Take-away survey

Take-away survey

Pencil and paper
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Further Resources

Asher designed a short survey to give to all Year 8 students at his school. He wanted to report on their favourite take-aways, how often they buy them, and how much they spend.

Read Asher's survey below. On the following page write down five ways his survey could be improved to get the information he wants.


 
Asher's survey about takeaways
 
Please fill in this questionnaire about take-aways.
Place a in the appropriate boxes.
 
1. Female      Male
   
2. Age     12     13     (Circle one)
   
3.
What is your favourite kind of take-away?
 
  Fish and chips
  Fried chicken
  Hamburgers
   
4.
About how often do you eat take-aways each week?
 
  Always
  Sometimes
  Never
   
5.
How much money do you spend on take-aways each week?
 
  $0 - $2
  $2 - $4
  $4 - $6
 

Thank you for taking the time to fill out this survey.

Asher
 
 
 
a)
Five ways Asher's survey could be improved to get the information he wants.
 
  i)
 
 
 
 
 
  ii)
 
 
 
 
 
  iii)
 
 
 
 
 
  iv)
 
 
 
 
 
  v)
 
 
 
 
 
b)
 
In the box below write one more useful question Asher could put in his survey. 
This question must be different from any mentioned in part a).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Task administration: 
This task is completed with pencil and paper only.
Level:
4
Curriculum info: 
Maths, Statistics, Statistical investigations
Key Competencies: 
Thinking, Using language, symbols, and texts
Keywords: 
planning investigations, surveys, multivariate data
Description of task: 
Students are required to critique a survey and design another useful question to be included.
Curriculum Links: 
This resource can be used to help to identify students' ability to identify ways that a questionnaire can be improved.
 
Key competencies
This resource involves communicating ways a survey can be improved. This relates to the Key Competency: Using language, symbols and text.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Statistical investigations, set 5
within the Mathematics Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
    Y8 (11/2002)
a) Statements highlighting improvements in questionnaire design, these may include: 

  • extending age bands.
  • insufficient choice of favourite take-aways listed.
  • inappropriate categorisation of how often take-aways are eaten. Need a scale to quantify responses, e.g., less than 1 per week, 1 per week, 2 per week, etc.
  • overlapping boundaries on money bands.
  • no category for those who spend over $6.
  • category bands for money too narrow.
  • 'other' category for Q's 2, 3, and 5 (1 mark for each question mentioned if listed like this).

Other reasonable suggestions: 

  • Need to explain what the survey is about.
  • The questions could be more open-ended.
  • A tick box put in for males and females.
  • Any other acceptable improvements including extra questions.

5 marks - very difficult

4 marks - moderate

3 marks - easy

2 marks - very easy

1 mark - very easy
b) Student describes or formats a new useful question. [Accept responses related to brand names]. easy