Spring Classroom Teacher Questionnaires

APPENDIX D.3
ECLS-K
Spring 2007 Science Teacher Questionnaire

Spring 2007
Grade 8
Science Teacher Questionnaire
Prepared for the U.S. Department of Education
National Center for Education Statistics by:
Westat
1650 Research Boulevard
Rockville, Maryland 20850

LABEL

Use a #2 pencil to complete this questionnaire.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a
collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB
control number for this information collection is 1850-0750. Approval expires 01/31/2009.
The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 15
minutes per response, including the time to review instruction, search existing data
resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collected. If you
have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate or suggestions for
improving the survey instrument, please write to: U.S. Department of Education,
Washington, D.C. 20202-4700. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of
your individual response to this survey, write directly to: National Center for Education
Statistics, 1990 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006-5650.

The collection of information in this survey is authorized by Public Law 107-279
Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part C, Sec. 151(b) and Sec. 153(a).
Participation is voluntary. You may skip questions you do not wish to answer;
however, we hope that you will answer as many questions as you can. Your
responses are protected from disclosure by federal statute (PL 107-279, Title I, Part C,
Sec. 183). All responses that relate to or describe identifiable characteristics of
individuals may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or
used, in identifiable form for any other purpose, unless otherwise compelled by law.
Data will be combined to produce statistical reports. No individual data that links
your name, address, telephone number, or identification number with your responses
will be included in the statistical reports.

INTRODUCTION
Dear Teacher,
This questionnaire is a vital part of a unique longitudinal study of students’ educational
experiences beginning with kindergarten and continuing through grade 10. You have
received this questionnaire because one or more of the students in your science class(es)
have been participating in this study for many years. The student is identified on the cover
of this questionnaire.
The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998 – 1999 (ECLS-K) is
collecting information from teachers of students who are in the study to investigate the
relationship between students’ achievement and various school, classroom, teacher, and
home factors. We are interested in collecting information on this student’s science
instruction in your classroom. Obviously, only you can provide this information.
Therefore, although we realize you are very busy, we urge you to complete this
questionnaire as accurately as possible. The information you provide is being collected for
research purposes only and will be kept strictly confidential.
This questionnaire contains one section about the student identified on the cover of this
questionnaire and a second section about the science class in which this child is enrolled.
Your best estimates are acceptable answers.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR HELP.

2

MARKING DIRECTIONS
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AND USE A SOFT LEAD (#2) PENCIL TO COMPLETE THIS
QUESTIONNAIRE.
CHECKING BOXES
It is important that you check the box next to your answers and print clearly.
Shown below is the correct way to mark your answers, along with examples of incorrect ways.

Correct Mark:

Incorrect Marks:
Light and thin, outside the box, thick or scrawled.

PRINTING ANSWERS IN BOXES:
Print entire answer in box. Answers should be printed clearly and should not touch or cross any of
the box lines. Do not cross zeroes or sevens. That is, do not write a zero with a line through it like
this – 0, and do not write a seven with a line through it like this – 7.
Write digits like this:

1234567890
Write words like this:

Harry Potter

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STUDENT INFORMATION
Please answer these questions about the student identified on the cover of this
questionnaire.
1.

Does this student usually work hard for good grades in your class?
Yes
No

2.

Does this student seem to relate well to other students in your class?
Yes
No

3.

Is this student exceptionally passive or withdrawn in your class?
Yes
No

4.

Does this student talk with you outside of class about school work, plans after high
school, or personal matters?
Yes
No

5.

Has this student fallen behind in school work in this class?
Yes
No (GO TO QUESTION 7 ON PAGE 5)

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6.

If YES, why has this student fallen behind in school work?
MARK ALL THAT APPLY.
Health problem
A disciplinary problem
Lack of effort
Disorganized
Lacks prerequisite skills
Some other reason (specify)

7.

When you assign homework for this class, how often does this student complete it?
MARK ONE RESPONSE ONLY.
Homework not assigned
Never
Rarely
Some of the time
Most of the time
All of the time

8.

How often is this student…
MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.
Never

Rarely

Some
of the time

Most
of the time

All
of the time

a. Attentive in your class?
b. Disruptive in your class?
c. Absent from your class?
d. Tardy to your class?

5

9.

Have you spoken to a guidance counselor or other member of the school staff this
school year about the following? MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

Yes

No

NA (No guidance
counselor or other staff
member to speak to)

NA (student did
not exhibit this
behavior.)

a. Student’s poor
school performance
b. Student’s disruptive
behavior in class

10.

Have you recommended this student for academic honors, advanced placement, or
honors classes?
Yes
No
Not Applicable (No such honor available)

11.

Please rate this student's skills in the following areas, as exhibited in your class.
Not
MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.
Outstanding

a. Ability to organize data in tables or
charts
b. Ability to write up results or prepare
a presentation from a laboratory
activity, investigation, experiment or
a research project
c. Ability to talk about ways to solve
science problems, such as
investigations
d. Ability to make a presentation to the
class on science data, analysis, or
interpretation
e. Ability to design his/her own
investigation or experiment to solve
a scientific question
f.

6

Ability to apply science concepts to
“real world” problems

Very
good

Good Fair

Poor

applicable/
not observed

CLASS INFORMATION
12.

As of today’s date, how many students in this class belong to each of the following
racial/ethnic groups?
WRITE NUMBER ON EACH LINE. ENTER “0” ON THE LINE IF THERE ARE NO
STUDENTS IN A CATEGORY.
a. Asian or Pacific Islander
b. Hispanic, regardless of race
c. Black, not of Hispanic origin
d. White, not of Hispanic origin
e. American Indian or Alaska Native
f. Total class enrollment
(sum of a through e)

13.

At this point in the school year, how would you rate the behavior of students in this
class? MARK ONE RESPONSE ONLY.
Group misbehaves very frequently and is almost always difficult to handle
Group misbehaves frequently and is often difficult to handle
Group misbehaves occasionally
Group behaves well
Group behaves exceptionally well

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INSTRUCTION
14.

Which of the following best describes this student’s science course?
MARK ONE RESPONSE ONLY.
General science
General physical science
Biology
Botany or zoology
Earth science
Principles of technology
Other science

15.

Which of the following best describes this science course?
MARK ONE RESPONSE ONLY.
Instruction for students performing below grade level for science
Regular
Honors, Enrichment, or Gifted & Talented

16.

About how much time in total does this student’s science class meet in a typical
week? MARK ONE RESPONSE ONLY.
Less than 3 hours
3 to 4.9 hours
5 to 6.9 hours
7 to 9.9 hours
10 or more hours

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17.

By the end of this school year, approximately what percentage of instructional time
will you have spent during this class on each of the following science content areas?
WRITE IN THE PERCENT. THE TOTAL SHOULD ADD TO 100%.
Percent
a. Life science
(e.g., types, characteristics, and classification of living things;
structure/function and life processes in organisms; cells and their
functions; development, reproduction, and heredity; diversity,
adaptation, and natural selection; ecosystems and human health)
b. Chemistry
(e.g., classification, composition and particulate structure of matter;
properties and uses of water; acids and bases; and chemical change)
c. Physics
(e.g., physical states and changes in matter; energy types, sources, and
conversions; heat and temperature; light; sound and vibration;
electricity and magnetism; forces and motion)
d. Earth science
(e.g., earth’s structure and physical features; earth’s processes, cycles,
and history; the solar system and universe)
e. Environmental science
(e.g., changes in population; uses and conservation of natural
resources; and changes in environments)
f. Other
TOTAL

100%

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18.

Think about your science instruction during the entire year. About how much
emphasis did you give to each of the following objectives for this student?
MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.
Very
Little
No
heavy Heavy Moderate emphasis emphasis
a. Knowing science facts and terminology
b. Understanding key science concepts
c. Developing science problem-solving
skills
d. Learning about the relevance of science
to society and technology
e. Developing laboratory skills and
techniques
f. Developing students’ interest in science
g. Developing data analysis skills

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19.

How often do the students in this class engage in the following?
MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.
Almost
every
day

20.

a.

Work with other students on a
science activity or project

b.

Engage in hands-on activities or
investigations in science

c.

Take quizzes or tests

d.

Have assigned homework

e.

Generate and test hypotheses about
particular phenomena

f.

Discuss science in the news

g.

Give an oral science report

h.

Prepare a written science report

i.

Use computers for science (e.g.,
science software,
telecommunications)

j.

Read a science textbook, or a book or
a magazine about science

Once or
twice a
week

Once or
twice a
month

Never or
hardly
ever

How much time do you expect a student to spend completing homework for this
class on days you assign it? MARK ONE RESPONSE ONLY.
I do not assign homework
Less than 15 minutes
About 15 to 30 minutes
About 30 minutes to an hour
More than an hour

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21.

How would you rate the science equipment your students have available to use?
MARK ONE RESPONSE ONLY.
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
None available

22.

Are computers available for use by you or your students?
MARK ONE RESPONSE ONLY.
Yes, computers are available to my students and me. (GO TO QUESTION 23)
No (SKIP TO QUESTION 24)

23.

When using computers for science instruction, how many computers are available
for your students?
MARK ONE RESPONSE ONLY.
One computer for each student
One computer for every two students
One computer for every three or more students
I do not use computers in my science instruction

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24.

Which textbook (or commercially produced workbook) constitutes the primary
source that you use in this class? WRITE THE TITLE, AUTHORS, PUBLISHER,
AND PUBLICATION DATE/EDITION.

Title
Author
Publisher
Publication date/edition
I do not use a textbook as my primary source for this class

25.

Which textbook (or commercially produced workbook) constitutes the secondary
source that you use in this class? WRITE THE TITLE, AUTHORS, PUBLISHER,
AND PUBLICATION DATE/EDITION.

Title
Author
Publisher
Publication date/edition
I do not use a textbook as my secondary source for this class

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26.

How important is each of the following in assigning grades to students in your
class?
MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.
a. Individual student’s
achievement relative to
the rest of the class

27.

b.

Individual student’s
achievement relative to
local or state standards

c.

Individual improvement or
progress over past
performance

d.

Effort

e.

Class participation

f.

Classroom behavior or
conduct

g.

Completion of homework

Not
important

Somewhat
important

Very
important

Extremely
important

Date questionnaire completed:

MONTH

DAY

YEAR

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION.

14

Not
applicable