Cognitive Interviews for the 2010 National Household Education Survey (NHES) Study Draft Questionnaires

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS FOR NHES SCREENER QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Think of two people doing the same kind of work. How important do you personally think the employee’s education and formal qualifications should be in deciding how much to pay them?

• Very important

• Somewhat important

• Not at all important

2. How do you feel about bilingual education? Are you strongly in favor of it, somewhat in favor of it, somewhat opposed to it, or strongly opposed to it?

• Strongly in favor of it

• Somewhat in favor it it

• Somewhat opposed to it

• Strongly opposed to it

3. There are several different ideas about how to teach children who don’t speak English when they enter our public schools. Please mark the statement that best describes how you feel:

• All classes should be conducted in English so that children have to learn English right from the start.

• Children who don’t know English should have classes in their native language just for a year or two until they learn English.

• Students who want to keep up with their native languages and cultures should be able to take many of the classes in Spanish or other languages all the way through high school.

4. How much confidence do you have in schools and the educational system?

• Complete confidence

• A great deal of confidence

• Some confidence

• Very little confidence

• No confidence at all

5. Do you agree or disagree that the government should provide more chances for children from poor families to go to college.

• Strongly agree

• Agree

• Neither agree nor disagree

• Disagree

• Strongly disagree

6. We are faced with many problems in this country, none of which can be solved easily or inexpensively. Do you think we are spending too much money, too little money, or about the right amount on improving the nation’s education system?

• Too little

• About right

• Too much

7. Does everyone in this country have an opportunity to obtain an education corresponding to their abilities and talents?

• Yes

• No

8. How important do you think well-educated parents are for getting ahead in life?

• Essential

• Very important

• Fairly important

• Not very important

• Not important at all

9. How important do you think having a good education is for getting ahead in life?

• Essential

• Very important

• Fairly important

• Not very important

• Not important at all

10. The amount of money spent on public schools varies greatly from community to community and from state to state because some communities and states are richer than others and have more tax dollars to spend on education. It has been proposed that some revenues from richer states and communities be shifted to the school systems of poorer states and communities in order to provide those poorer states with more resources for their schools. Would you favor or oppose such a policy?

• Favor

• Oppose

11. Do you agree or disagree: To succeed in the next generation, America’s children will have to be educated in new and very different ways than they have been in the past.

• Agree

• Disagree