Data Collection in Practice: Student Surveys and Observations

Section Data Collection in Practice: Student Surveys and Observations

The most common way students collect data is through surveys and simple observations. While these seem straightforward, there are important considerations that affect the quality and usefulness of the data.

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Exploration 11. Try This Week: Student Survey Basics.

Materials: Paper or simple digital survey tool

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Steps for Success:

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1. Write Clear Questions: Avoid yes/no questions when you want more information. Instead of “Do you like reading?” try “How many books do you read per month?”

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2. Consider Question Order: Start with easy, non-personal questions. Save sensitive topics for later if needed.

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3. Test Your Questions: Try the survey with a few students first. Are the questions clear? Do students understand what you’re asking?

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4. Plan for Different Responses: What if someone doesn’t know? What if they have multiple answers? Plan for these situations.

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5. Make Recording Easy: Use simple forms, clear handwriting, or digital tools that work reliably.

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Checkpoint 32.

Which survey question would give you more useful data: “Do you exercise?” or “How many days per week do you exercise for at least 20 minutes?”

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Hint.

Consider which question would give you specific, comparable information.

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Solution.

“How many days per week do you exercise for at least 20 minutes?” is much better because it defines what counts as exercise (20+ minutes) and gives you a number you can compare across students. “Do you exercise?” is too vague—everyone might have different ideas about what “exercise” means, leading to responses that can’t be meaningfully compared.

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Checkpoint 33.

When should students use observation rather than surveys to collect data?

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Hint.

Think about what types of information can be directly observed versus what requires asking people.

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Solution.

Observation works well for things like: counting how many students choose different lunch options, measuring plant growth, timing how long different activities take, or recording weather conditions. Surveys are better for opinions, preferences, experiences, or information that isn’t directly observable (like how students feel about a topic or what they do at home).

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Sometimes the most interesting investigations involve students creating their own data through experiments or systematic observations.

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Exploration 12. Ideas for Student-Generated Data.

Elementary Examples:

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• Track daily weather and look for patterns over a month

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• Count different types of vehicles passing the school during different times

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• Measure how far different paper airplane designs fly

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• Record which playground activities are most popular at different times of day

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Secondary Examples:

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• Test how different study environments affect concentration (measured by task completion time)

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• Track school recycling data over time and relate it to awareness campaigns

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• Compare plant growth under different conditions (light, water, soil type)

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• Survey students about career interests and compare across grade levels

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Checkpoint 34.

Choose one of the examples above (or create your own) that would fit into a lesson you’re planning. What materials would you need? What challenges might arise?

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