STUDENT SURVEY ANALYSIS

STUDENT SURVEY
SUMMARY/ANALYSIS
Note: This assignment is to be submitted to your EDIS 587X seminar instructor and
will constitute 15% of your course grade. In addition, the results of this assignment
are used by the TED office to gather data across all programs to provide analysis for
accreditation and other program improvement efforts.
Meranda Merritt

Teaching Associate Name:

Program of Study:
School:

B/MT English Education

Academic School Year: 2015

Grade(s): 9-12

Murray High School

Subject (for secondary):

English

Split Placement: NO
How many surveys
did you distribute?

19

How many completed

surveys were returned?

19

Percentages of completed
surveys
(Divide #2/#1 for percentage)

100 %

STUDENT SURVEY ANALYSIS

Meranda Merritt
12 November 2014
EDIS 5872
Demographics
I distributed my student survey via Google Forms to my AP English Literature
and Composition and English through Drama classes. Collectively, nineteen students
took the survey during the class period. These classes are comprised of six males and
thirteen females. Most of the students are Caucasian, with the expectation of one student
who is of an Asian-American descent. Of these nineteen students, five have
Individualized Education Program (IEPs) and receive Special Education
accommodations; two students have plans for Autism, one for an auditory processing
disorder, and two with documented Attention Deficit Disorder. There are no English
Language Learners in these classes. In this particular school, the majority of the students
are considered disadvantaged. According to the county definition, students who qualify
for free and reduced prices for meals under the federal program are considered
disadvantaged students. Although I am not completely sure, I would say many of the
students in these classes fall under this category.

Influencing Factors
Students were presented with a fourteen-question statement survey. They were
able indicate their agreement with each statement on a scale of one through five; a rating
of five would indicate that they strongly agree with the statement. If the student gives a
rating of three, that is an indication that he/she is not sure about their agreement to the
statement. A comments section was also included in the development of the survey; this
is a place where the student is able to type in a comment or concern they have about the

STUDENT SURVEY ANALYSIS

course or their teacher. Throughout the process of administering this survey, I found that
there was confusion about a couple of the questions. Due to my own teaching philosophy
and the school dynamic, I do not assign homework. I did not think about this when I
administered the survey; the homework statement should have been removed from the
survey. One of the students who receive special education services voiced some concerns
after she submitted the survey. She thought that she misread one of the questions; she
thought that one of them took the negative form, which it had not. According to the
student, this resulted in a lower score. Also, I had just had a major blowout with a student
the day before about his negativity and constant criticism. It was resolved, but I am sure it
would probably affect his responses.
Analysis
All of my students provided me with high marks on the questions that relate to
their understanding of my content knowledge mastery. 90% of my students strongly
agree that I know and understand the subject being taught; the other 10% simply agreed
two students issued fours on this question. In the comment section, one student noted my
content knowledge; [Ms. Merritt] is very knowledgeable and I feel as if I am pulled into
her words and forced to listen because the way she speaks about things she is passionate
about just intrigues me to want to know more. I love what I teach and study; my students
can observe this enthusiasm in the creative ways I approach the subject and how I speak
about literature.
According to the results of my survey, I believe my students are observing my
attempts at recreating my pedagogical knowledge in the classroom. I received a range of
marks to the question, My teacher uses different materials and activities to help us

STUDENT SURVEY ANALYSIS

learn; 15% of my students gave me a three or below on the before mentioned statement.
During this experience, I have experimented with a variety of instructional delivery. Of
course, my students have taken to some deliveries more than others; therefore I have used
certain practices more than others due to the results it produced. The results of my student
survey reflect these experiences. Also, I have experimented with the sequence of
activities in my AP English class. After speaking with my CI, I decided to braid my
instruction. I started layering different assignments and readings; students would be
working on two or three assignments at one time. At the time of the survey, I was just
starting this practice and I was still hammering out the kinks. One student commented on
this endeavor; I find this class a little jumpy at times. We do so many things at one time
that we just sort of jump around to each assignment or area of study everyday... The
material is good and the teacher is not vague, there is just a lot going on at once and there
is not much order in the sequence of assignments. I still believe that effective instruction
involves weaving assignments, but I need to improve the implementation of the practice.
Though my instructional deliver could be enhanced, it is clear that my students
perceive me to be a caring and effective teacher. Throughout my student teaching
experience, I have made it a goal to have a close relationship with each and every student
who enters my classroom. This effort has not gone unnoticed; my students tend to
gravitate toward me and seek me out for advice. The results of my student survey reflect
this effort I received high marks on questions regarding these characteristics. 68% of
my students strongly agreed that I treat everyone fairly in the classroom; the other 32%
simply agreed. After reviewing the comment section of the surveys, I found a common
theme: friendly authority; She is approachable and helpful, but still keeps a friendly

STUDENT SURVEY ANALYSIS

authority in the classroom. Due to the relationships I have cultivated throughout the
semester, my students recognize the mutual respect that exists in my classroom. Mutual
respect is vital in creating a functional classroom community. Students need to know that
the classroom is a safe space for expression and academic prowess. Being a friendly
authority figure helps with this dynamic; Ms. Merritt is a wonderful and personable
teacher. She has found the balance of being cool and relatable to the student while till
holding authority and being our teacher. Lastly, students know that I want them to
succeed. 95% of my students agree that I encourage every student to learn through my
instruction. Because I have a high population of students with IEPs, I incorporate
individualize instruction and one-on-one help in every lesson. One student speaks to this
practice in her comment; I love my teacher. She's really nice and she helps me on what
were learning if I don't understand it. This comment was one of the most important and
informational I received. For the purpose of providing my students care and efficiency, it
is helpful to know that they understand that I am there to assist them in any way I know
how.
Upon reviewing the results, it is clear that I have to improve on the feedback I
give. I am not surprised by this outcome; feedback is an area of growth I have focused on
throughout my student teaching experience. Providing feedback verbally and during
instruction does not prove to be a problem, but providing effective feedback on writing
and other assignments is a challenge. Two students in my AP Literature and Composition
class stated that they are unsure about my abilities to provide effective feedback. Due to
the amount of time it takes to thoughtfully respond to students work, I have been slow
on giving feedback on their essays. I think the issue stems from the fact that I want to be

STUDENT SURVEY ANALYSIS

as thorough as possible while grading their rough drafts. Perhaps I could shift my
expectations slightly; instead of looking at the quality of the whole piece of writing, I can
pinpoint students understanding and mastery of the precise objectives I set for the
assignment. In that case, students are given feedback more quickly and the feedback
would be aligned with the objectives of the various lessons. Other issues I see in the
results of the student surveys seem to be problems with transparency in my instruction.
My students have expressed that they have not heard purpose of my lessons explicitly
stated. In order to counteract that, I can state the purpose of the lesson at the beginning of
the lesson with a bridge from the previous lesson. This way, the connections between the
lessons are apparent and clearly communicated. Also, I can provide the students with
guiding statements or questions that they can reflect on or answer throughout the lesson.
With statements or questions in front of them, students will be able to logically follow the
flow of the lesson and infer its purpose. I can also write the objectives on the board and
go over them at the start of each class period. During this process, I have learned the
importance of transparency in my instruction; if my students know where they are going,
it is easier for them to arrive at their destination.