SV-2007-0006 CLS Pre-Program Survey

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Critical Language Scholarships for Intensive Summer Institutes (CLS) 2007

Pre-Program Survey

Please know that your answers will be strictly confidential and will in no way affect your participation in this program. The information you provide will help us design programs that better meet the needs of participants in future Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Institutes and similar educational programs.

Please feel free to give us your honest opinions. This survey is not a test, and there are no right or wrong answers. Thank you for your participation in this survey.

This survey will be administered to all CLS Program participants. Target language is defined as the language you will be studying during the CLS Program exchange, and host country is the country where the CLS Institute is located.

Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act Statements:

The information solicited on this survey is requested pursuant to the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-62) and the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, as amended, also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act (22 U.S.C. 2451, et seq.). In order to ensure that the U.S. Department of State’s international exchange programs meet statutory program requirements (22 U.S.C. 2460(c)), the Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) regularly monitors the programs, gathers data about program accomplishments, and evaluates selected ones. ECA uses the information collected to inform program design, management, and funding. All personal information that is collected through surveys is considered confidential. All responses are coded to ensure the confidentiality of individual responses. Data collected under this study will not be shared, sold, or used for fundraising purposes. Survey data and findings will be used only in an aggregate form for the express purposes of fulfilling the data needs of the outcome assessment. Responses to this survey are voluntary.

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average thirty (30) minutes to respond to this survey, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An Agency may not conduct or sponsor, and respondents are not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. Please send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to: A/ISS/DIR, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20520.

1. In your own words, what do you see as the primary goals of the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program?

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2. There are many different reasons for participating in the CLS Program. In the table below, please choose the three most important to you.

Reasons	
Learn and practice target language
Represent the U.S. abroad
Learn about the culture of the host region
Share my culture with others
Build relationships with host country students and their families
Increase my understanding of contemporary host country and host country society, people, and culture
Learn more about host country history – ancient to modern
Other? (Write in)

3. What connections, if any, do you have to the host country or that region of the world? Please choose all that apply.

Type of connections	
Family ties
Friends
Religion
Teachers
Academic
Professional
Travel/Personal Experience
None

4. If you have family ties to the host country or that region of the world, please identify which family members. Please check all that apply.

	
Mother
Father
Maternal Grandmother
Maternal Grandfather
Paternal Grandmother
Paternal Grandfather
Not applicable

5. If you have studied the target language informally prior to participating in the CLS Program, what means or methods did you use? Please check all that apply.

Type of Informal Study	
Learned target language through conversations with family members.
Learned target language through a religious institution
Private lessons or tutors
On my own through the use of self-tutoring guides, videos, books, etc.
Read or listened to media outlets (e.g., newspapers, magazines, the internet, radio, TV, movies)
Other (Please write in):
Did not study the language informally

6. If you have studied the target language formally prior to participating in the CLS Program, how many years did you study?

Less than one year	One year	Two years	Three years	Four or more years	Did not study language formally

7. Please rate your current target language skill level. Please check one box in each row.

	None	Beginner	Advanced Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
Speaking target language
Oral comprehension of target language
Reading target language
Writing target language
Overall language competency

8. How will participation in an overseas exchange through the CLS Program complement or strengthen your target language studies?

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	No, not at all	A little	Somewhat	A good deal	Not sure
Jordanian political system
Jordanian society
Issues facing Jordanian society today
Media in Jordan/Middle East
Islam
Arabic/Jordanian literature and art
Jordanian history and culture

1. What do you see yourself as accomplishing or learning, during this Summer Language Institute, that you could not accomplish or learn at home?

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2. If you have already studied Arabic, how will participation in this Summer Language Institute complement or strengthen your Arabic studies?

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3. If you have not studied Arabic before, do you think you will seek out opportunities to do so when you have completed the program? If so, please elaborate.

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4. Do you think your experiences, and linguistic and cultural studies this summer will enable you to engage, to a greater extent or more fully, with:

	No, not at all	A little	Somewhat	A good deal	Not sure
Your host family
Arabic-speaking communities at home
Arabic-speaking students at your school

9. Please rate your knowledge or understanding of the following topics. Please check one box in each row.

	No Knowledge	Less Than Basic	Basic Knowledge	Beyond Basic	Advanced Knowledge
Host country political system
Host country economy
Host country values and culture
Religious and ethnic diversity in host country
Freedom of speech and press in the host country
Voluntary community service in the host country
Daily life in the host country

10. How do you view the host country government and the host country people?

	Strongly Unfavorable	Generally Unfavorable	Neither favorable or unfavorable	Generally Favorable	Strongly Favorable
Host country government
Host country people

11. How do you view the host country government and its relationship with your home country?

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neither Agree or Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree
The host country government is a trustworthy partner for my country.

12. What is your declared field or study or major? Please check all that apply.

Athletics
Arts and humanities (history, languages, literature, art, theater, etc.)
Business administration, finance
Computer science, information technology
Education
Engineering
Environment
Government
Humanitarian affairs, development assistance, conflict resolution
International relations
Labor, trade unions
Law, judicial, law enforcement
Library and information science
Media, mass communications, journalism, communication technology, advertising, graphics
Medicine
Military service
Public administration
Public health
Religion
Science (physics, math, chemistry, biology, astronomy, geography, agronomy, etc.)
Social sciences (sociology, economics, psychology, political science, etc.)
Social work
Teaching English, English language instructions
Not sure
Other (please write in):

13. Do you see yourself using the target language as part of a future profession? Please check one box.

	
Yes
No
Not sure yet

14. Which Summer Language Institute will you attend? ­­­­­­­­­­_____________ (drop down)

15. What is your ethnicity/race?

	
American Indian or Alaskan Native
Asian
Black (non-Hispanic)
Hispanic
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
White (non-Hispanic)

16. Home state: _________________ (drop down)

17. Where do you live? Please check one.

I live in…
A major city
A suburb of a major city
A small city or town
Small town or rural area

18. Age: _________

19. Sex:

	
Female
Male

20. Thank you for completing this survey! If you have additional comments you would like to make, about any of the things above, about your participation so far, about what you have been proud to share, or something we haven’t touched upon, please do so here. We value your thoughts very much.

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21. How long did it take you to complete this survey? ______minutes

SV-2007-0006 8 OMB No. 1405-0158

FP 04-17-07 Expiration Date: 02/29/2008

Estimated Burden: 30 Minutes