Intro to Biology - Student Survey

Name:__________________________________   Nickname: ___________________ Grade:______    Period:______

Primary language:__________ Primary language used at home:___________ Parent's primary language____________

What technology do you have access to? (circle all that apply)  Computer / Printer / Internet

Where do you access the equipment circled above?  Home / School / Other: ________________

Do you work?  Yes / No   Where? __________________________  Hours per week?  ___________

What types of extracurricular activities are you involved in? (clubs, sports, hobbies, etc.) _______

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Would you like to attend college?  Yes / No  Why? ________________________________________

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Which career(s) are you interested in? ___________________________________________________

What science course did you take last year? ______________________________________________

Which school? ________________________   Teacher ___________________  Grade (A-F) ______

What was your favorite thing about this course?  Why? _____________________________________

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What was the least favorite thing about this course?  Why? __________________________________

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Why are you taking this class? ________________________________________________________

What can I do to help you succeed in this course? _________________________________________

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Other comments or questions: _________________________________________________________

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This is the survey that we gave the students in the Intro to Biology class. We surveyed both sections totaling 81 students. While the survey did not contain specific questions related to literacy, I was able to estimate their level of literacy through their responses to the questions.  Here is a summary of what I learned about my students:

Most of my students are freshmen.  There are some sophomores and a handful of juniors/seniors.  All of the students have access to a computer/printer/internet.  Most students access these technologies at home, some at the school.  There are a few students that work part time, but most don't work.  Many of the students participate in extracurricular activities including sports (soccer, basketball, football, volleyball, swim, track & field, surfing, gymnastics, lacrosse, skateboarding, golf, tennis, baseball, hockey and horseback riding), the arts (dance, piano, fashion, and art) and others (paintball, charity league, AVID, web design, and computer programming).  Most of the students have career goals.  Some examples of career aspirations are professional athlete, engineer, teacher, real estate, doctor, lawyer, military, entrepreneur and pilot.  Most of the students took physical science in the previous year.  Other classes they took include biology, chemistry, earth and space, physics and life science.  Many students are taking this class because it is required for going to college.   Some are returning students because they failed last year.  Others are interested in biology because they thought it would be fun.  Most students would like assistance in the areas of homework, studying, organization and staying focused.  According to the responses to the survey, most of the students in the class are able to communicate in a thoughtful and meaningful manner.  Some students gave one word answers for questions that required full sentence responses.  To date, we do not have any students designated as ELLs.  However, there are four students with IEPs.  These number may change since it is still early in the school year.

Reading the survey gave me an idea of who my students are.  I was quite surprised at the number of students who already had career choices in mind.  Since most of the students in this class are freshmen, I expected most of them to be undecided on a career choice.  Most of the students write coherently and are able to comprehend the instructional content.  However, some students struggle with comprehension. This conclusion is based on the responses to the survey questions, worksheets, assessments and my own observations in the classroom thus far.

I can use the information collected in a survey like this one to create an inclusive curriculum.  A survey like this will help me to understand where my students are coming from and their current capabilities.  I will learn their likes, dislikes, struggles, goals, and so on.  This will allow me to make adjustments to lessons based on what I learn.