Survey Administration Training — Potential Issues

What to do with non-participants

  • Need to have an alternate activity for students without consent or who choose not to participate
    • Alternate activity cannot be punitive in any way
    • Alternate activity should not disturb the other students who are responding to the survey
    • Examples of alternate activities:
      • Independent reading
      • Time to complete homework
      • Time at the library or computer room

Accommodations for Disabilities or Low Reading Levels

  • Encourage them to try their best on their own
  • Can read the question verbally from a separate copy of the survey but leave before the student answers to maintain confidentiality
  • Giving word definitions or pronunciation is fine
  • Explaining the question is not allowed
    • If an explanation is asked for, the survey administrator needs to tell the student to answer the question as best as he/she can. If the student really doesn’t understand the question then the student can skip the question.

Confidentiality of Survey Responses

  • The student responses should be completely anonymous
  • The classroom should be arranged to not allow students to look at each others’ responses
  • After reading the instructions to the students, the teacher should sit where it is obvious that he/she cannot view the students’ responses