Thank you for your assistance with this project. Please read through the following instructions completely. The data collected from the Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health Student Survey provides important information used to plan and evaluate drug, alcohol, tobacco, and violence prevention programming for your school and community. To make the data comparable to previous years and within the state, it is very important that the surveys are filled out correctly based on these instructions.
Materials Needed:
- Classroom Survey Packet containing:
- Survey Administration Instructions (on the reverse side)
- A list of your students that indicates whether or not they returned a Parental Consent revoking permission to take the survey.
Survey Administration
1. Verify that all the students taking the survey have permission to participate. Those who do not have permission to participate, and those who choose not to participate should be sent to another classroom or given an alternative non-obtrusive activity to do, such as independent reading or studying for another class, while the remaining students complete the survey.
2. Every student taking the survey should be seated at their own computer with an internet browser (such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari) open on the website [Survey Site URL coming Soon]. If you want, you may log every computer into the survey prior to beginning the survey using the classroom code provided at the bottom of this sheet. Once this code has been activated it will be live for 2 hours, after which time no one can login again using that code. Alternatively, you can wait until the students are seated and have them enter the classroom code as part of the log in process.
3. Read the script on the following page aloud to the students. What you read aloud is in normal typeface, whereas the actions you need to complete are in bold. It is important that all students in one class use the same code and take the survey simultaneously. Each class should have a different classroom code.
4. After reading the script, please stay in a location where it is obvious you cannot monitor or see any student’s answers. If a student asks, you may help pronounce any unfamiliar words or provide a definition of a word to that student. However, do not try to “interpret” or “explain” the meaning of a question for the student. Simply tell the student to answer the question as best as he or she can.
5. Remind students to click the “Finish” button after answering the last question to save their answers.
6. Five minutes before the end of the class period, inform the students of how much time they have remaining.
7. At the end of the class period, make sure all students have closed their internet browser.
Survey Administration Script
“Good (morning/afternoon). The purpose of this survey is to learn how students feel about their community, peers, and school. The survey also asks about health behaviors. The results from this survey will be used to evaluate prevention services, make policy decisions, and justify the need for future funding. Your participation and honesty on this survey may help decide what services you and your fellow students receive in the future. It may also be used to evaluate whether the services are successful. The answers you give are very important because only you can tell us about yourself. Please read each question carefully and answer it openly and honestly based on what you really think, believe, or do. This is not a test. There are no right or wrong answers.
“Filling out this survey is voluntary and nothing negative will happen if you choose not to participate. Choosing not to participate will not affect your grades or class standing. If you do not have permission from your parents or guardians, or if you choose not to participate, please work on something else quietly while the other students complete the survey. [If necessary explain what other activities the students who are not participating in the survey can do, such as silent reading or studying.]
“Your answers will be completely private. The code that is used to log on to the survey does not in any way identify you, and is only used to verify the school where you are taking the survey. No one will be able to tell your survey from any of the other surveys in your school. During the reporting of the survey results, your answers cannot be singled out. Instead, the results will be presented across groups of students. Once you are done close your internet browser, and work on something else quietly until the end of class.
“Do you have any questions? [Pause and answer any questions that are asked.]
[If needed, have the class log into the survey by going to [Survey Site URL coming soon] and then have all the class members enter the classroom code found on the first page of these instructions. If the student was unable to log in, try the log in procedure again and make sure to enter the code exactly as it is listed. If that still does not work, please call (307) 760-9376 for technical support.]
“We will now begin the survey; please do not close your internet browser until you are finished. Please read the instructions on the first page. After you have finished reading the instructions, click the “next” button and begin answering the questions. You can answer a question by clicking on the circle next to an answer choice. You may erase your answer by clicking on the same answer choice again. To change your answer, click on a different answer choice. Your answers will be saved as you answer the survey. On any question, if you do not find an answer that exactly fits, use the one that comes the closest. If a question does not apply to you, or you are not sure what it means, just leave it blank. You can skip any questions you do not wish to answer. You may stop at any time by closing the browser. Overall, completing the survey should not be any more work than finishing your usual schoolwork. There is a small chance that some individuals will feel upset or troubled after answering the survey. If you feel that way, you may contact your school counselor, who can help.
“You will have the rest of the class period to complete the survey. Please work as quickly as you can, so you can finish and try to answer all the questions. Make sure to click the “Finish” button on the last page to save your answers. If you have any questions, please raise your hand. Remember to close the internet browser after you are done. Thank you for participating in this survey.”