FAQs About the Online Survey
General Questions
What is the study about?
The study examines the practical realities of specialized counseling services in child care settings. The goal is to gather information on the attitudes, competencies, challenges, and needs of professional consultants regarding digital media education in order to gain empirical insights for the further development of training, support systems, and framework conditions.
Who can participate in the study?
Anyone currently working in a specialized advisory role in the field of child day care (e.g., at service providers, municipalities, or independent organizations) is eligible to participate.
Who is not eligible to participate?
Individuals who are not currently working or have not previously worked as a specialist advisor or consultant in child day care (daycare centers, kindergartens, or nurseries). Individuals who work exclusively as specialist advisors in family day care are excluded.
Why was I invited to participate?
You were invited because you were identified as a specialist consultant (e.g., through mailing lists, networks, or publicly available information) or because you registered to participate yourself. The invitation was sent to randomly selected email addresses from a pool of addresses.
Why is my participation important?
Your expertise is particularly relevant to the study. Your participation helps provide a realistic picture of the current situation regarding professional advisory services. The results can contribute to improving support services, training programs, and policy decisions.
How is anonymity ensured?
The survey is conducted anonymously or pseudonymously. No personally identifiable information is collected. Data is analyzed exclusively in aggregated form, so that no conclusions can be drawn about individual respondents.
Can my employer be identified based on the information I provide?
No. No information is collected that would allow for a clear association with a specific institution or person. Results are presented only in summary form.
What happens to my information?
The data is analyzed exclusively for scientific purposes. It is stored and processed in accordance with applicable data protection regulations (in particular the GDPR) and, upon completion of the project, archived or deleted in accordance with legal requirements.
Who is conducting the study?
The study is being conducted by the University of Cologne. If you have any questions, you can contact the project team at any time.
Will the results be published?
Yes, the results will be published in anonymized form (e.g., in reports, academic articles, or presentations). Individual persons or institutions cannot be identified. Current publications can be viewed here.
Is there any compensation for participating?
Since this is a publicly funded study, participation in a raffle or receipt of compensation is not possible.
Technical Questions
How long does it take to complete the survey?
The questionnaire takes about 15 minutes to complete.
Can I pause the survey and continue later?
Yes, as long as you use the same browser and device. Your answers so far will be saved temporarily.
Can I stop the survey at any time?
Yes, participation is voluntary. You can stop the survey at any time without giving a reason. Any data you have already entered may not be fully included in the analysis.
Can I skip questions?
Generally, yes. Required questions are marked accordingly.
Can I change my answers later?
Within the survey, you can use the navigation function to return to previous pages and adjust your answers as long as you haven’t submitted the survey yet.
Until when can I participate?
Participation is open until February 15, 2027.
Does the survey work on mobile devices?
Yes, the survey is optimized for use on smartphones and tablets. However, for a more comfortable experience, we recommend using a larger screen.
Who can I contact if I have technical problems?
If you have technical questions or problems, please contact blefaki-projekt@uni-koeln.de.