Waterlife Game Study Measures

WaterLife Game Study Measures
Questions to be addressed in the study include:
• Does playing the game as part of their instruction develop students’ understanding of the
key concepts as well or better than instruction without the game?
• Do the two learning conditions affect student attitudes and intentions differently?
• What do students think about the experience of playing the games and its effect on their
understanding and attitudes?
The design of the study is a comparison group study with control and game classes of students
taught the same content by the same teacher in the same amount of time.
Measures to be completed by both the control and game classes (except for additional
questions for game study group on retrospective attitude survey). Note there are unique
versions for each game)
For students
1. Retrospective student attitude survey Where Rivers Meet the Sea (p.2)
2. Retrospective student attitude survey Quest to the Nest (p.3)
3. Pre/post understanding – performance task – Where Rivers Meet the Sea (p.4)
4. Pre/post understanding – performance task – Quest to the Nest (p.4)
5. Pre/post knowledge Where Rivers Meet the Sea (p.5)
6. Pre/post knowledge Quest to the Nest (p.7)
For teachers
7. Teacher interview about use of game (separate document)

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Measure 1: Retrospective Questionnaire for Students (Games group only)
Where Rivers Meet the Sea
Dear Student,
The purpose of this questionnaire is for you to tell us what you thought before and think after
learning about estuaries and how studying the estuaries has affected you.
Teacher ________________________Class___________________Date______________
Rate how much you agree with each statement.
1=strongly disagree 2=disagree 3=neutral 4= agree 5=strongly agree
Before
A lot of plants, animals and fish make their homes in the estuary
I understand why some estuaries are becoming polluted
I understand the importance of estuaries
I am interested in the life of estuaries
I think estuaries should be protected
There are things people can do to keep estuaries healthy
I would like to learn more about estuaries
I would like to help protect estuaries
I had fun learning about estuaries

Now

In your own words, describe the activities you did to learn about estuaries.
What would you tell someone you learned?
What would you like to know more about? Why?
If you did the game, “Where Rivers Meet the Sea” how did you like it?
What did you learn from it?
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Paperwork Reduction Act Information:
In accordance with Executive Order 12862, the National Performance Review, and good
management practices, NOAA offices seek to determine whether their customers are satisfied
with the services/products they are receiving and whether they have suggestions as to how the
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Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 10 minutes per
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of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Sarah Brabson, CIO-PPA1,
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penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the
Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB
Control Number.

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Measure 2: Sea Turtles and the Quest to Nest Student Questionnaire (Games group only)
Dear Student,
The purpose of this questionnaire is for you to tell us what you thought before and think after
learning about sea turtles.
Teacher ______________________Class____________________Date______________
Rate how much you agree with each statement.
1=strongly disagree 2=disagree 3=neutral 4= agree 5=strongly agree
Before
Sea turtles are an endangered species.
They could become extinct.
The beaches where they lay their eggs are not as safe
They get caught in fishing nets
I am interested in learning more about why some species are endangered
I think sea turtles should be protected and helped
I would like to help protect the places sea turtles need to live
I had fun learning about sea turtles

Now

In your own words, describe the activities you did to learn about extinction and sea turtles.
What would you tell someone you learned about extinction from studying sea turtles?
What would you like to know more about? Why?
If you did the game, “Quest to the Nest” how did you like it?
What did you learn from it?
OMB Control No. 0648-0342
Expires 12/31/2011
Paperwork Reduction Act Information:
In accordance with Executive Order 12862, the National Performance Review, and good
management practices, NOAA offices seek to determine whether their customers are satisfied
with the services/products they are receiving and whether they have suggestions as to how the
services/products may be improved or made more useful. The information will be used to
improve NOAA’s products and services. Responses to this survey are completely voluntary. No
confidentiality can be provided for responses, but you need not supply your name and address.
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 10 minutes per
response. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection
of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Sarah Brabson, CIO-PPA1,
Station 9826, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Notwithstanding any other
provision of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a
penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the
Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB
Control Number.

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Measure 3: Students will be asked to respond to a performance task pre/post:
Where Rivers Meet the Sea
The estuary near your house is changing. People aren’t sure why or what to do. You have
been asked to find out what is going on. What questions would you ask to solve the
mystery?
Measure 4: Students will be asked to respond to a performance task pre/post:
Sea Turtles and the Quest to Nest
The beaches near your house are getting busy or polluted leaving fewer and fewer
beaches for the sea turtles to lay their eggs. You have been asked to find out what is
going on. What questions would you ask to solve the mystery?

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Measure 5: Where the Rivers Meet the Sea
Where Rivers Meet the Sea concepts to be addressed by the released items
• Raise awareness and interest in topics dealing with estuaries, water quality, tides, marine
debris, and what YOU can do to help
• Threats to environment and habitat
• Trash disposal and proper recycling
• What is an estuary, differences between a salt marsh and mangrove
• Habitat zones, tidal zones, water quality, food web, tides and water levels
Where the Rivers Meet the Sea Student Quiz
1. Which of the following has the largest population in the Indian River Lagoon ecosystem? (use
the information and diagrams below)
a. Crab
b. Egret
c. Flounder
d. Phytoplankton
An estuary is a body of water in which fresh water draining from the land mixes with salt water
from the ocean. The result of this mixture is an environment with abundant plant and animal
life. The Indian River Lagoon is a 156-mile-long estuary on Florida’s eastern coast. It is a diverse
estuary, supporting thousands of species of plants and animals. The food web and food pyramid
shown below are examples of the relationships that exist in the Indian River Lagoon ecosystem.

2. In the Indian River Lagoon ecosystem, many organisms compete with one another for food
sources. Which organisms in the food web compete with egrets for food?
a. Clam worm
b. Crab
c. Flounder
d. Heron

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3. Which of the following statements most accurately describes the energy transfer between the
levels of the food pyramid in the Indian River Lagoon?
a. Energy travels up the pyramid
b. Energy stays in the phytoplankton at the lowest level
c. Energy is released into the environment only at the top level
d. Energy moves from the flounder to both the clam worms and egret
4. Which of the following is best classified as a nonrenewable resource?
a. Grass
b. Aluminum
c. Sunlight
d. Oxygen
5. Some schools have programs to recycle paper products such as student papers, newspapers,
and cardboard boxes. Which of these statements describes a positive effect of recycling paper
products?
a. Schools need to buy less paper.
b. Fewer trees need to be cut.
c. Landfills have less room for other trash.
d. Recycling consumes more energy than making new paper.
6. An increase in which of the following factors will most likely result in an increase in the size of
a population?
a. Food
b. Predators
c. Competitors
d. Temperature

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Measure 6: Sea Turtles and the Quest to Nest concepts to be addressed by the released items
• Extinction
• Stewardship/conservation
• Resource extraction/economics (fishing)
• Reproduction
• Predator/prey relationships and adaptation
• Food chain
• Role of regulation
Sea Turtles and the Quest to Nest Student Quiz
1. The Outer Banks of North Carolina are composed of a string of long, thin islands off the coast.
Ocean currents change the shape of the islands by causing erosion of the shorelines. Which of
the following would be the most effective method to reduce erosion of the shorelines of the
islands?
a. Preventing tourists from visiting
b. Planting native grasses on beaches _
c. Building more houses on the islands
d. Removing native animals from the islands
2. A marine food web is shown on the right. Which chart
correctly shows three of the organisms according to their
roles in cycling matter in the marine food web?
a.
Primary
Secondary
Decomposer
consumer
consumer
Bacteria
Fish
seal
b.
Primary
Secondary
Decomposer
consumer
consumer
Fish
Seal
Polar bear
c.
Primary
Secondary
Decomposer
consumer
consumer
Krill
Fish
Bacteria
d.
Primary
Secondary
Decomposer
consumer
consumer
Ice algae
Krill
Fish
3. The rock in this picture was most likely formed in a:
a. Large freshwater lake
b. Shallow ocean bay
c. Flowing mountain stream
d. Deep marine trench

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4. An example of a predator-prey relationship would be
a. Tree - water.
b. Cow - grass.
c. Hawk - mouse.
d. Tick - dog.
5. Which of the following changes would most
likely benefit baleen whales?
a. An increase in the krill population
b. A decrease in the size of plankton
c. An increase in the size of manta rays
d. A decrease in the plankton population

Manatees are mammals that live in the warm, clear water environment of Florida’s shallow
rivers. They are large, peaceful, gentle, curious creatures and slow-moving swimmers. They
spend many hours each day feeding on water plants. Manatees must surface to breathe every
15 minutes. The manatee’s environment is changing because of hotels and homes being built
along Florida’s rivers, and the change is affecting them in a negative way. Noise and activity
from people and boats scare them. Manatees can be seriously injured by powerboat propellers
because the manatees cannot tell the direction from which the boats are coming. The water
plants the manatees use for food are being destroyed. As a result of these and other changes in
their surroundings, manatees are on the endangered species list and may one day be gone from
Florida’s rivers.
6. List two environmental conditions that might lead to the disappearance of manatees from
Florida’s rivers.
1.
2.

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Paperwork Reduction Act Information:
In accordance with Executive Order 12862, the National Performance Review, and good
management practices, NOAA offices seek to determine whether their customers are satisfied
with the services/products they are receiving and whether they have suggestions as to how the
services/products may be improved or made more useful. The information will be used to
improve NOAA’s products and services. Responses to this survey are completely voluntary. No
confidentiality can be provided for responses, but you need not supply your name and address.
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 minutes per
response (20 minutes for pretest, 20 minutes for posttest). Send comments regarding this
burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for
reducing this burden, to Sarah Brabson, CIO-PPA1, Station 9826, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver
Spring, MD 20910. Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is required to
respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection
of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that
collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.

9