Parent survey

Parent Survey

Your participation in this interview is voluntary.  There are no penalties for not answering some or all of the questions, but since each interviewed person will represent many others not interviewed, your cooperation is extremely important.  This study is being conducted by the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuary. Uses of the information include better understanding what parents prefer or do not prefer in an environmental education program.  At the end of the study any materials identifying you as an individual will be destroyed. We will not ask for your name, address, e-mail address, or phone number.

 

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 minutes including time for reviewing instructions and completing the survey. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Danielle Schwarzmann NOAA/NOS/Office of National Marine Sanctuaries 1305 East West Hwy., SSMC4, 11th floor. Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.

General Information

Respondent ID Number

A respondent identification number will be assigned to each respondent for data collection purposes.

1. What is the name of the school your child attends? ____________________________________

This information will be used to link parent responses to the teacher response from each school.  

2. Do you support your child participating in this type of program?

__________Yes _________No ____Not Sure

3. Please select the benefits and skills your child acquired through participation in the Ocean Guardian School Project: (Check all that apply)

___  Increased sense of community

___  Work experience (resume, future applications for scholarships, high school,

etc.)

___  Development of self-esteem & self-confidence

___  Experience working with peers as a part of a team

___  Sense of accomplishment (seeing a project through start to finish

___  Appreciation for volunteering/ increased likelihood to volunteer in the future

___  Positive environmental change

___  Increased understanding of how people interact with the environment

___  Increased responsibility towards the environment

___  Increased commitment to environmental protection

____None of the above

____Not sure

4. Please answer yes or no to the following questions. Prior to the start of the school year did your child?

1. Recycle? _____Yes       _____No       

1. Minimize water use? _____Yes       _____No       

2. Minimize use of single-use plastics

(water bottles, plastic bags, etc.)? _____Yes     _____No       

3. Encourage others (friends/ family)

to make more eco-friendly decisions

(shorter showers, recycling, etc.)? _____Yes       _____No       

4. Talk to others about ways they can

Improve the environment? _____Yes       _____No       

5. Please answer yes or no to the following questions. Since your child began participating in the Ocean Guardian Program:

5. Is your child recycling more? _____Yes       _____No     

6. Is your child trying to use less water? _____Yes       _____No     

7. Is your child less inclined to use single-use

plastics (water bottles, plastic bags, etc.)? _____Yes  _____No   

8. Is your child encouraging others (friends/ family)

to make more eco-friendly decisions

(shorter showers, recycling, etc.)? _____Yes       _____No     

9. Is your child talking to others about ways they can

 improve the environment _____Yes       _____No     

If yes, please identify the relationship of the person(s) your students are talking to (i.e.

friends, siblings, your friends, etc.)____________________________________________

6. Please answer yes or no to the following questions. Prior to the start of the school year did you

10. Recycle? _____Yes       _____No       

2. Minimize water use? _____Yes       _____No       

11. Minimize your use of single-use plastics

(water bottles, plastic bags, etc.)? _____Yes     _____No       

12. Encourage others (friends/ family)

to make eco-friendly decisions

(shorter showers, recycling, etc.)? _____Yes       _____No       

7. Please answer yes or no to the following questions. Since your child started working with the Ocean Guardian Program, are you;

13. Recycling more? _____Yes       _____No       

3. Trying to use less water? _____Yes       _____No       

14. Less inclined to use single-use plastics

(water bottles, plastic bags, etc.)? _____Yes     _____No       

15. Encouraging others (friends/ family)

to make eco-friendly decisions

(shorter showers, recycling, etc.)? _____Yes       _____

8.  If you perceive any other noticeable shifts in your child’s behavior/ attitude resulting from the program, please explain them below:

9. In your opinion, do you think the Ocean Guardian School Program positively influenced your child’s perception of watersheds, ocean ecosystems and our natural world?

strongly disagree          neutral        strongly agree

1   2 3 4 5 6 7

10. In your opinion, do you think the Ocean Guardian School Program positively influenced your personal perception of watersheds, ocean ecosystems and our natural world?

strongly disagree          neutral        strongly agree

1   2 3 4 5 6 7

11.  Please rate the level of environmental impact resulting from your child’s Ocean Guardian School project:

Very Negative          Neutral    Very Positive

1   2 3 4 5 6 7

Value of the Program*

The Ocean Guardian School program awards federally-funded grants to selected schools for hands-on, ocean stewardship related projects. Any K-12 school may apply for an Ocean Guardian School grant.  Schools may receive up to 5 years of funding for a single project.

As you answer the questions below, please consider the following: If an Ocean Guardian grant was NOT available, would you be willing to pay for Ocean Guardian school related activities at your school? You would pay for this program through increased school supply and field trip costs to have your student receive similar benefits of the Ocean Guardian Program next year, if federal funding is not available.  

For the next set of questions please evaluate each set of choices;  

• Status Quo presents an option without the Ocean Guardian Program in your child’s school.  

• Options A and B present additional opportunities to your student for hands on activities and increased opportunity to work with additional grade levels and/or faculty, staff and community members.  

Think about the options as similar to when you purchase any good or service that has different features. A car, for example, has many features (e.g. car company, model, color, type of interior, automatic transmission, size of engine, miles per gallon, radio, CD player, etc.). Similarly, the Ocean Guardian Program has many features and you may value having different features.

You will always have the option of choosing the Status Quo and it will cost you nothing ($0).

Remember, when making your choice, you have other competing uses for your income and if you choose to spend more on the Ocean Guardian Program you will have less to spend on other goods and services.

The options may seem similar but please evaluate each individually.

Ocean Guardian provides students with various opportunities for hands on experiences, such as learning about refuse and recycling, marine debris, watershed restoration, schoolyard habitat and energy use/ocean health. For each of the next choices please use the following definitions when selecting your answer.

Ocean Guardian Program	Definition
Refuse/reduce/reuse/recycle/compost	Learning how to reduce waste and implement programs to reduce their waste within the school
Marine Debris	Learning how to reduce one-time use plastics (such as plastic water bottles) and participating in projects to reduce trash entering the ocean
Watershed Restoration	Learning about local watersheds and participating in projects to improve the local watershed; such as removing invasive species, planting native species or improving fish habitat
Schoolyard Habitat/ Garden	Learning about ocean-friendly gardens and habitats and participating in projects to create/ improve school gardens and yards with eco-friendly practices and methods such as planting native species, reducing run-off, installing rain barrels
Energy Use and Ocean Health	Learning about how fossil fuel-based energy use impacts the ocean​; participating in projects to reduce energy use and/or implementing renewable energy projects such as wind or solar

*Each of the choice questions will have an ‘I’ next to the activity so that if people need to review the definition they can click on it for help.

Choice Question 1:

Please review the following options and select either the Option A (Status Quo), Option B or Option C.

Option A Status Quo	Option B	Option C
In this option, your child would not participate in any Ocean Guardian School projects.	In this option, your child would participate in the following types of projects: - Watershed Restoration - Schoolyard Habitat/Garden - Energy Use and Ocean Health	In this option, your child would participate in the following types of projects: -Refuse/Reduce/Reuse/ Recycle/Compost - Marine Debris
	In this version, your child would NOT participate in the following types of projects: -Refuse/Reduce/Reuse/ Recycle/Compost - Marine Debris	In this version, your child would NOT participate in the following types of projects: - Watershed Restoration - Schoolyard Habitat/Garden - Energy Use and Ocean Health
Your child would interact with students and teachers in their grade, as they normally do.	In addition to interacting with students and teachers in their grade. Your student would also interact with students and teachers in other grades.	In addition to interacting with students and teachers in their grade and other grades. Your student would also interact with local community members, such as small businesses, non-profits or local government officials.
This program would cost you $0	This program would cost you $70	This program would cost you $40
	This amount would be paid by you through additional school supply and field trip costs next school year.	This amount would be paid by you through additional school supply and field trip costs next school year.

Choice 1a. Which option do you prefer? __ A __B __ C

Choice 1b. Please provide a brief comment that helps us understand why you chose the option as your most preferred. ____________________________________________________________

Choice 1c. How sure are you that the option you chose as your most preferred among the three options is your most preferred? (radio buttons 1=not sure at all, 2=slightly sure, 3=moderately sure, 4=very sure, and 5=extremely sure)

Choice Question 2:

Please review the following options and select either the Version A (Status Quo), Version B or Version C.

Option A Status Quo	Option B	Option C
In this option, your child would not participate in any Ocean Guardian School projects.	In this option, your child would participate in the following types of projects: -Refuse/Reduce/Reuse/ Recycle/Compost - Marine Debris - Schoolyard Habitat/Garden - Energy Use and Ocean Health	In this option, your child would participate in the following types of projects: - Watershed Restoration
	In this version, your child would NOT participate in the following types of projects: - Watershed Restoration	In this version, your child would NOT participate in the following types of projects: -Refuse/Reduce/Reuse/ Recycle/Compost - Marine Debris - Schoolyard Habitat/Garden - Energy Use and Ocean Health
Your child would interact with students and teachers in their grade, as they normally do.	In addition to interacting with students and teachers in their grade. Your student would also interact with students and teachers in other grades.	As part of their projects, your child would interact with students and teachers in their grade.
This program would cost you $0	This program would cost you $175	This program would cost you $110
	This amount would be paid by you through additional school supply and field trip costs next school year.	This amount would be paid by you through additional school supply and field trip costs next school year.

Choice 2a. Which option do you prefer? __ A __B __ C

Choice 2b. Please provide a brief comment that helps us understand why you chose the option as your most preferred. ____________________________________________________________

Choice 2c. How sure are you that the option you chose as your most preferred among the three options is your most preferred? (radio buttons 1=not sure at all, 2=slightly sure, 3=moderately sure, 4=very sure, and 5=extremely sure)

Choice Question 3:

Please review the following options and select either the Version A (Status Quo), Version B or Version C.

Option A Status Quo	Option B	Option C
In this option, your child would not participate in any Ocean Guardian School projects.	In this option, your child would participate in the following types of projects: - Marine Debris - Watershed Restoration - Schoolyard Habitat/Garden - Energy Use and Ocean Health	In this option, your child would participate in the following types of projects: - Refuse/Reduce/Reuse/ Recycle/Compost
	In this version, your child would NOT participate in the following types of projects: - Refuse/Reduce/Reuse/ Recycle/Compost	In this version, your child would NOT participate in the following types of projects: - Marine Debris - Watershed Restoration - Schoolyard Habitat/Garden - Energy Use and Ocean Health
Your child would interact with students and teachers in their grade, as they normally do.	In addition to interacting with students and teachers in their grade and other grades. Your student would also interact with local community members, such as small businesses, non-profits or local government officials.	In addition to interacting with students and teachers in their grade. Your student would also interact with students and teachers in other grades.
This program would cost you $0	This program would cost you $110	This program would cost you $175
	This amount would be paid by you through additional school supply and field trip costs next school year.	This amount would be paid by you through additional school supply and field trip costs next school year.

Choice 3a. Which option do you prefer? __ A __B __ C

Choice 3b. Please provide a brief comment that helps us understand why you chose the option as your most preferred. ____________________________________________________________

Choice 3c. How sure are you that the option you chose as your most preferred among the three options is your most preferred? (radio buttons 1=not sure at all, 2=slightly sure, 3=moderately sure, 4=very sure, and 5=extremely sure)

Choice Question 4:

Choice Question 4:

Please review the following options and select either the Version A (Status Quo), Version B or Version C.

Option A Status Quo	Option B	Option C
In this option, your child would not participate in any Ocean Guardian School projects.	In this option, your child would participate in the following types of projects: - Marine Debris - Watershed Restoration - Energy Use and Ocean Health	In this option, your child would participate in the following types of projects: -Refuse/Reduce/Reuse/ Recycle/Compost - Schoolyard Habitat/Garden
	In this version, your child would NOT participate in the following types of projects: -Refuse/Reduce/Reuse/ Recycle/Compost - Schoolyard Habitat/Garden	In this version, your child would NOT participate in the following types of projects: - Marine Debris - Watershed Restoration - Energy Use and Ocean Health
Your child would interact with students and teachers in their grade, as they normally do.	As part of their projects, your child would interact with students and teachers in their grade.	In addition to interacting with students and teachers in their grade. Your student would also interact with students and teachers in other grades.
This program would cost you $0	This program would cost you $175	This program would cost you $110
	This amount would be paid by you through additional school supply and field trip costs next school year.	This amount would be paid by you through additional school supply and field trip costs next school year.

Choice 4a. Which option do you prefer? __ A __B __ C

Choice 4b. Please provide a brief comment that helps us understand why you chose the option as your most preferred. ____________________________________________________________

Choice 4c. How sure are you that the option you chose as your most preferred among the three options is your most preferred? (radio buttons 1=not sure at all, 2=slightly sure, 3=moderately sure, 4=very sure, and 5=extremely sure)

Choice Question 5:

Choice Question 5:

Please review the following options and select either the Version A (Status Quo), Version B or Version C.

Option A Status Quo	Option B	Option C
In this option, your child would not participate in any Ocean Guardian School projects.	In this option, your child would participate in the following types of projects: -Refuse/Reduce/Reuse/ Recycle/Compost - Marine Debris - Watershed Restoration - Energy Use and Ocean Health	In this option, your child would participate in the following types of projects: - Schoolyard Habitat/Garden
	In this version, your child would NOT participate in the following types of projects: - Schoolyard Habitat/Garden	In this version, your child would NOT participate in the following types of projects: -Refuse/Reduce/Reuse/ Recycle/Compost - Marine Debris - Watershed Restoration - Energy Use and Ocean Health
Your child would interact with students and teachers in their grade, as they normally do.	In addition to interacting with students and teachers in their grade. Your student would also interact with students and teachers in other grades.	In addition to interacting with students and teachers in their grade and other grades. Your student would also interact with local community members, such as small businesses, non-profits or local government officials.
This program would cost you $0	This program would cost you $40	This program would cost you $70
	This amount would be paid by you through additional school supply and field trip costs next school year.	This amount would be paid by you through additional school supply and field trip costs next school year.

Choice 5a. Which option do you prefer? __ A __B __ C

Choice 5b. Please provide a brief comment that helps us understand why you chose the option as your most preferred. ____________________________________________________________

Choice 5c. How sure are you that the option you chose as your most preferred among the three options is your most preferred? (radio buttons 1=not sure at all, 2=slightly sure, 3=moderately sure, 4=very sure, and 5=extremely sure)

If you selected the status quo for one or more of the past 4 questions please answer the next question. If not skip to Q7.

6. Please select how strongly you disagree or agree with the following statements

strongly disagree neutral    strongly agree

a. I should not have to pay for my child’s education 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

b. Costs should not be a factor in a child’s education 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

c. I do not believe these scenarios accurately reflect

the education my child could receive 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

d. The school system should not be responsible for

teaching my child about conservation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

e. I cannot afford to pay for the other options 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

f. I should not have to pay any additional monies

for my child to participate in this program 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

7. Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with each of the following statements:

strongly disagree neutral    strongly agree

a. It is important for my child to interact with other

grade levels 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

b. It is important for my child to interact with

community members 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

c. It is important for my child to learn about

recycling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

d. It is important for my child to learn about

marine debris and its impacts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

e. It is important for my child to learn about

watershed restoration 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

f. It is important for my child to learn about

local species, habitats and gardens 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

g. It is important for my child to learn about

energy use 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

h. It is important for my child to learn about

ocean health 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Environmental Perception

1. From the list of statements below please select what you think your child should learn about in school. (check all that apply).

1. _________ The importance of protecting wildlife and ocean habitat

2. _________ The importance of protecting endangered species

3. _________ Humans can impact the natural world to the point that it is difficult to restore.

4. _________ The importance of protecting rare plants and species to maintain genetic diversity.

Importance/Satisfaction with Program

1.  Please rate your level of support for the following types of educational programs in schools

Do Not Support   Neutral      Highly Support

1. Environmental education 1           2           3           4           5           6           7

2. Outdoor education 1           2           3           4           5           6           7

3. Art 1           2           3           4           5           6           7

4. Music education 1           2           3           4           5           6           7

5. Mathematics 1           2           3           4           5           6           7

6. Sciences 1           2           3           4           5           6           7

7. Natural Resource Conservation 1           2           3           4           5           6           7

2.  What do you like most about the Ocean Guardian School Program?

3.  What would you change about the Ocean Guardian School Program?

4.  Please include any other comments about the program:

Student Demographics

1. What is your child’s age? ________________

2. Is your child Hispanic or Latino?

___YES ___NO

3. What is your child’s race? (Mark all that apply)

__ White     __ Black or African American     __ American Indian or Alaska Native

__ Asian     __ Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander   

__ Other:____________

4. What is your child’s gender?

___ Male ___ Female

6. What is your child’s first language?  

________English ________Spanish ________Other (please write-in)

7. How many days of school has your child missed this past school year? _______________

Parent Demographics:

1. Please answer yes or no to the following questions:

1. Do you volunteer at your student's school _____Yes _____No

2. Do you help your child with their math homework _____Yes _____No

3. Do you help your child with their science homework _____Yes _____No

4. Do you help your child with Ocean Guardian homework     _____Yes _____No

5. Have you participated in an Ocean Guardian activity _____Yes _____No

6. Have you had contact (written or verbal) with your

child's Ocean Guardian Teacher _____Yes _____No

Questions 2-5 are regarding the parent.

2. Which of the following includes your age?

___18-30        ___31-40        ___41-50        ___51-60        ___over 60

3. Are you Hispanic or Latino?

___YES ___NO

4. What is your race? (Mark all that apply)

__ White     __ Black or African American     __ American Indian or Alaska Native

__ Asian     __ Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander   

__ Other:____________

5. What is your gender?

___ Male ___ Female ___Decline to state

6. Employment Status:

___  Full-time

___  Part-time

___  Unemployed

___  Stay at-home parent

___  Student

___  Other:

7. What is the highest level of education completed?

___  High School/ GED

___  AA

___  Bachelor’s

___  Graduate

___  Other:

8. How many people are in your household?  ___________

9. How many adults 18+ are in your household?  ___________

10. How many children under the age of 18 are in your household?  ___________

11. Income (Household):  (Check one)

___  $0 - $10,000

___  $10,001- $20,000

___  $20,000 - $30,000

___  $30,000 - $40,000

___  $40,000 - $50,000

___  $50,000 - $75,000

___  $75,000 - $100,000

___  $100,000+

Thank you for your participation in the survey!