 

After completing the survey, participants may select the Submit button and a Thank You notification will be displayed which concludes the survey. All responses will be transmitted directly to the Zoomerang (www.zoomerang.com) database—a reputable and secured online statistical resource provider that will the responses until the end of the six-month survey period. 

Respondents also have the option to participate in an one-on-one interview with the investigator to provide additional information about their mediation experiences. Participants may contact me (the investigator) at clara@nova.edu) to schedule a confidential interview. All information obtained regarding this study is considered confidential unless disclosure is required by law. Consent will be discussed with and obtained from participants prior to the onset of the interviews.

Clara Gaines-Patterson—Doctoral Student
Department of Conflict Analysis and Resolution
Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Nova Southeastern University
Email: clara@nova.edu