Study information and data protection declaration

 

Information on the Study „Gen(i)us: Artikel lernen digital“

 

Dear prospective participant,

this document will provide you with information on the research project „Gen(i)us: Artikel lernen digital“ (“Gen(i)us: Learning articles digitally”). The project is being led by a team of researchers of the Department for Special Education at Freie Universität Berlin.

The purpose of the study is to investigate whether practising with the learning app we have developed leads to a short- and medium-term improvement in the use of articles. We also want to examine how the effect of the app is influenced by vocabulary, intelligence, media literacy, socio-economic status and language acquisition biography.

 

What is the study procedure?

You will get free access to our learning app (study version) on your private smartphone or tablet. You will be asked to practice regularly with the app 3 times per week for at least 10 minutes over the course of 5 weeks. All the tasks on the app have a fun and playful design. After finishing the study, access to the full version of the app will be granted, so that you can continue practicing if you wish to.

In addition to the training phase at home, the study includes four testing sessions at intervals of around 5 weeks. Individual testing takes no more than one hour. The first test must take place in person (at Freie Universität Berlin or, if possible, on the premises of your language course). The following three tests can also take place online.         
As part of the testing, we want to measure how well you perform at choosing the correct article. We will also assess your vocabulary by letting you select images. Furthermore, we will measure your intelligence once. Right after practising at home, we will ask you how much you enjoyed practicing with the app. Lastly, we will ask you to fill out an online form with questions regarding your language development and your personal situation. It contains information about your profession and educational qualifications as well as your language background.              
The entire length of the study (practising with the learning app and the tests) is approximately 15 weeks.         
After completing all four tests and practising regularly, you will receive a voucher worth 30 euros.

 

What happens to the data?

Data regarding usage behaviour of the app (duration and frequency of practice) will be collected and stored in encrypted form on a server in Germany. In one exercise in the learning app, voice input is processed in real time and stored as text. The voice input itself is not stored. To analyse the data, it is stored in encrypted form on the university’s own storing device. Before the data is analysed, the data temporarily stored on the server in Germany is deleted. All data, including personal information and usage behaviour, will be treated confidentially, meaning instead of using your name, we will create a code consisting of numbers and letters. That way, your name will be saved under a pseudonym. Codes can only be assigned to names and contact details via files that are stored password protected on servers which can only be accessed by project staff. In line with current law, all data will be archived for 10 years after finishing the study. After 10 years, all data will be deleted.

In case the study results are published, your identity remains anonymous, i.e. outside the project team at FU Berlin it is not possible to assign the data to your person, and it is also not evident from the data that you have participated in a study. Furthermore, data will not be handed over to third parties.

Lastly, we would like to emphasise that participating in the study (practicing with the app and participating in the tests) is completely voluntary. You always have the right to withdraw without giving any reasons. Withdrawing from participation will not have any negative consequences whatsoever.

 

We would appreciate your participation in our study. If you have any questions regarding the study, the data policy, your legal rights etc., please don’t hesitate to contact Prof. Dr. Flavia Adani (flavia.adani@fu-berlin.de) who will gladly answer them.

 

If you would like to participate, please accept the declaration of consent and data protection declaration in the questionnaire.

 

Best regards,    
the Gen(i)us project team

 

 

 

Data protection declaration of Freien Universität Berlin

on the implementation of the „Gen(i)us: Artikel lernen digital“ study

 

Freie Universität Berlin (hereinafter referred to as “FU Berlin”) is the employer, i.e. the responsible party, for this data processing within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In accordance with the information obligations of the responsible party, we hereby request that you take note of the following notification:

1. Person responsible and data protection official

The Freie Universität Berlin, Kaiserswerther Str. 16-18, 14195 Berlin, is responsible for this data processing. The contact person is Prof. Dr. Flavia Adani, 030 838 667 27, flavia.adani@fu-berlin.de. You can reach the FU Berlin's data protection official using the following address: DSB-FUBerlin@kinast.eu

1. Data processing in the context of the study
2. Type of personal data, scope and purpose

The FU Berlin processes the following categories of personal data as part of the data processing in question:

-        contact information (name, e-mail address, telephone number)

-        sociodemographic data (age, gender, linguistic background, occupation, educational attainment, household income)

As part of the study, your name, e-mail address and telephone number are collected to contact you and arrange an appointment. We also ask for your year and month of birth and your gender to be able to determine age-specific or gender-specific differences. No video or audio recordings will be taken during the study. A questionnaire will be used to analyse your language history and language use. This information is important to determine whether you grew up monolingually or multilingually and to identify any differences in language use at home, at work or in your leisure time.

As part of the study, data on the user behaviour regarding the learning app (exercise duration and
exercise frequency) is compiled to be able to determine differences in terms of user behaviour. In one exercise in the learning app, voice input is processed by Google speech recognition in real time, storing the result as text (maximum 255 characters). The voice input itself is not stored. The data is collected online via the app itself, listed under the participant number, transferred to a server in Germany in encrypted form and stored temporarily. To analyse the data, it is stored on the university's own storage device, also in encrypted form. The data temporarily stored on the server in Germany is deleted before being analysed. Apart from the participant number, no other personal data is collected within the learning app.

The processing of personal data as well as data on user behaviour of the app is carried out for the purpose of data collection for the study “Gen(i)us: Artikel lernen digital” by employees of the Department of Special Education/Language Development at the Faculty of Education and Psychology of the FU Berlin.

1. Legal basis for data processing

The legal basis for data processing is the consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a) GDPR) of the person concerned (see § 17 BlnDSG). If health data is affected by data processing, e.g. regarding the information collected with the questionnaires on any known language disorders in the family, your consent is the legal basis for data processing in accordance with Art. 9 para. 2 lit. a GDPR.

 

1. Storage period

The personal data collected as part of the study as well as the data on the user behaviour of the app will be stored password protected on local computers of the FU Berlin for a maximum of 10 years after publication of the study results, provided that the purpose of the data processing remains valid up to this point and no legal retention periods prevent deletion. The list of real names, which can be used to identify participants, will be deleted after the end of the evaluation phase. If you withdraw your consent, your data will be deleted upon receipt of your declaration of withdrawal.

1. Recipients of data

The Department of Special Education with a focus on Language Development at Freie Universität Berlin, Fabeckstraße 35, 14195 Berlin is the recipient of the personal data. Access to the project data is granted to employees of this department (project management, project staff and student assistants working on the project, research interns and students writing their theses as part of the project).

1. Your rights

With respect to the people responsible, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access by the data subject, Art. 15 GDPR
• Right to rectification, Art. 16 GDPR     
• Right to erasure, Art. 17 GDPR              
• Right to restriction of processing, Art. 18 GDPR           
• Right to data portability, Art. 20 GDPR              
• Right to object, Art. 21 GDPR

You also have the option to revoke your consent to data processing at any time without giving reasons. To do so, please contact: Prof. Dr. Flavia Adani.         

Furthermore, you have the option to complain to the data protection authority in charge about data processing you consider to be unauthorised. The data protection authority responsible for the FU Berlin is the Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (Berliner Beauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit) (https://www.datenschutz-berlin.de/).

Automatised decision-making does not take place.

 

Berlin, 21.05.2025