End-of-Unit Student Survey Responses
A sample of student responses:
Reflections on student responses:
Over the course of this unit, I knew that many students were unhappy, confused, frustrated, or just apathetic about the research project for a variety of reasons, and I wanted to get a sense of how the entire class was feeling so I passed out another survey at the end of the unit that had several open-ended questions asking for students’ opinions on different aspects of the project.
As I had hoped, most were honest about their feelings, and some gave constructive answers as to how the project could be improved. With questions 2 and 4, I wanted the students to think specifically about what they did not like and provide detailed constructive criticism, rather than falling back on generalized, negative statements. For question 4, several students wrote that they wanted clearer instructions, or directions that spanned the entire unit rather than just one or a few days. For question 2, while there were a variety of answers, they all centered on aspects of the project that students had previously expressed confusion about and had said they did not understand how something would fit into the larger scope of their final product.
Though I had given one survey previously, the responses I received with this questionnaire provided much more insight to how the students were thinking and feeling about the entire unit, and how they thought things should be changed. Not only was this an opportunity for me to understand how the students were feeling, but it also became a space for them to express their thoughts in an anonymous, low stakes situation. I wanted them to know that their frustration and confusion was important and valid, and that I wanted know what they were thinking.
Over the course of this unit, I knew that many students were unhappy, confused, frustrated, or just apathetic about the research project for a variety of reasons, and I wanted to get a sense of how the entire class was feeling so I passed out another survey at the end of the unit that had several open-ended questions asking for students’ opinions on different aspects of the project.
As I had hoped, most were honest about their feelings, and some gave constructive answers as to how the project could be improved. With questions 2 and 4, I wanted the students to think specifically about what they did not like and provide detailed constructive criticism, rather than falling back on generalized, negative statements. For question 4, several students wrote that they wanted clearer instructions, or directions that spanned the entire unit rather than just one or a few days. For question 2, while there were a variety of answers, they all centered on aspects of the project that students had previously expressed confusion about and had said they did not understand how something would fit into the larger scope of their final product.
Though I had given one survey previously, the responses I received with this questionnaire provided much more insight to how the students were thinking and feeling about the entire unit, and how they thought things should be changed. Not only was this an opportunity for me to understand how the students were feeling, but it also became a space for them to express their thoughts in an anonymous, low stakes situation. I wanted them to know that their frustration and confusion was important and valid, and that I wanted know what they were thinking.