School surveys

School surveys

Pencil and paperOnline interactive
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Further Resources
This task is about identifying whether a survey sample is biased and explaining why.
When a survey is done, the sample chosen must fairly represent the whole group.
Complete the statements to explain why each of the following samples do not fairly represent the whole group.

Question 1Change answer

a)  To find out what parents who drive their children to school thought of the new school car park,
     the principal interviewed every 3rd person driving into the car park on Monday morning. 
     This sample does not fairly represent the whole group because ...

Question 1Change answer

b)  To find out what students thought of their new classroom computers,
     a teacher interviewed every 5th person who used the library at lunchtime. 
     This sample does not fairly represent the whole group because...

Question 1Change answer

c)  To find out which TV programme is the most popular among students at her school,
     Olivia asked every 4th person in her class and the class next door. 
     This sample does not fairly represent the whole group because ...
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pen and paper or online (with NO auto marking).
Level:
4
Curriculum info: 
Maths, Statistics, Statistical literacy
Key Competencies: 
Using language, symbols, and texts
Keywords: 
surveys, bias, sampling, data collection
Description of task: 
Students read the description of a number of surveys and explain why the sample is biased.
Curriculum Links: 
Key competencies
This resource involves communicating why questions in a survey are biased. This relates to the Key Competency: Using language, symbols and text.

For more information see https://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Key-competencies

Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Interpreting statistical and chance situations, sets 4-5
within the Mathematics Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
 

 

Y8 (09/1999)

 a)

 Any 1 of:

  • It only takes into account people using the carpark on a Monday morning.
  • Not everyone drives into the carpark.
  • People who don't like the carpark probably wouldn't want to drive into it.
  • People driving into the carpark might not be parents dropping their children at school, e.g., teachers.
  • Some people only use the carpark on rainy days.
  • Any sensible alternative.
 difficult
b)

Any 1 of:

  • People who use the library are not a cross-section of the whole school population.
  • Excludes people not using the library. 
  • The sample was too small to represent the whole school.
  • Because the computers were new the people asked may not have used them.
  • Any sensible alternative.
 difficult
c)

Any 1 of:

  • Olivia's class and the class next door do not represent the full range of ages and levels in the school.
  • People in Olivia's class might be friends and like the same programmes.
  • The sample was too small to represent the whole school.
  • Only two classes got asked.
  • Any sensible alternative.
 very difficult