June 28, 2005

Participate in study: Iranian-American mothers and their children

My name is Artemis Savarnejad and I am writing to invite you to participate in a study involving Iranian-American mothers and their young children's social development. After speaking with Fariba from Iranian Federated Women's Club and Payvand School, she suggested that I send you an invitation e-mail as she thought it to be an interesting and worthwhile study. 

I am an Iranian-American female Ph.D. candidate in the Education department at the University of California at Santa Barbara but I have live in the Bay Area for almost 20 years.   I am in the final stages of completing my doctoral degree and therefore working on my dissertation study. I am interested in studying young children's development of social mores and skills, in particular young children of Iranian heritage. 

I would like to invite Iranian-American mothers and their children to participate in this study. Anyone interested can download a copy of my study announcement to learn more about it. Specifically, I am seeking Iranian mothers who were born in Iran and who have at least one child between the ages of 4 and 5 years born and raised in America. Your child should currently be enrolled or have recently attended a preschool program because a part of this study requires obtaining  teacher evaluation. 

By participating in this study, mothers and children will greatly be contributing to our knowledge of child development, specially from the much needed perspective of cultural diversity. Furthermore, upon the completion of this study, participating mothers are welcome to obtain an evaluation of their child's social development from me if they wish.

The final product of this study will be reported in my dissertation document, possible publication, and will be presented to my committee professors. I will be taking diligent measures to ensure you and your family's anonymity if you choose to participate in this study.

If you would like to learn more information or are interested to participate, please feel free to e-mail me or contact me at home (408) 244-6244 between the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

I thank you in advance for your time.

Respectfully yours,

Artemis Savarnejad
Ph.D. Candidate
Developmental Studies
Gevirtz Graduate School of Education
University of California, Santa Barbara