Kristen Jackson Field Seminar 3/22/12 Artifact 6: Survey 1 Analysis This first survey was distributed to my first takeover

class on November 30, 2012. It was initially used to gauge students needs and understanding of their behavior. I gave it to them primarily because their seating arrangements was severely compromising their productivity, and I wanted to see if I could illicit responses that acknowledged that their behavior contributed to their poor understanding of the material. The results of this survey were extremely telling in that they informed the forming of my inquiry question as well as helped me understand my class better. As acknowledged in earlier artifacts, the questions have undergone severe revision since between the first and third survey, but they were nonetheless very helpful. The questions began very simple, asking them to evaluate their effort and behavior, which was a simple selfassessment of do you think youve been trying? and the final questions were much more intuitive, asking them to consider if their (mis)behavior in class contributes to their overall class performance. I collected 15 surveys during this first round, and some data from them will be analyzed below. The survey was given specifically to determine if students were aware of how the seating arrangement was affecting the classroom environment. At the time, students were not completing assignments and the lessons were moving slowly due to constant disruption from talking. I wanted to know if students could admit to that or if they thought everything was fine. This would give me either an understanding of if the students thought their talking was a problem or not, and if they saw their talking as excessive or not. Question #3 asked students to rate the statement: If I

moved my seat, I would behave better. Out of the 15 surveys received, 14/15 students ranked the question a 3 or below, indicating that no their seat does not need to be moved or they are fine where they are at. Some of examples of responses are below:

The top two responses received were Im good where Im at and I will talk no matter what. This initially was baffling because I believed that my students were completely unaware. But as I stated before, I had to reconceptualize what it meant to them to be focused and attentive, and many of them do not see their talking as excessive. Moreover, they talk in all of their classes and

are around the same people everyday, so they do not see it as a problem per se. This could have been detrimental to my understanding of my inquiry, however, my question asks can students self-asses, not can students see things the way I want them to. Many of them were able to acknowledge that they either talk too much in class or do not complete all of their assignments in a timely fashion, which redeems this survey for artifact purposes. Questions 8 and 9 ask students to rank the statements I believe I deserve an A in this class and I believe I could earn an A if I changed my behavior or worked harder. Out of the 15 surveys collected, 11 students ranked statement 8 above an 8, and 9 of the students ranked statement 9 at a 9 or 10. It is not the rankings that were of import to me, but their explanations. As students ranked themselves and had to explain this answer, many of them were forced to examine whether or not there is more they could be doing to perform well in history. Their responses were telling in that all of them self-assessed themselves as able and willing to do more to do an A, and moreover, that theyre not currently giving 100%. Of the students who responded in the 9-10 range to this statement, some of the responses are as follows.

These examples express a belief they can achieve an A, a desire to obtain an A, but also a realization that they could do more to get an A. The response if I try harder is loaded, in that students are acknowledging that they can do more, but also that they have not been doing enough. These two responses in conjunction with each other are the very reason I pursued this line of inquiry. Realizing that I can ask my students questions that will get them to look inwardly at their own actions and how theyre affecting their own academic successes is precisely why Ive continued with this line of inquiry. Simply because I know that my students have the capabilities, but may not have ever been encouraged to look inward to determine what they can do to succeed. I learned a lot from this survey, and it has become the crux of my inquiry evaluation in order to gain a better understanding of my students and to continue learning about what goes on in their heads.