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Week 6: Local Data-Gathering
This week we've asked you to design a survey in which you ask 5 questions of 15 subjects. Please post those questions here and describe your subject group. Be sure to formulate your questions so that you can put a value on the responses and graph them (for example: use a scale of 1 to 5). Those of you who will be gathering mostly "qualitative" data, (i.e. interviewing counselors, coaches, deans....) should also
think about how to ask questions so that you might graph the trends. In other words, as you design your survey, think about
how you will present the data.
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A Random Walk
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8 weeks 9 hours ago
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8 weeks 5 days ago
This survey will be given to
This survey will be given to freshman
How would your compare the amount of work/rigor of your college classes to the amount of work/rigor of your high school classes?
1 2 3 4 5
(1=much easier)
(5=much harder)
On average, how much time did you spend doing homework in high school?
a) less than 1 hour
b) 1-2 hours
c)3-4 hours
d)5-6 hours
e) more than 6 hours
On average, how much time do you spend doing homework in college?
a) less than 1 hour
b) 1-2 hours
c)3-4 hours
d)5-6 hours
e) more than 6 hours
In high school, how likely were you to complete your work for classes ahead of time?
1 2 3 4 5
(1=not likely, last minute)
(5=very likely, ahead of time)
This year, in college, how likely are you to complete your work for classes ahead of time?
1 2 3 4 5
(1=not likely, last minute)
(5=very likely, ahead of time)
Effect of environment on procrastination habits
I'm going survey 8 kids from my highschool going to Penn State and 8 kids from my highschool going to smaller schools to see how the change in environment has affected procrastination habits.
1. How different is your college from your high school in these five categories: public vs. private, over 2500 students vs. under 2500 students, coed vs. single sex, urban vs. suburban vs. rural, has classes with over 100 students vs. does not have classes with over 100 students
(add up the number of areas where there is a difference)
1 2 3 4 5
2. How much time did you spend procrastinating in high school?
0-1 hour 1-2 hours 2-3 hours 3-4 hours 4+ hours
3. With 1 being least satisfied and 5 being most satisfied, how satisfied were you with your procrastination habits in high school?
1 2 3 4 5
4. How much time do you spend procrastinating in college?
0-1 hour 1-2 hours 2-3 hours 3-4 hours 4+ hours
5. With 1 being least satisfied and 5 being most satisfied, how satisfied are you with your procrastination habits in college?
1 2 3 4 5
Survey on Exercise
How would you rate your self-confidence? (1 being very low and 5 being very high)
1 2 3 4 5
How would you rate your average happiness? (1 being depressed and 5 being extremely happy)
1 2 3 4 5
How would you rante your social connectedness? In other words, how connected do you feel to the people around you and in your life? (1 being not at all and 5 being very connected)
1 2 3 4 5
Are you a part of a sports team?
If not, do you exercise on your own? How many times a week?
Pollan - yet again
Article in yesterday's NY Times about Pollan's favorite food rules - direct link to rules
Sleep Survey
1. On average, do you get more or less than your optimal amount of sleep?
1- much less 7- much more
2. If you get less, is the cause more often social or academic obligations?
1-social 7-academic
3. How much do your roommates affect your sleeping habits?
1- not at all 7- very much
4. Is your roommate’s effect positive or negative?
1- negative 7-positive
5. How often do you consciously make an effort to go to sleep by a certain time?
1-never 7- always
How long to change habits?
I'm going to ask 15 seniors and my questions are:
-Have you ever attempted to change your habits for your physical and mental well-being since entering Bryn Mawr?
(yes, no)
-What kind of change? (It has to be a deliberate attempt with specific methods)
(sleeping, eating, exercising, being more productive, misc _____)
-Was it successful? Please rate from 1-10. Why do you think it was?
-How many days did it take for you to make it into a habit? (please write in numbers)
-Is it still a habit for you?
(yes, no)
Sleep?
On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate the following:
1- disagree 5- agree
1. I changed my sleeping habits because of the stress in college.
2. I feel I have enough sleep since I have come to college.
3. I feel comfortable during the day, don’t feel tired and would not fall asleep during class.
4. I think that sleep is important to health and academics.
5. On average, how many hours do you sleep a night?
A. 9+ hours
B. 9-7 hours
C. 7-5 hours
D. 5-3 hours
E. 3 or less hours
Prescription Drug Abuse at Bryn Mawr College: What's the truth?
Questions are related to the use of a specific kind of prescription medication called a Stimulant, a drug which enhances focus and is abused quite frequently at other competitive colleges and universities. The subject group will be a random selection of people on the third floor of PemWest.
1) On a scale of 0 to 10, how often do you use prescription medications such as Adderall, Ritalin, etc. to assist you with school work? 0 will indicate no use of stimulant medication and 10 will indicate habitual use.
2) On a scale of 0 to 10, how dependent do you feel you are on the drug? Dependency is defined as a need for the drug to complete homework assignments on time or to otherwise manage time. 0 will indicate completely independent and 10 will indicate complete dependence.
3) On a scale of 0 to 10, how much positive influence does the drug have on the quality of your time spent doing work? In other words, do you believe using these stimulants allow you to effectively maximize your time (10), or does using the stimulant cause distraction (0)?
4) On a scale of 0 to 10, how much positive influence does the drug exert on the quality of your work? Do you feel that using the drug produces better results than if you were to complete the assignment without the use of a stimulant (10), or do you feel that using the drug causes incoherence and poor work (0)?
5) Taking into consideration Bryn Mawr's long tradition of excellence in academia AND honesty in all aspects of life (our insignia does read, in translation, "I have chosen truth"), how much guilt do you feel in using prescription medication to help you with your work? Please select 0 if you have no guilt whatsoever, and 10 if you feel overwhelmingly guilty.
exercise and academic work
My subject group will be student-athletes or other random students who exercise in the gym (at least 15 people).
1. Why do you exercise in college?
2. On average, how many hours a week do you spend for exercising?
a. 2-4
b.5-7
c.8-10
d.11-13
e. more than 14 hours
3. On a scale 1-5, please rate Bryn Mawr's sport facilities in general (1=poor, 5=excellent).
4. On a scale 1-5, do you agree that exercising has a good impact on your academic work? (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree)
5. It is hard to balance study and exercise time in Bryn Mawr.(1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree
Sleep Questionnaire
Local Data: Drink & Health Survey
What kind of beverage(s) do you consume daily or routinely (excluding water)? Example: coffee, alcohol, tea, Red Bull, Gatorade, etc.
Time Management and Transportation
1. What type of transportation do you take to get to and from home to work/school
a. subway
b. car (drive yourself)
c. car (someone else drives you)
d. walk
2. How many miles between your house and work/school and how long does it take on average?
3. On a level of 1 to 5, to what degree are you dependent on the schedule of another for your transportation? One being no dependence on another and 5 being complete dependence on another.
4. On a level of 1 to 5, how would you rate your aggravation with your commute? One being no aggravation and five being a high level of aggravation
5. On a level of 1 to 5 to what extent would be say that you must schedule your time around our transportation? One being that transportation is no factor and five being that your day is scheduled around your transportation needs.
College Exercise Habits
1. How often do you exercise at college (this can include going to the gym, playing a sport, or attending a dance class).
a. never b. 1-2 days/week c. 3-5 days/week d.every day
2. How often did you exercise before coming to college?
a. never b. 1-2 days/week c. 3-5 days/week d.every day
3. Ideally, how often do you think you would you have to exercise in order to feel "healthy" (your definition of healthy)?
a. never b. 1-2 days/week c. 3-5 days/week d.every day
4. On a scale from 1-10, 1 being completely disagree and 10 being completely agree, how do you feel about the following statement: "I have too much work to exercise."
5. On a scale from 1-10, 1 being strongly dislike and 10 being love, how would you say you feel about exercising?
Sleeping in college
1. How many hours of sleep do you realistically get a weekday night?
1 (less than 3) 2 (4-5 hours) 3 (6-7 hours) 4 (8-9 hours) 5( more than 9 hours)
2. I sleep the same amount every night.
1 Very True 2 often true 3 somewhat true 4 somewhat not true 5 Not True
3. I wake up in the middle of the night.
1Very True 2 often true 3 somewhat true 4 somewhat not true 5 Not True
4. My sleeping habits changed once I started college
1 Very True 2 true 3 somewhat true 4 somewhat not true 5 Not True
5. Do you nap during the day?
1 Constantly taking naps that are individually less than three hours 2 Once a day for three hours or more 3 Once a day for less than three hours 4 Rare occasional naps 5 Never have napped
Motivation for Exercise
Survey:
My subjects will be divided into four categories: 4 female varsity team athletes, 4 male varsity team athletes, 4 female non-athletes, and 4 male non-athletes. This will allow for analysis of multiple trends. It will not include athletes who participate in individual sports and all athletes will be on NCAA Division III teams.
1. On a scale of 1-5 how much does your family motivate you to exercise (1 being least amount of motivation)?
2. On a scale of 1-5 how much do your friends motivate you to exercise (1 being least amount of motivation)?
3. On a scale of 1-5 how much do you motivate yourself to exercise (1 being least amount of motivation)?
4. On a scale of 1-5 how much do you enjoy exercising alone (1 being least amount of enjoyable)?
5. On a scale of 1-5 how much do you enjoy exercising in a group (1 being least enjoyable)?
Ahem.
In a more qualitative kind of schma, I am posing five questions to gain insight~ what do people know (or think they know) and how do they judge (or think they judge) belly dance as a strengthening art form? Since every form of dance obviously increases physical capabilities, I've decided to focus more on the social/emotional aspects of the dance.
1. 'Bellydance as we know it today is closer to American club dancing (pole dancing, stripping, burlesque, grinding, or any other sensual dance style) than to its Middle Eastern roots.'
True / False
---- --> 'This is a good thing.' True / False
2. 'Bellydance has historically been an audience-oriented dance. It has been more associated with sophistication, glamour, and elitism than tribal tradition (a dance for upper-class audiences vs. a spontaneous expression of enthusiasm).'
True / False
3. 'Bellydancing is a physical embodiment of feminist empowerment and a healthy, positive endeavor for any young woman (or man, as the case may be...)'
True / False
4. 'Bellydance historically was understood to be the art of "fallen women", "evil temptresses" on the loose, and "the practice of prostitutes for European clientele". Today, however, these opinions are understood to be misconceptions.'
True / False
---- --> 'This is a good thing.' True / False
5.'You would encourage your daughter, if she belly danced, to perform publicly.'
True / False
I think I will find more unpredictable results in my hometown Williamsburg, VA~ since it is both a college town and a conservative hub. Nice mix there, I think :)
Freshman 15
On a scale of 1-5, answer the following questions:
(1 = not at all/never, 5 = a lot/ very often)
1. I have taken advantage of the gym/ exercised many times since I’ve been at school.
1
2. I believe in the Freshman 15 and think that it is effecting me.
3. I go to the dining halls and cafes more times a day than there are set meals- breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
4. I keep a full supply of junk food in my room and I have gone to the store to buy more since I’ve been here.
5. I have had food delivered since I’ve been here (Chinese, Campus Corner, Pizza, etc.)
Changes of goals from high school to college
Changes of goals (Performance vs. Mastery goal) from high school to college
I’m doing a survey to see how students’ goals (mastery goals - desire for knowledge- vs. performance goals – desire for grade) changed as they moved from high school to college.
Subject Group: My subject group will be the upperclassmen from Bryn Mawr. The reason for this is because, as my fellow students have suggested, freshmen haven’t been here long enough to develop habits yet.
My questions are:
When you were in high school.
1) How much do you value your grade? (1-5) (1- not really, 5-greatly)
2) How much is your desire for knowledge? (1-5) (1- not really, 5-greatly)
3) On average, how many hours do you sleep a night?
1. 9+ hours
2. 9-7 hours
3. 7-5 hours
4. 5-3 hours
5. 3 or less hours
4) On average, how many hours do you study per night?
1. 4+ hours
2. 4-3 hours
3. 3-2 hours
4. 2-1 hours
5. 1 or less hours
Now that you are in college.
5.) How much do you value your grade? (1-5) (1- not really, 5-greatly)
6.) How much is your desire for knowledge? (1-5) (1- not really, 5-greatly)
7.) On average, how many hours do you sleep a night?
1. 9+ hours
2. 9-7 hours
3. 7-5 hours
4. 5-3 hours
5. 3 or less hours
8.) On average, how many hours do you study per night?
1. 4+ hours
2. 4-3 hours
3. 3-2 hours
4. 2-1 hours
5. 1 or less hours
Freshman Fifteen Scare! How is it handled at BMC?
Scale from 1 to 5
1. I take the freshman fifteen seriously.
1 2 3 4 5
2. I watch what I eat and avoid fatty foods to not gain weight.
1 2 3 4 5
3. I go to the gym regularly in hopes of keeping off those extra pounds.
1 2 3 4 5
4. I think the whole idea of the freshman fifteen is ridiculous.
1 2 3 4 5
5. There is no way that I will gain fifteen pounds this year alone.
1 2 3 4 5
How difficult is it to change study habits?
Subject group: This survey will be given to eight freshmen and eight seniors in the Bryn Mawr community. The subject is study habit formation and whether habits can be changed easily or not.
1. On average, how many hours of sleep do you get on a school night in college?
a. 9 hours or more
b. between 8 and 7 hours
c. between 6 and 5
d. between 4 and 3
e. between 2 and 1
2. On average, how many hours of sleep did you get on a school night in high school?
a. 9 hours or more
b. between 8 and 7 hours
c. between 6 and 5
d. between 4 and 3
e. between 2 and 1
3. On average, how many hours do you spend on activities such as napping, facebook, email, t.v., talking with hallmates, etc. in college?
a. 5 or more
b. 4
c. 3
d. 2
e. 1
3. On average, how many hours did you spend on activities such as napping, facebook, email, t.v., talking with friends, etc. in high school?
a. 5 or more
b. 4
c. 3
d. 2
e. 1
5. On a scale of 1-5, how do your study habits now differ from your study habits in high school?
1 2 3 4 5
not at all moderately a lot
Varsity Athletes
Going off of my last paper, I want to find out how many professors at Bryn Mawr played sports in college or high school. One of my sources for my paper said that the majority of college athletes go on to teach, and I would like to poll the professors here and the athletes to see if any of them are interested in teaching. Also, is it possible for me to circulate a survey to the professors? I was hoping to use Survey Monkey but am I allowed to send something out to all of the professors?
Anyway, here are my questions:
For Professors:
1. Did you play any school-sponsored sports in college? If so, what sport?
2. Did you play any school-sponsored sports in high school? If so, what sport?
3. Did you play any other sports as part of a team at any point in your life? If so, what sport?
4. When did you decide to go in to academia?
For Student-Athletes:
1. What sport(s) do you do at Bryn Mawr?
2. What sport(s) did you do in high school, if any?
3. Did you play any sports before high school?
4. Have you ever considered becoming a teacher? If so, are you still interested in becoming a teacher?
satisfaction with time management choices
I plan to survey a sample of Merion residents representing all four classes.
1. Between the hours of 9 pm and 3 am on a typical school night, approximately how many hours do you spend engaged in the following activities?
Sleep
Homework
Social activities
Procrastinating
Extracurriculars
Other
Please answer the following questions on a scale of one to five.
2. How satisfied are you with the amount of time you spend on schoolwork?
3. How satisfied are you with the amount of sleep you get?
4. Has the amount of time you spend procrastinating had a significant negative impact on your academic success?
5. Overall, how satisfied are you with the way you spend your free time?
Survey Questions
My subject group will consist of a nonrandom sample of 15 Bryn Mawr College undergraduate students on the subject of sleeping habits and its effects on time management and stress.
1. On a scale of 1-5, rate how stressed you feel on a typical day where 1 is very stressed and 5 is not very stressed.
2. On a scale of 1-5, rate the following activities in order of the most time spent performing them in a typical day where 1 is the activity that takes the most time and 5 is the activity that takes the least time.
Academic work (anything pertaining to a class such as notes, homework, ect.)
Leisure activity (watching t.v., reading a non-class related book, ect.)
Sleeping
Extracurricular activities (clubs, sports, ect.)
Other
3. On a scale of 1-5, rate how awake you feel on a typical day where 1 is not very awake and 5 is very awake.
4. How many times do you drink caffeinated substances on a typical day? (Count each serving. For example, two cups of coffee would be two times.)
1) 1 or less
2) 2
3) 3
4) 4
5) 5 or more
5. Approximately how many hours do you sleep on a typical day?
1) 1 or less
2) 2-3
3) 4-5
4) 6-7
5) 8 or more
Sleep Questions for Data Gathering
1. How many hours of sleep do you generally get on a weeknight?
a. less than 2 hours b. 2-3 hours c. 4-5 hours d. 6-7 hours e. 8-9 hours f. more than 10 hours
2. What is the primary reason for your loss of sleep?
a. homework b. electronics c. unable to fall asleep d. other ___________
3. How much caffeine do you drink in the morning?
a. none b. 1 cup c. 2-3 cups d. 4 or more cups
4. How much caffeine do you drink at night after 8pm?
a. none b. 1 cup c. 2-3 cups d. 4 or more cups
5. Once you have fallen asleep, how many times do you wake up in the night?
a. none b. once c. twice d. more than 3 times a night
"It's gay to smoke"
couldn't resist sharing this (tongue in cheek? troubling?) "nudge":
onion's account of "new anti-smoking ads [that] tell teens it's gay to smoke."
survey
1. How many hours of sleep do you get on weekdays? (On average)
1 2 3 4 5
2. How many hours of sleep do you get on weekends? (On average)
1 2 3 4 5
Less than 5 hours 5-7 hours 7-9 hours 9-11 hours More than 11 hours
3. How many naps do you take during the day?
1 2 3 4 5
Never. It never helps. One. Two. Three. More than three. Oh, I love naps.
4. Do you feel refreshed when you wake up?
1 2 3 4 5
Absolutely. Most of the time. Sometimes. Barely. Never.
5. Do you drink coffee or other caffeine-contained drinks to keep yourself awake?
1 2 3 4 5
Sleep Habits data- by Lillie
Here are my questions.
1. On average, how many hours of sleep do you receive per night at BMC? [number answer]
2. When you wake up, do you feel rested? [always, almost always, sometimes, almost never, never]
3. Does that amount you sleep affect your ability to do well academically? [yes, no]
4. Why? Is it because you sleep less to study more and do better on tests? Or does lack of sleep affect you negatively? Please explain (does not need to be long). [text]
5. How many hours of sleep would you like to get a night? [number]
Other
Peter asked me to post this on the blog...thought this might be the best place.
I found this really interesting article about Ecoli poisoning. I thought it did a great job of addressing the issues of trust and food - two main themes of our class. Enjoy. :)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/health/04meat.html?_r=1&hp
how nonsense strengthens the intellect
Thanks, Maiya; very interesting, indeed!
Perhaps even more interesting (esp. to the vegetarians among us) is the follow-up article about Ten Common Food Poisoning Risks, which explains that the top thee riskiest foods are leafy greens (!), eggs, and tuna...
While I'm @ it, here's another article that intersects w/ what we've been reading this week and last, about the brain's looking for patterns: called How Nonsense Strengthens the Intellect, it both shows how the "urge for order satisfies itself...regardless of the quality of the evidence" (which we know), and how also, @ least some of the time, "disorientation begets creative thinking" (which we haven't focused on...@ least not yet!)
Exercise
1. How often do you exercise at college?
2. Are you increasing the amount you exercise at college compared to at home?