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pdfATTACHMENT I:
COGNITIVE TESTING REPORT
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Poetry Out Loud Evaluation: Survey Instrument Cognitive Testing
Report
Between October 23rd and November 3rd, 2017, the SPR research team conducted four
cognitive interviews with youth from four different states. All respondents were female and
were of different racial/ethnic backgrounds. Two of the four respondents had participated in
Poetry Out Loud and two had not. The responses of those who hadn’t participated in POL were
useful because we expect to survey both POL and non-POL participants. Three of the four
interviews were conducted over the phone and one in person. See Exhibit 1 for more details.
This report is divided into three parts. Part 1 reviews the research team’s suggested
modifications to the survey based on the cognitive interviews. Part 2 presents the survey and
the suggested changes described in Part 1. Part 3 is a detailed account of the four cognitive
interviews.
Exhibit 1. Cognitive Interview, Fall 2017
Participant
No.
Date
Interviewer
Grade
Level
POL
Participation
Gender
1
10/23
RD, ZS
12th
Yes
Female
2
10/25
RD, ZS
11th
Yes
Female
3
10/27
SK, RE
9th
No
4
11/3
MM, SK
11th
No
Race/
Ethnicity
Typical
Grades
Interview
Mode
Black &
Caucasian
Mostly A’s
Phone
Caucasian
A’s
Phone
Female
Latina
A’s and B’s
In Person
Female
Caucasian
A’s
Phone
SPR developed a cognitive interviewing protocol designed to provide insight into how
respondents understand and interpret questions and answers. Probes were designed to
examine how respondents retrieve information mentally and make decisions at the time of
formulating their responses, and to help us determine whether the survey content is relevant
and applicable to the populations we are intending to survey. Throughout the interviews, the
research team asked respondents if they had experienced any difficulty in answering or
understanding the any of the questions. At various points, the research team also asked
whether the answer choices in the survey provided appropriate choices.
The goal of this working document is to summarize the findings of four cognitive interviews and
suggest changes to the survey instrument based on the feedback we received during the
process. The document is divided in three parts. The first part includes a narrative explaining
respondents’ feedback and lists the team’s recommendations to address it. The second part
includes a copy of the survey instrument with the suggested changes. The last part includes the
notes taken during each of the four cognitive interviews [Participant 1 -4].
Part 1: Modifications to the Survey Instrument Based on Respondent’ Feedback
After Cognitive Interviews
After conducting the cognitive interviews, we summarized the feedback we found relevant and
listed suggested modifications to the survey instruments. These modifications are as follows:
•
Re: Q2 When thinking about your ENGLISH classes last year, how strongly do you
disagree or agree with the following statements? Respondents participate in a wide
variety of English classes that vary from year to year. (This year respondent is taking
Classics in Society [Respondent 1]; 9th Grade English, American Literature, and Classical
Dramatic Literature [Respondent 2]; English 1 [Respondent 3]; AP Language in 10th
grade and AP Literature this year [Respondent 4]. From participant’s comments, these
different English classes likely focus on different aspects of literacy from reading/text
comprehension to analysis and others focus on other aspects such as writing.
o Suggestion 1: It may be important to capture the type of English classes students
participate in during the present and prior academic year because taking more
English classes during the year or enrolling in certain types of English classes may
be related to observable changes in student attitudes that our instrument
measures. Thus, the suggestion is to add two questions “Q2a. What English
classes did you take last year?” before Q2b and add “Q2c. What English classes
did you take this year?” after it.
o Suggestion 2: Responses also indicated students may be taking two English
classes in the same academic year, for this reason the suggestion is to refer to
English classes in the plural in what will now be Q2b.
•
Re: Q3 How strongly do you disagree or agree with the following statements? When
asked about what self-expression meant for the Q3 statement: “The teachers at this
school encourage self-expression”, respondents had different interpretations of what
the term meant [All Respondents].
o Suggestion: Frame more clearly the type of self-expression we are asking about.
For example, “The teachers at this school encourage creative self-expression.”
•
Re: Q4 Overall, how do you feel about school? Respondents’ answers to Q4 were only
tangentially related to the objectives of the study. For this reason, we recommend
deleting and replacing with the open-ended questions before/after the Q2 mentioned
above [All Respondents].
•
Re: Q5 What extracurricular activities are you involved in while at school? There was a
lot ambiguity about what “extracurricular” and “afterschool” meant to students and
also ambiguity about the time frame students considered to answer the question (Q5).
In addition, the term after school did not fully capture the range of students’
experiences. For some respondents, after-school and in-school activities were related.
More specifically, students engaged in the type activities of activities we mentioned
during the school day. They referred to these as extracurricular activities, elective
classes or clubs [Respondent 3; Respondent 4]. Interestingly, Respondent 1 and
Respondent 2 referred to POL as an after-school activity and Respondent 1 classified
POL as the literature club she was involved with.
o Alternative suggestion, post-NEA comments: Use NCES’ After School Activities
instrument question instead of our question. (See below.)
•
Answers to Q5a also raised further questions about dosage. For example, because
Respondent 1 did not participate in POL activities in-class BUT participated in afterschool POL sessions, she probably received a lower dosage compared to another
student who might have been involved in both in-school and in after-school sessions to
practice.
o Suggestion: Add a question that asks participants to describe the type of
literature clubs they are involved in to determine if it is POL. Later in the
questionnaire we ask students more about their involvement in poetry activities
in school (see Q13). Including both questions, Q5b and Q13 in the survey, could
offer additional insights about dosage.
•
Re: Q6 How strongly do you disagree or agree with the following statements? There
was difficulty understanding the word “prospect” on the Q6 statement: “I face the
prospect of giving a speech with confidence [Respondent 3; Respondent 4].
o Suggestion: Replace the word “prospect” with “possibility” for this item.
•
Also on Q6, Respondent 2 reported always feeling nervous (not fearful) before giving a
speech (“I have no fear of giving a speech”) and asked whether the intent of the
question was to ask “before” or “while” one is giving a speech. Using the word “while”
would help to better frame.
o Suggestion: Replace the word “fear” for the word “anxiety” and add the word
“while” to give it time frame and make consistent with the other statements in
the same questions (see Q6).
•
Re: Q12 the following questions are about specific experiences with poetry. Please
choose if you strongly disagree, disagree, neither disagree nor agree, agree, or
strongly agree. In the poetry appreciation and engagement section, respondents may
not be able to quickly recount their involvement activities related to poetry. For this
reason, it might be helpful to preface the battery of poetry with an open-ended
question about it.
o Suggestion: Ease transition to Q12b and help students juggle their memories
about poetry by asking an open-ended question related to poetry: Q12a In your
own words, how would you describe what poetry is. That way, respondents
might be more ready to answer the battery of poetry questions that are more
specific.
•
Re: new Q13 a, b, c. Answers from respondents showed that students may be exposed
to poetry activities in other classes. Poetry content might also be part of other classes
besides English. For example, Respondent 4 said she engaged with poetry through her
Spanish class, not her English class. Respondent 3 also said she was involved in poetry
but not as part of POL.
o Suggestion: Include questions gauging students’ engagement with poetry
irrespective of the class and include questions inquiring about students’ previous
involvement with poetry more generally. (See new Q13 a,b,c in the survey
instrument included in Part II).
•
On a related note, the initial survey instrument did not directly ask the question on
whether students could identify POL by name. From previous conversation with the TRG
members this is a possibility and as we saw respondents who did not participate in POL
were still exposed to poetry experiences.
o Suggestion: Add this question (Q13c) but start by asking the extent of their
involvement in discussing the meaning of poetry (Q13a) and engagement in
memorizing and reciting poetry (Q13b) since it is possible students may not
remember POL by name.
•
Re: Q14 Have you ever participated in Poetry Out Loud? It is not very clear what we
mean by participating in POL (Q14). [Based in our internal conversations about the
cognitive interviews].
o Suggestion: Add language to distinguish what it is meant by participation.
•
Re: Q16 When did you participate in Poetry Out Loud most recently? This question did
not work for Respondent 1, who asked specifically if we were referring to this year.
o Suggestion: Add time frame to the question to refer to last year specifically.
•
Re: Q18 Have you competed in Poetry Out Loud? We may need to specify a little more
what we mean by competing in a contest in POL (Q18). [Based in our internal
conversations about the cognitive interviews]
o Suggestion: Add language to distinguish what it is meant by competing.
To better understand these modifications, Part II includes the survey instrument with the
suggested changes highlighted. In addition, new language was inserted to improve the flow and
mark transitions between topics. To improve readability and flow we made other small changes
in wording in some questions (Q6a, Q12b). The renumbering of question items will be finalized
once we receive feedback from NEA.
Part II: Survey Instrument after Cognitive Interviews
I. Academic Engagement and Outcomes
Constructs
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Academic engagement in school
Academic engagement in English classes
School climate
Engagement in extracurricular activities
Other skills related to POL participation (engagement in group discussion, public speaking)
Academic achievement in school
Academic achievement in English classes
Academic aspirations
[Academic Engagement, Motivation]
[Source: Student Engagement in School Questionnaire (SESQ)]
The first set of questions in this survey will ask about your opinions about
learning, your attitudes towards your school and peers, and your opinions about
your academic engagement.
Q1. When thinking about school and ALL your classes in general, please tell us what do you think about
the following statements...
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Often
Always
I am very interested in learning.
O
O
O
O
O
I think what I am learning in school is interesting.
O
O
O
O
O
I like what I am learning in school.
O
O
O
O
O
I enjoy learning new things in class.
O
O
O
O
O
I think learning is boring.
O
O
O
O
O
I try hard to do well in school.
O
O
O
O
O
In class, I work as hard as I can.
O
O
O
O
O
When I’m in class, I participate in class activities.
O
O
O
O
O
I pay attention in class.
O
O
O
O
O
When I’m in class, I just act like I’m working.
O
O
O
O
O
In school, I do just enough to get by.
O
O
O
O
O
When I’m in class, my mind wanders.
O
O
O
O
O
If I have trouble understanding a problem, I go
over it again until I understand it.
O
O
O
O
O
When I run into a difficult homework assignment, I
keep working at it until I think I’ve solved it.
O
O
O
O
O
[Academic Engagement in English Class]
[Source: CPS 5 essentials; scale to 5 points, *added]
Q2a. What English classes did you take last year?
Q2c. What English classes are you taking this year?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Q2b. When thinking about your ENGLISH classes last year, how strongly do you disagree or agree with
the following statements?
Neither
Strongly
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Disagree Nor Agree Agree Agree
I usually look forward to this class.
O
O
O
O
O
I work hard to do my best in this class.
O
O
O
O
O
Sometimes I get so interested in my work I
don't want to stop.
O
O
O
O
O
The topics I am studying are interesting and
challenging.
O
O
O
O
O
I like my English class more than any of my
other classes.*
O
O
O
O
O
I normally do well in my English class*
O
O
O
O
O
Agree
Strongly
Agree
[School Climate]
[Source: CHKS, High School Questionnaire Core Module]
Q3. How strongly do you disagree or agree with the following statements?
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree
Neither
Disagree
Nor Agree
I feel close to people at this school.
O
O
O
O
O
I am happy to be at this school.
O
O
O
O
O
I feel like I am part of this school.
O
O
O
O
O
The teachers at this school treat students
fairly.
O
O
O
O
O
The teachers at this school encourage
creative self-expression.
O
O
O
O
O
I feel safe in my school.
O
O
O
O
O
[Extracurricular Activities Engagement]
[Source: Chicago Public Schools: 5Essentials, modified*]
Q4. Overall, how do you feel about school?
Q5a.
During the last school year, did you participate in any of the following kinds of after-school activities?
Yes
No
Music or dance
O
O
Theater or drama clubs
O
O
Visual arts such as drawing, painting,
photography, or ceramics
O
O
Sports
O
O
Literature clubs [add programming for openended response if yes]
O
O
Other clubs, like yearbook, debate, or a
book club
O
O
Other academic activities, like tutoring, or
math lab
O
O
Volunteer work or community service
O
O
Computer classes, such as computer
programming, robotics, or game design.
O
O
Any other activities (specify) [add programming
for open-ended response if yes]
O
O
_____________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
[Attitudes towards public speaking and self confidence in public speaking]
[Source: Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24)]
The next set of questions are about your experiences in different activities such as
group discussions, giving speeches, and performing in public.
Q6. How strongly do you disagree or agree with the following statements?
I dislike participating in group discussions.
Generally, I am comfortable while
participating in group discussions.
I like to get involved in group discussions.
Engaging in a group discussion with new
people makes me tense and nervous.
I have no fear anxiety while giving a speech.
I feel relaxed while giving a speech.
My thoughts become confused and jumbled
when I am giving a speech.
I face the prospect possibility of giving a
speech with confidence.
Strongly
Disagre
e
Disagre
e
Neither
Disagree
Nor Agree
Agree
Strongly
Agree
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
Q6a. Next, thinking about performing in public which may include participating in school talent shows,
theater plays, or music or dance performances. How strongly do you disagree or agree with the
following statements?
I dislike performing in public.
Generally, I am comfortable while performing
in public
I like to get involved in public performances.
Engaging in public performance projects with
new people makes me tense and nervous.
I have no anxiety while of performing in
public.
I feel relaxed while performing in front of
others.
Strongly
Disagre
e
Disagre
e
Neither
Disagree
Nor Agree
Agree
Strongly
Agree
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
My thoughts become confused and jumbled
when I am performing in public.
I face the prospect of performing publicly
with confidence.
Strongly
Disagre
e
Disagre
e
Neither
Disagree
Nor Agree
Agree
Strongly
Agree
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
[Academic Achievement and Aspirations]
[Source: CPS 5 Essentials; CHSK]
Q7. What grades did you earn in school last year?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Mostly below D’s
Mostly D’s
About half C’s and half D’s
Mostly C’s
About half B’s and half C’s
Mostly B’s
About half B’s and half A’s
Mostly A’s
Q8. What grades did you earn in your ENGLISH/READING/LITERATURE class last year?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Mostly below D’s
Mostly D’s
About half C’s and half D’s
Mostly C’s
About half B’s and half C’s
Mostly B’s
About half B’s and half A’s
Mostly A’s
Q9. What is the highest level of education you plan to complete?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Not planning to complete high school
High school
Career/technical school
2-year community college or junior college
4-year college or university
Graduate or professional school
Undecided
II. Social & Emotional Outcomes
Constructs
•
•
•
•
•
Self-confidence in general
Self-confidence in intellectual abilities
Self-confidence in social skills
Empowerment; self-expression
Civic participation
[Self-confidence (in general, in intellectual abilities, in social skills, in academic expectations)]
[Source: California Healthy Kids Survey: Youth Reliance and Development Module]
The next set of questions ask you about some of the skill sets you have, how do
you go about tackling different issues and what expectations you have of yourself
and others. For each of the following, please select the choice that makes most
sense to you.
Q10. How TRUE are the following about you right now?
Not at
all true
A
little
true
Somewha
t true
Mostly
true
Completel
y true
I have high goals and expectations for myself.
O
O
O
O
O
I am looking forward to a successful career.
O
O
O
O
O
I try to work out problems by talking or
writing about them.
O
O
O
O
O
I can work out my problems.
O
O
O
O
O
I don’t expect very much of myself in the
future.
O
O
O
O
O
I can do most things if I try.
O
O
O
O
O
I can work with someone who has different
opinions than mine.
O
O
O
O
O
There are many things that I do well.
O
O
O
O
O
I listen to other students’ ideas.
O
O
O
O
O
I feel bad when people get their feelings hurt.
O
O
O
O
O
Not at
all true
A
little
true
Somewha
t true
Mostly
true
Completel
y true
I try to understand what other people go
through.
O
O
O
O
O
When I need help, I find someone to talk
with.
O
O
O
O
O
I enjoy working together with other students
on class activities.
O
O
O
O
O
When I work in school groups, I do my fair
share.
O
O
O
O
O
I stand up for myself without putting others
down.
O
O
O
O
O
I try to understand how other people feel and
think.
O
O
O
O
O
I trust my ability to solve difficult problems.
O
O
O
O
O
I understand my moods and feelings.
O
O
O
O
O
I understand why I do what I do.
O
O
O
O
O
[Leadership/Empowerment]
[Source: Common Measure: Leadership Development, High School]
Q11. If you found out about a problem in your community that you wanted to do something about (for
example, illegal drugs were being sold near a school, or high levels of lead were discovered in the local
drinking water), how well do you think you would be able to do each of the following?
I
definitely
can’t
I probably
can’t
Maybe
I
probably
can
I definitely
can
Create a plan to address the problem.
O
O
O
O
O
Get other people to care about the
problem.
O
O
O
O
O
Organize and run a meeting.
O
O
O
O
O
Express your views in front of a group
of people.
O
O
O
O
O
Identify individuals or groups who
could help you with the problem.
O
O
O
O
O
Write an opinion letter to a local
newspaper.
O
O
O
O
O
Call someone on the phone that you
had never met before to get their help
with the problem.
O
O
O
O
O
Contact an elected official about the
problem.
O
O
O
O
O
Organize a petition.
O
O
O
O
O
III. Poetry Appreciation & Engagement
Constructs
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
General attitudes toward poetry
Attitudes toward reading poetry
Attitudes toward writing poetry
Attitudes toward memorizing poetry
Attitudes toward reciting poetry
Sharing poetry with peers
Sharing poetry via social media
Indicator of POL participation
[Attitudes Toward Reading and Writing Poetry]
[Source: POL Student Survey AND Koukis 2010; adapted]
Next, we will be asking questions about your experiences with poetry.
Q12a. First, in your own words, how would you describe what poetry is?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Q12b. Next, the following questions are about specific experiences with poetry. Please choose if you
strongly disagree, disagree, neither disagree nor agree, agree, or strongly agree with the following
statements.
I am familiar with poetry.
Poetry is important to me.
Strongly
Disagree
Disagre
e
Neither
Disagree
Nor Agree
Agree
Strongl
y Agree
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
I enjoy learning how to interpret poetry.
I enjoy figuring out poems and thinking
about what they mean.
My English teacher helps me understand
poetry.
I read poetry with my family.
I read poetry in my spare time.
It is easy for me to read poetry.
I write my own poetry in my spare time.
It is easy for me to write poetry.
I enjoy memorizing poems.
It is easy for me to memorize poems.
I enjoy reciting poetry.
I appreciate poetry more when it is read
aloud.
I enjoy reciting poems in front of my peers.
My English teacher encourages me to write
my own poetry.
I am comfortable sharing poems I wrote
with my peers.
I feel comfortable reciting poetry in front of
my peers.
Strongly
Disagree
Disagre
e
Neither
Disagree
Nor Agree
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
Agree
Strongl
y Agree
Q13. How do you feel about poetry in general? (e.g. What aspects of poetry do you like? Are there
things about poetry that you don’t like? If so, what are they?)
Q13a. During the last school year, do you remember discussing the meaning of poetry in any of your
classes?
1. Yes
2. No
3. Not sure
Q13b. During the last school year, did you work at memorizing and getting better at reciting poetry in
any of your classes?
1. Yes
2. No
3. Not sure
Q13c. Have you heard of Poetry Out Loud?
1. Yes
2. No
3. Not sure
Poetry Out Loud encourages students to learn about great poetry through
memorization and recitation. This program helps students master public speaking
skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary
life.
Q14. Have you ever participated, that is memorizing and reciting a poem, as part of Poetry Out Loud?
1. Yes
2. No (SKIP TO Q19.)
3. Not sure (SKIP TO Q19.)
Q15. How many years have you participated in Poetry Out Loud?
1.
2.
3.
4.
One years
Two years
Three years
Four years
Q16. Did you participate in Poetry Out Loud last year?
1. Yes
2. No
3. Not sure
Q17. Did you learn about poetry in your English/language arts class during the last year?
1. Yes
2. No (SKIP TO Q20)
3. Not sure (SKIP TO Q20)
Q18. Have you competed, that is recited a poem in front of your peers or other audiences, in Poetry Out
Loud? Please choose at what level and mark all that apply:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Classroom
School contest
Regional contest
State contest
National contest
Did not compete at any of the above
Q19. Have any of your peers, friends, or family members participated or competed in Poetry Out Loud?
1. Yes
2. No
3. Not sure
[Use of Social Media]
[Source: CPS 5 essentials (adapted)]
The next set of questions is about how you use social media in relationship to
poetry.
Q20. People sometimes use social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter to
create or share information or perspectives related to poetry. How often have you done the following:
Never
Less than
once a
month
Once or
twice a
month
Once a
week
Several
times a
week
How often do you share someone else’s
poems on social media?
O
O
O
O
O
How often do you share someone else’s
poems through email?
O
O
O
O
O
How often do you share your own poems on
social media?
O
O
O
O
O
How often do you share your own poems
through email?
O
O
O
O
O
How often do you comment or tweet about
poetry since school started?
O
O
O
O
O
IV. Demographic Information
The last questions in this survey are about general characteristics. Remember, all
your answers are confidential and will never be associated with your name. We
only ask this information for research purposes and all answers are anonymous.
Q21. Are you:
1. Male
2. Female
3. Gender non-conforming
4. Prefer not to say
Q22. Are you of Hispanic or Latino origin?
1. No
2. Yes
3. Prefer not to say
Q23. What is your race? (mark all that apply)
1. American Indian or Alaskan Native (A person having origins in any of the original peoples of
North America, and who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or
community recognition.)
2. Asian (A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia,
the Indian subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands. This area includes, for example, Cambodia,
China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and
Vietnam.)
3. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (A person having origins in any of the original
peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands)
4. Black or African-American (A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of
Africa.)
5. White (A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, or the
Middle East)
6. Prefer not to say
Q24. Is English your first language?
1. Yes [SKIP to Q26a]
2. No
3. Don’t know
Q25a. [IF NO OR DON’T KNOW] How well do you understand, speak, read, and write English?
Understand spoken English
Speak English
Read English
Write English
Very
Well
O
O
O
O
Well
Not Well
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
Not at
All
O
O
O
O
Q25b. What languages do you speak at home or with friends?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Spanish
Mandarin
Cantonese
Taiwanese
Tagalog
Vietnamese
Korean
French
Russian
German
Other (write-in)
Q26a. What is the highest level of education reached by your mother or female guardian?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Did not finish high school
Finished high school
Attended but did not finish college
Finished two-year college
Finished four-year college
Finished graduate degree (e.g., MA, MD, PhD)
Don’t know/Not applicable
Q26b. What is the highest level of education reached by your father or male guardian?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Did not finish high school
Finished high school
Attended but did not finish college
Finished two-year college
Finished four-year college
Finished graduate degree (e.g., MA, MD, PhD)
Don’t know/Not applicable
Q27. What grade are you in?
1.
2.
3.
4.
9th grade
10th grade
11th grade
12th grade
Q28. What month were you born?
1.
2.
3.
4.
January
February
March
April
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Q29. What are the first two letters of your first name?
Q30. What are the first two letters of your last name?
Part III: Cognitive Interviews Notes [All Participants]
This part includes all the notes taken during the cognitive interviews.
PARTICIPANT 1
Q1. When thinking about school and ALL your classes in general, please tell us what do you
think about the following statements...
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What does “doing well in school” mean to you (Q1a)?
o Learning. It doesn’t mean you are getting a good grade it means that you are
actually getting or attaining something from the knowledge.
When we asked about “trouble understanding a problem”, what kind of problems did
you think about?
o She thought of a math problem.
What does “participation in class” mean to you?
o Giving your two cents. Providing your opinion when you feel like your opinion is
needed.
Were any of these questions difficult to answer?
o No.
Did you feel you had the choices you needed to answer the way you wanted?
o Yes.
How did you decide when to use “sometimes” and “often”?
o She used “sometimes” for the “middle ground”. “Sometimes” meant that had
done something a couple of times and “often” meant she does it most of the time
with an exception.
How did you decide when to use “always” and “often”?
o Always is when she doesn’t remember a time when she hasn’t. She used “often”
to describe something that she did most the time but not all the time.
How sure were you of your answers?
o She is pretty much sure.
Q2. When thinking about your ENGLISH class last year, how strongly do you disagree or agree
with the following statements?
•
•
What English classes have you taken in high school? How about this year?
o She has taken American Literature, Journeys in Literature (which covered a broad
range of time periods), History of the Novel, and Shakespeare. This year she is
taking Classics in Society.
What activities do you typically do in your English classes?
•
•
•
o Usually they go over the reading in class. She commented that mostly they are
focused on reading and analysis in her English classes. They often write on the
white board and discuss specific themes, topics, and motifs in the reading. Their
activities are generally focused on trying to narrow the message of the reading
down.
When we asked about “the topics we are studying”, what kind of topics do you cover in
your English class?
o She thought about the topics in her History of the Novel, where they talked about
free and indirect speech—a new way of looking at quotation and speech patterns
when writing and reading a novel. She found this to be a challenging and
interesting.
What does “doing well in your English class” mean to you?
o To her it means reading the book rather than using SparkNotes or Cliff Notes. It
also means actually finding some joy in the literature that is provided in class
rather than just drudging through the process of reading and analyzing.
Were you sure of all your answers or some more than others?
o She was sure of these answers.
Q3. How strongly do you disagree or agree with the following statements?
•
•
•
•
•
Our questions here are about how you feel about school. What would you say “feeling
close to people at school” means to you?
o It means being able to share the self how she normally is at school. The self that
she is at home or outside of school. Not being close to people at school means
not being able to express her true self.
When we asked about “I am part of this school”, what came to mind?
o She thought of different activities and clubs that she is in at school. She is part of
things at school including the film club, Poetry Out Loud—her face is around and
people know who she is and this what came to mind.
What does the statement “self-expression” mean to you? Do your teachers encourage
it?
o It means sharing who you are internally. Sharing the things that you are thinking
and feeling inside and actually expressing that outwards.
What does “feeling safe in your school” mean to you?
o It means having no fear of sexual assault and no fear of having her opinions torn
down. Generally, it means feeling like she can express her opinions and thoughts
without fear of being criticized.
Did you feel you had the right choices to answer the question how you wanted?
o Yes.
Q4. Overall, how do you feel about school?
•
For this open-ended question, I would like to hear more about your thoughts about this
question. What came to mind at the time of answering?
o She thought about how she has been at the same school for nine years and the
feeling of needing to get out and find new opinions and people to learn from. She
feels like she is “done” with her school.
Q5a. What extracurricular activities are you involved in while at school?
•
What does the term “extracurricular” mean to you?
o It means something outside of school/non-school and something that is not
graded.
Q5b. Now we have specific questions about after school activities, in a typical 5-day week,
how often:
•
•
•
•
Question 5b is about after school activities. First, what does “after school activities”
mean to you? Are any of those related to your activities “at school” in some way?
o After school activities means it is not graded and nobody is calculating how well
you are doing.
o Yes, her after school activities are within school and are related to school but
aren’t part of a grading system, which is part of how she differentiates them.
Could you tell me which after school activities you are involved with now?
o She is involved in her school’s theater group and as a part of that she stagemanages, works on sets, and acts.
o She also plays softball.
How many of these activities occur after school? And during the weekend?
o All the activities she mentioned are after school.
o Sometimes set building is on the weekends but mostly they are during the week.
What does the term “academic activities” mean to you? Are you involved in any
academic activities after school this year? How about last year?
o The term “academic activities” means that it relates to one of the five main
academic subjects: English, history, math, science, and language.
•
•
•
•
•
Would you tell me what comes to mind when I mention “music activities and classes”
after school?
o One-on-one lessons or training in music. Having a person directing you. A one-onone teacher/student setting.
Do you participate in “literature clubs”? What kind of activities do you think you would
do in a literature club?
o She is part of the POL club. It is a club that meets on Tuesday after school. They
talk about the poems they want to do for POL, get feedback on recitation, talk
about emphasis and tone, and watch POL recitations that happened at nationals.
o POL isn’t done at all in any classes at her school. It is a self-selected
extracurricular activity. Everyone at the club choose to go the club because they
want to compete and be a part of POL.
What do you do in a “debate club”?
o No.
What are “enrichment activities” to you? Could you give me some examples?
o She is not sure about what “enrichment” means in the question. In the question,
it talked about sports and fitness and she used that as a way to answer. She
swims and she thought of that.
What are your favorite after school activities?
o She loves doing theater.
Q6. How strongly do you disagree or agree with the following statements?
•
•
•
•
Question 6 is about what you think about participating in group discussions and giving a
speech. First, when we asked about “group discussions”, what activities did you think
about? Would you say there are opportunities for group discussion in your school?
o She thought about group discussion in the classroom. They have graded group
Harkness Discussions (a part of Harkness tables) in her classroom. She thought
about participating in that when answering.
o Yes, there are many opportunities for group discussions at her school.
What about “giving a speech”? Are there opportunities for you to do this?
o They have a mandatory senior speech that they have to give.
What do you think about the phrase “I face the prospect of giving a speech with
confidence”?
o Knowing what you want to share in the speech and feeling confident about what
you are going to say.
What does the term “confidence” mean to you?
o It means you feel empowered to do something.
•
Were any of these questions difficult to answer?
o She raised the distinction between how you feel before and during a speech.
Depending on the time frame, she might have had different responses. She feels
relaxed during the speech but prior she feels nervous. This made it somewhat
confusing for her to answer.
Q6a. How strongly do you disagree or agree with the following statements?
•
•
•
•
Question 6a is about what you think about performing in public. First, when we asked
about “performing in public”, what activities came to mind first?
o Nothing additional other than music, dance, and theater.
Besides dance, theater, and music, what other kinds of performances have you done in
public?
o No.
Would you say you have opportunities to perform in public at your school?
o Yes, definitely.
Were any of these questions difficult to answer?
o She feels there was similar issues as with the questions about public speaking
around the issue of when we are asking about. Do we mean prior or during a
performance? She might have different answer depending on when the question
is asking.
Q7. What grades did you earn in school last year?/Q8. What grades did you earn in your
ENGLISH/READING/LITERATURE class last year?
•
•
When we asked about your grades, did the answer choices make sense to you?
o Yes, they made sense.
When thinking about how well you are doing in your English class, what came to mind?
o Her grades. But she noted that was particularly salient because it was right after
being asked about her grades in the previous question.
Q9. What is the highest level of education you plan to complete?
•
When we asked about the highest level of education you are planning on completing,
how did you decide what answer to choose?
o She knows that she is headed to four-year college but doesn’t know about after
that because it is hard as a high school student to know what she will want to do
following college.
Q10. How TRUE are the following about you right now?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Coming back to Question 10, please take a moment to read the statements again. Let
me know when you are done so I can ask you some questions about it.
Did you find any of these questions difficult to answer? (IF YES: Which specific phrases?
Why?)
o No.
In the question, “How true are the following about you right now?”, how do you
understand “right now”?
o “Right now” means today for her. And added that “right now” could be skewed
because someone might just be having a bad day.
Were there any questions that you felt did not apply to you?
o She felt that they all applied to her.
When we asked about “high goals and expectations for yourself”, what came to mind?
Could you share any examples?
o Question not asked. [Double check]
What does the term “successful career” mean to you?
o She is not sure. She then adds it means getting a career that she wants to be in
and is doing well in.
What does the phrase “I understand why I do what I do” mean to you?
o It meant basically does she understand who she is or why she does things.
What does the phrase “need help” mean to you? What kind of help did you think of?
o Guidance.
Q11. If you found out about a problem in your community that you wanted to do something
about (for example, illegal drugs were being sold near a school, or high levels of lead were
discovered in the local drinking water), how well do you think you would be able to do each
of the following?
•
Could you mention any community problems that have been important to you during
the past year?
o There are some hazardous waste materials left in the area after the
abandonment of an ink cooperation. She is part of a group that is talking about
•
•
•
why no one knows about it in the community and how hazardous it can be for the
community.
Did you find any of these questions difficult to answer? (IF YES: Which specific phrases?
Why?)
o No.
When we mentioned “elected officials”, who came to mind?
o Her congresswoman.
Could you explain what organizing a petition means to you in your own words?
o Finding out what it means to organize a petition in terms of the necessary steps,
finding people to sign it, and knowing her allies.
Q12. The following questions are related to your experiences with poetry. For the following
please choose if you strongly disagree, disagree, neither disagree or agree, agree, or strongly
agree.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The set of statements in Question 11 are all related to poetry. Please take a moment to
re-read before we continue and let me know when you finish.
First, were any of these questions difficult to answer?
o The phrase “It is easy for me to read poetry” made it difficult to answer this
question. Specially the word “easy” seemed like a weird word to use because she
enjoys trying to figure out poetry and part of reading poetry is the challenge of it.
What does the term “poetry” mean to you?
o It is multi-faceted including spoken word, interpretations.
Would you say you have been involved in poetry activities at school? How about outside
of school?
o Other than POL she has not participated in poetry activities in or outside of
school.
Are there any other places where you have been involved in poetry activities?
o No.
Have you memorized any poems at school? Was that recently?
o No.
How about “reciting poems” to others? Have you done this? (IF YES: Could you describe
this a little more detail?)
o No. (She specified that she meant she had never done this for school).
What comes to mind when you read the phrase “Poetry is best-appreciated when read
aloud”?
o She thought about POL as her main source of poetry recitation. In comparison to
middle school when they just blandly read poetry, being in POL and hearing
recitation is more enjoyable than just reading it.
Q13. How do you feel about poetry in general? (e.g. What aspects of poetry do you like? Are
there things about poetry that you don’t like? If so, what are they?)
•
•
•
Were there other aspects of poetry you would’ve liked to talk about?
o No.
The next set of questions are about a program called Poetry Out Loud? Are you familiar
with it? Have you or any one you know participated in Poetry Out Loud? (IF NOT: Skip to
Question 17)
How would you describe Poetry Out Loud?
o A national poetry recitation competition. A great way to learn more about
poetry and poets and what poetry means to you. It helps a person figure out
what they enjoy reading, listening to, and reciting and what it means to them.
She has learned the types of poetry that she likes through POL. Poetry Out Loud
encourages students to learn about great poetry through memorization and
recitation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build selfconfidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life.
Q15. How many years have you participated in Poetry Out Loud?
( She asked a clarifying question. “Are we talking this year?” I think this question needs to
specify whether they should include the current year or not.)
Q17. Did you learn about poetry in your English/language arts class during the last year?
(Note that the skip logic here does not work. She answered “no” because POL was not part of
her English class to this question but had in fact participated in a state level competition. I think
we need to add a question that gages if they are doing POL in a class or club or both)
Q20. People sometimes use social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat,
or Twitter, to create or share information or perspectives related to poetry. How often have
you done the following:
•
•
•
•
•
Statements in Question 20 are about sharing poetry through social media. First, what
does the term “social media” mean to you? (IF respondent answered “Never” to all, skip
to Question 19)
o Social media means Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter. She is not a huge
social media person and only uses Facebook.
What are the main social media platforms you use?
o She only uses Facebook.
When we asked about “sharing with poems”, who have you shared poems with?
o N/A. She does not share poems.
When we asked about “commenting or tweeting about poetry”. Have you done any of
these?
o She can remember one time specifically about a poem about America that she
shared through Facebook.
Are there any other ways that you share poetry with others?
o She shares it through communication for example just in conversation. With her
parents, she shares a bunch of poetry that she is learning about and sometimes
in class she will share it. Through conversations is a key way in which she shares
about poetry.
•
Did you have any issues answering any of the questions about general characteristics?
Which? Why?
o No. They are all fine.
•
Are there any questions that were difficult to answer?
o No. They are all fine.
•
What does the term “first language” mean to you? (Not asked)
PARTICIPANT 2
Q1. When thinking about school and ALL your classes in general, please tell us what do you
think about the following statements...
•
•
•
•
•
•
What does “doing well in school” mean to you?
o “Doing well in school” means that you are not only understanding the concepts
that the teacher presents but you are also making the concepts your own. It is an
accomplishment for yourself and the teacher. Students need to know that their
hard work and participation is rewarded with good grades.
When we asked about “trouble understanding a problem”, what kind of problems did
you think about?
o She thought about math problems when answering the question. She also
thought about writing an English paper.
What does “participation in class” mean to you?
o It means asking relevant questions that benefit the whole class and engaging in
discussions with both peers and teachers.
Were any of these questions difficult to answer?
o No.
Did you feel you had the choices you needed to answer the way you wanted?
o Yes.
How sure were you of your answers?
o Very sure.
Q2. When thinking about your ENGLISH class last year, how strongly do you disagree or agree
with the following statements?
•
•
•
What English classes have you taken in high school? How about this year?
o She has taken 9th Grade English, American Literature, and Classical Dramatic
Literature.
What activities do you typically do in your English classes?
o The activities they typically do include student led discussions where they bounce
around ideas about a text, whiteboard activities where they learn writing tips.
They also analyze texts and occasionally watch film adaptations of things they
are reading in class. They also have time in class to work on homework and
papers.
When we asked about “the topics we are studying”, what kind of topics do you cover in
your English class?
•
•
o They cover thesis writing, body paragraph writing, and methods of interpreting
and responding to a text. They also cover how to write an essay. Sometimes they
will also learn history about the text that they are reading. They also spend some
time in class on grammar.
What does “doing well in your English class” mean to you?
o On the “surface” it is getting an A or an A- but it also means that you understand
the topic. Doing well means that when she starts to write an essay she knows
what she wants to write about and knowns the necessary content well enough to
write the paper.
Were you sure of all your answers or some more than others?
o Sure of all of them.
Q3. How strongly do you disagree or agree with the following statements?
•
•
•
•
•
Our questions here are about how you feel about school. What would you say “feeling
close to people at school” means to you?
o It means that your academic experience in high school is a group effort. It means
you are involved in clubs and working together for a common goal.
When we asked about “I am part of this school”, what came to mind?
o “I am part of this school” means that she contributes to the school in a positive
way.
What does the statement “self-expression” mean to you? Do your teachers encourage
it?
o “Self-expression” means that she can say what she believes, wear what she
wants, and act the way she wants without judgement by teachers and students.
She does think that teachers encourage this at her school.
What does “feeling safe in your school” mean to you?
o On the surface, it means that she knows that there is no one dangerous in the
building but also that she is safe when she walks down the halls and no one is cat
calling or making fun of her. She is safe from the people within her school as well
as outsiders.
Did you feel you had the right choices to answer the question how you wanted?
o Yes.
Q4. Overall, how do you feel about school?
•
For this open-ended question, I would like to hear more about your thoughts about this
question. What came to mind at the time of answering?
o She has always loved school and liked the structure of her school. She only has
positive feelings towards school. The only negative thing is the stress that she
feels at her school, which is very academically rigorous. She knows when she
graduates she will look back fondly at school.
Q5a. What extracurricular activities are you involved in while at school?
o She is involved in volleyball, the school newspaper, Community Action Club,
Poetry Outload, the Junior Class Leadership Council, and student tutors.
•
What does the term “extracurricular” mean to you?
o “Extracurricular” means that it is not mandatory and is something that someone
chooses to do. And it is something that you do for fun.
Q5b. Now we have specific questions about after school activities, in a typical 5-day week,
how often:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Question 5b is about after school activities. First, what does “after school activities”
mean to you? Are any of those related to your activities “at school” in some way?
o “After school activities” are something you are obligated to do but are not in the
realm of normal school and so have a limited amount of people doing them.
There are also to some extent optional. The after school activities she does are
related to her school activities.
In your opinion, what distinguishes an after-school activity from an in-school activity?
o The key distinctions are supervision, the amount of people involved, and a certain
level of autonomy that you have in after school activities compared with in school
activities.
Could you tell me which after school activities you are involved with now?
o She is involved in volleyball, the school newspaper, Community Action Club,
Poetry Outload, the Junior Class Leadership Council, and student tutors.
How many of these activities occur after school? And during the weekend?
o Two of the above activities occur after school and one on the weekend.
What does the term “academic activities” mean to you? Besides getting writing
coaching, tutoring, getting homework help, are you involved in any other academic
activities after school this year?
o “Academic activities” means that it is not part of a class but it still relates to the
curriculum in some way. She is not involved in any additional academic activities.
Would you tell me what comes to mind when I mention “music activities and classes”
after school?
•
•
•
•
o She thought of music classes before school.
Do you participate in “literature clubs”? What kind of activities do you think you would
do in a literature club?
o She does participate in a literature club. In this club, they read poems, and help
each other understand poetry and make it personal. The literature club is a
Poetry Out Loud club.
What do you do in a “debate club”?
o In debate club there is usually a topic every month and you write compelling
speeches for or against topics and practice debating.
Besides chess club or sports/fitness activities, could you give me other examples of
enrichment activities?
o Robotics or computer science.
What are your favorite after school activities?
o Her favorite activities are volleyball and the school newspaper. Newspaper is
actually a class but many people stay after school to use the computers to
complete assignments.
Q6. How strongly do you disagree or agree with the following statements?
•
•
•
•
Question 6 is about what you think about participating in group discussions and giving a
speech. First, when we asked about “group discussions”, what activities did you think
about? Would you say there are opportunities for group discussion in your school?
o She thought about graded discussions in her history and English classes. She does
think there are opportunities for group discussion at her school.
What about “giving a speech”? Are there opportunities for you to do this?
o Yes.
What do you think about the phrase “I face the prospect of giving a speech with
confidence”? What does the term “confidence” mean to you?
o To her “I face the prospect of giving a speech with confidence” means you feel
confident in the writing, the message, and the delivery of the speech.
Were any of these questions difficult to answer?
o No.
Q6a. How strongly do you disagree or agree with the following statements?
•
Question 6a is about what you think about performing in public. First, when we asked
about “performing in public”, what activities came to mind first?
•
•
•
o She thought about how a lot of times at a school you perform with a group in a
mock play or something you wrote.
Besides dance, theater, and music, what other kinds of performances have you done in
public?
o She has given speeches and presented poetry.
Would you say you have opportunities to perform in public at your school?
o Yes.
Were any of these questions difficult to answer?
o No.
Q7. What grades did you earn in school last year?/Q8. What grades did you earn in your
ENGLISH/READING/LITERATURE class last year?
•
When we asked about your grades, did the answer choices make sense to you?
o Yes.
Q10. How TRUE are the following about you right now?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Coming back to Question 10, please take a moment to read the statements again. Let
me know when you are done so I can ask you some questions about it.
Did you find any of these questions difficult to answer? (IF YES: Which specific phrases?
Why?)
o No.
In the question, “How true are the following about you right now?”, how do you
understand “right now”? Were there any questions that you felt did not apply to you?
o She was thinking mostly of right now as in the current moment and some within
the last year. She felt that they all applied to her.
When we asked about “high goals and expectations for yourself”, what came to mind?
Could you share any examples?
o She thoughts about her academic, career, and behavioral goals (being the best
person she could be).
What does the term “successful career” mean to you?
o A “successful career” means to her being happy with what she is doing.
What does the phrase “I understand why I do what I do” mean to you?
o It means that you understand why you act the way you do, your decisions, why
you are like you and what made you like that.
What does the phrase “need help” mean to you? What kind of help did you think of?
o She thought about mental health and needing help in that context when she
answered.
Q11. If you found out about a problem in your community that you wanted to do something
about (for example, illegal drugs were being sold near a school, or high levels of lead were
discovered in the local drinking water), how well do you think you would be able to do each
of the following?
•
•
•
•
Could you mention any community problems that have been important to you during
the past year?
o There are compost bins at her school that are not being used correctly.
Did you find any of these questions difficult to answer? (IF YES: Which specific phrases?
Why?)
o No.
When we mentioned “elected officials”, who came to mind?
o Mayors and the governor came to mind.
Could you explain what organizing a petition means to you in your own words?
o Getting other students to care about the cause and having them sign to support
the cause.
Q12. The following questions are related to your experiences with poetry. For the following
please choose if you strongly disagree, disagree, neither disagree or agree, agree, or strongly
agree.
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The set of statements in Question 12 are all related to poetry. Please take a moment to
re-read before we continue and let me know when you finish.
First, were any of these questions difficult to answer?
o No.
What does the term “poetry” mean to you?
o “There’s different types of poetry. There is free verse and then pre-historic poetry,
epic poetry. It is just another way to convey a story and an idea.”
Would you say you have been involved in poetry activities at school?
o Yes.
How about outside of school?
o No.
Are there any other places where you have been involved in poetry activities?
o No.
Have you memorized any poems at school? Was that recently?
o Yes. It was recent.
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How about “reciting poems” to others? Have you done this? (IF YES: Could you describe
this a little more detail?)
o Yes, she has recited poems to others. She has recited poetry at the competition at
her school for Poetry Out Loud. She also has recited poetry that she has written
for her English class.
What comes to mind when you read the phrase “Poetry is best-appreciated when read
aloud”?
o She thought of Poetry Out Loud. And she thought of when she studied poetry in
class last year and they would often read poetry and they could see other
people’s interpretations of how poetry should be recited.
Q13. How do you feel about poetry in general? (e.g. What aspects of poetry do you like? Are
there things about poetry that you don’t like? If so, what are they?)
o She likes how open-ended poetry is and that there is not a clear structure to
poetry. It makes her question. It is interesting for her to write it and she finds
poetry challenging (but in a good way).
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Were there other aspects of poetry you would’ve liked to talk about?
o No.
The next set of questions are about a program called Poetry Out Loud? Are you familiar
with it? Have you or any one you know participated in Poetry Out Loud? (IF NOT: Skip to
Question 17)
o She is familiar with it and she has participated in it for one year.
How would you describe Poetry Out Loud?
o POL is a small but engaging community. They meet afterschool and during
school. It is very supportive.
Q14. Have you ever participated in Poetry Out Loud?
1. Yes (Go to Q15)
2. No (SKIP TO Q17.)
3. Not sure (SKIP TO Q17.)
Q15. How many years have you participated in Poetry Out Loud?
5. One year
6. Two years
7. Three years
8. Four years
Q16. When did you participate in Poetry Out Loud most recently? (She answered yesterday.
My need to rephrase questions)
1. Last year
2. Two years ago
3. Other [SPECIFY]
Q20. People sometimes use social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat,
or Twitter, to create or share information or perspectives related to poetry. How often have
you done the following:
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Statements in Question 20 are about sharing poetry through social media. First, what
does the term “social media” mean to you? (IF respondent answered “Never” to all, skip
to Question 19)
What are the main social media platforms you use?
o She uses VSCO (an image sharing app), Snapchat, and Instagram
When we asked about “sharing with poems”, who have you shared poems with?
o She does not share poems through social media.
When we asked about “commenting or tweeting about poetry”. Have you done any of
these?
Are there any other ways that you share poetry with others?
o She does not share poems in any other ways through social media.
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We are now approaching the end of the questionnaire. Please take a moment to answer
the questions about general characteristics and let me know when you finish.
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[After respondent finishes] Did you have any issues answering any of the questions
about general characteristics? Which? Why?
o None.
Are there any questions that were difficult to answer?
o No.
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PARTICIPANT 3
Q1. When thinking about school and ALL your classes in general, please tell us what do you
think about the following statements...
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What does “doing well in school” mean to you?
o Not getting her phone; expanding her knowledge of things so that she can be
open minded to things.
When we asked about “trouble understanding a problem”, what kind of problems did
you think about?
o She thought about specific subjects in school like Math.
What does “participation in class” mean to you?
o It is part of the grade too and getting to see how things work in the class. If she
actually does something, she learns faster.
Were any of these questions difficult to answer?
o No.
Did you feel you had the choices you needed to answer the way you wanted?
o Yes.
How did you decide when to use “sometimes” and “often”?
o She used often when she remembered doing things often. It also depends on the
situation.
How did you decide when to use “always” and “often”?
o She used always when she remembers doing it over and over again – it becomes
habit.
How sure were you of your answers?
o Very sure.
Q2. When thinking about your ENGLISH class last year, how strongly do you disagree or agree
with the following statements?
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What English classes have you taken in high school? How about this year?
o English 1 (respondent is in 9th grade).
What activities do you typically do in your English classes?
o She is learning how to see texts in different views (i.e., feminist, Marxist, postcolonial, and archetypal).
When we asked about “the topics we are studying”, what kind of topics do you cover in
your English class?
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o They are doing literature, identifying problems with plot, doing essay responses
on the lecture texts, and breaking down what the video or texts mean and how it
connects to their lives.
What does “doing well in your English class” mean to you?
o English is her best subject, so it really means a lot. It’s her favorite subject. Doing
well means she gets all A’s.
Were you sure of all your answers or some more than others?
o She was sure.
Q3. How strongly do you disagree or agree with the following statements?
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Our questions here are about how you feel about school. What would you say “feeling
close to people at school” means to you?
o It means actually knowing them, not just their name, but some part of
themselves that they told her - being friends.
When we asked about “I am part of this school”, what came to mind?
o Not just being an outsider, sitting in the corner in the dark, alone, actually talking
to people and connecting.
What does the statement “self-expression” mean to you? Do your teachers encourage
it?
o Not doing whatever you want but no restraints (e.g., no uniform, expressing who
you are in clothing).
o Yes, teachers encourage it a lot.
What does “feeling safe in your school” mean to you?
o Not getting bullied, not being teased, and physical safety.
Did you feel you had the right choices to answer the question how you wanted?
o Yes.
Q4. Overall, how do you feel about school?
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For this open-ended question, I would like to hear more about your thoughts about this
question. What came to mind at the time of answering?
o The respondent thinks school is an awesome place because she gets to learn new
things and work that brain power. If you wouldn’t go to school, you wouldn’t
have the social skills to be an adult because you have to talk to people to get the
job and interview and you wouldn’t have the academic skills to help you out in
the future.
o When answering the question, the respondent was drawing from experiences in
general, starting from kindergarten to now.
Q5a. What extracurricular activities are you involved in while at school?
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What does the term “extracurricular” mean to you?
o She is taking an elective, so she thinks it counts as an extracurricular. It’s a
leadership class where they get tasks and do it or they come up with an idea to
help the school. Another term for extracurricular is clubs. She is currently not
involved in any clubs because she isn’t interested and they don’t catch her eye.
Q5b. Now we have specific questions about after school activities, in a typical 5-day week,
how often:
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Question 5b is about after school activities. First, what does “after school activities”
mean to you? Are any of those related to your activities “at school” in some way?
o It means socializing more with people, getting more skills out of things available
to you, and an extra thing to help you out.
o They aren’t related to her “at school” activities because she doesn’t do after
school activities because she doesn’t have time.
Could you tell me which after school activities you are involved with now?
o Not involved.
How many of these activities occur after school? And during the weekend?
o Skipped.
What does the term “academic activities” mean to you? Are you involved in any
academic activities after school this year? How about last year?
o It means sitting in the room, doing the subject that either advances you in some
way or is helping you out in a subject you’re not as strong as at the time. Last
year she was in a news club – they did videos about what was happening in
school.
Would you tell me what comes to mind when I mention “music activities and classes”
after school?
o Singing, music instruments, and beat making.
Do you participate in “literature clubs”? What kind of activities do you think you would
do in a literature club?
o Writing what you want or being given a prompt and writing about it in a specific
way the instructor wants.
What do you do in a “debate club”?
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o Prepare really really hard for the debate, make sure she really researches her
stuff, and is not letting anything out of the way. Create another argument to
counter the team, take their side, take their point of view and see what they have
in mind to go against her.
What are “enrichment activities” to you? Could you give me some examples?
o Things that help you advance in things, for example if you like soccer, take this
class to help your skills in kicking and stamina. Another example would be math
lab to help with classes.
What are your favorite after school activities?
o Last year, it would be something related to school, such as the newspaper
because she really likes writing.
Q6. How strongly do you disagree or agree with the following statements?
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Question 6 is about what you think about participating in group discussions and giving a
speech. First, when we asked about “group discussions”, what activities did you think
about? Would you say there are opportunities for group discussion in your school?
o When she thought of “group discussions” she thought about what teachers give
out to the students to work in a group. She thought that she really didn’t like that
because she would do most of the work. She would talk more, she would write
down the notes.
o Yes, teachers make those opportunities in the class to have group discussions –
when other students do their work as well, she thinks their discussions can be
very interesting.
What about “giving a speech”? Are there opportunities for you to do this?
o Yes, there are opportunities, but she sometimes doesn’t want to because she
thinks she’s going to stutter all the way when talking to a class. There are
opportunities, she just doesn’t take them because she has that fear.
What do you think about the phrase “I face the prospect of giving a speech with
confidence”?
o The respondent had trouble with the word “prospect”. She understood it as
during the activity (i.e., on the stage).
What does the term “confidence” mean to you?
o It means not really caring about what others think, just having the ability to talk
to people without stuttering a lot, having a smile on your face, and acting casual
like you were talking to a friend.
Were any of these questions difficult to answer?
o No, just the word “prospect”.
Q6a. How strongly do you disagree or agree with the following statements?
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Question 6a is about what you think about performing in public. First, when we asked
about “performing in public”, what activities came to mind first?
o Giving out speeches, presenting your piece, doing school presentations, or talent
shows.
Besides dance, theater, and music, what other kinds of performances have you done in
public?
o She’s done plays before (3 in elementary school). Yesterday, she performed her
piece in literature at Chapter 510.
Would you say you have opportunities to perform in public at your school?
o Yes, her teacher was talking about an opportunity at Mills College to read their
own pieces to the students there on Halloween.
Were any of these questions difficult to answer?
o The “prospect” question again.
Q7. What grades did you earn in school last year?/Q8. What grades did you earn in your
ENGLISH/READING/LITERATURE class last year?
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When we asked about your grades, did the answer choices make sense to you?
o Yes.
When thinking about how well you are doing in your English class, what came to mind?
o She likes reading in English class.
Q9. What is the highest level of education you plan to complete?
8. Not planning to complete high school
9. High school
10. Career/technical school
11. 2-year community college or junior college
12. 4-year college or university
13. Graduate or professional school
14. Undecided
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When we asked about the highest level of education you are planning on completing,
how did you decide what answer to choose?
o She decided by what kind of jobs are available out there right now, what is close
to home, and what colleges have these programs. She’s already thinking about
post-secondary education.
Q10. How TRUE are the following about you right now?
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Coming back to Question 10, please take a moment to read the statements again. Let
me know when you are done so I can ask you some questions about it.
Did you find any of these questions difficult to answer? (IF YES: Which specific phrases?
Why?)
o No.
In the question, “How true are the following about you right now?”, how do you
understand “right now”? Were there any questions that you felt did not apply to you?
o She understood “right now” as a couple weeks back or yesterday or a couple
hours ago or the present moment. She thought of the question, “right now, what
have I done?”
o All the questions applied.
When we asked about “high goals and expectations for yourself”, what came to mind?
Could you share any examples?
o Last year, in this class called Flex, they made goals for themselves. She does
something like that now too, for example, she set a goal for herself to get an A in
Math. She’ll work up to that then make another goal.
What does the term “successful career” mean to you?
o It means not struggling to get money, not being a grouchy person with your job,
doing what you like, and getting enough money to survive and to have some
things in the house like that little vase, having a comfortable life.
What does the phrase “I understand why I do what I do” mean to you?
o It means that she knows what she’s doing because of this, because of a reason,
because she wants to. It’s not like she does something and has no idea what she’s
doing.
What does the phrase “need help” mean to you? What kind of help did you think of?
o It means it’s a rare time when she needs help because she usually does things on
her own and when she does ask for help she feels embarrassed and ashamed
because she couldn’t do it herself.
o She thought of her dad’s help because he knows a lot about math for example.
She asked for help from him once and felt embarrassed. It’s mostly related to
academics and math specifically.
Q11. If you found out about a problem in your community that you wanted to do something
about (for example, illegal drugs were being sold near a school, or high levels of lead were
discovered in the local drinking water), how well do you think you would be able to do each
of the following?
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Could you mention any community problems that have been important to you during
the past year?
o A lot of gun shots around the neighborhood where she lives, a lot of fighting and
deaths.
Did you find any of these questions difficult to answer? (IF YES: Which specific phrases?
Why?)
o No.
When we mentioned “elected officials”, who came to mind?
o She thought of the Governor and the Mayor – people like that.
Could you explain what organizing a petition means to you in your own words?
o It means gathering a group of people who already want to join in on your cause,
make a google form or paper and clipboards, go around the neighborhood and
ask people if they want to join this cause for this reason.
Q12. For the following please choose if you strongly disagree, disagree, neither disagree or
agree, agree, or strongly agree.
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The set of statements in Question 12 are all related to poetry. Please take a moment to
re-read before we continue and let me know when you finish.
First, were any of these questions difficult to answer?
o No
What does the term “poetry” mean to you?
o It means something other than fiction, related to fiction, but said in a way that
you know the meaning of, but don’t know the meaning of. It’s like an iceberg, you
see the words, but you have to dig deeper to actually find the meaning of the
poem.
Would you say you have been involved in poetry activities at school? How about outside
of school?
o Yes, she’s in a class called poetry workshop. Her teacher gives her a prompt
about things, for example the fires. They’re writing a poem about that, how we
felt about it, writing from the perspective of another person or a family member.
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o She isn’t involved in anything outside of school other than the writing she does on
her own in her notebook.
Are there any other places where you have been involved in poetry activities?
o Last year, in her 8th grade class, it was a mini lesson on poetry – different kinds of
poetry and what fits her best. She likes sonnet poems because they have rhymes
and an A/B/A/B structure.
Have you memorized any poems at school? Was that recently?
o Not right now. A few years ago, she recited a poem by Shel Silverstein to peers in
one of her elementary school classes.
How about “reciting poems” to others? Have you done this? (IF YES: Could you describe
this a little more detail?)
o [She asked if “reciting” mean reciting out of memory or reading the poem]
o Yesterday, in her literary event, she recited her own poem that was playful.
During “Friday Readings”, she recites her poems because they’re shorter and do
not waste time.
What comes to mind when you read the phrase “Poetry is best-appreciated when read
aloud”?
o She agrees. You hear the expression in the person’s voice, you hear how they
connect to it, the emotion in them.
Q13. How do you feel about poetry in general? (e.g. What aspects of poetry do you like? Are
there things about poetry that you don’t like? If so, what are they?)
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Were there other aspects of poetry you would’ve liked to talk about?
o Yes because poetry can make you see something, for example, this pen, the poem
talks about a white pen and how black pens can ruin pens, it makes you see
something in a whole different light.
The next set of questions are about a program called Poetry Out Loud? Are you familiar
with it? Have you or any one you know participated in Poetry Out Loud? (IF NOT: Skip to
Question 17)
o No.
How would you describe Poetry Out Loud?
o Skipped.
Q20. People sometimes use social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat,
or Twitter, to create or share information or perspectives related to poetry. How often have
you done the following:
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Statements in Question 20 are about sharing poetry through social media. First, what
does the term “social media” mean to you? (IF respondent answered “Never” to all, skip
to Question 19)
o Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter.
What are the main social media platforms you use?
o Instagram and Snapchat.
When we asked about “sharing with poems”, who have you shared poems with?
o She’s shared other poems on Wattpad (an Google Playstore app where people
write and share fiction, fan fiction, and stories). She mostly uses Instagram to
share poems.
When we asked about “commenting or tweeting about poetry”. Have you done any of
these?
o No.
Are there any other ways that you share poetry with others?
o She sometimes shares her own work on Snapchat because she writes things on
Wattpad. When she shares her work on Snapchat, she screenshots the cover of
the book and the username, goes on Snapchat, adds text and says, “follow me,
it’s a good story”.
Q24. Is English your first language?
4. Yes [SKIP to Q26a.]
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What does the term “first language” mean to you?
o Language mom or dad spoke to her first. The language taught from birth to
school.
Q25a. [IF NO OR DON’T KNOW] How well do you understand, speak, read, and write
English?
Q25b. [IF NO OR DON’T KNOW] What languages do you speak at home or with friends?
12. Spanish
13. Mandarin
14. Cantonese
15. Taiwanese
16. Tagalog
17. Vietnamese
18. Korean
19. French
20. Russian
21. German
22. Other (write-in)
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Did you have any issues answering any of the questions about general characteristics?
Which? Why?
o No, Q23 didn’t apply. Because I am Latina.
Are there any questions that were difficult to answer?
o No.
PARTICIPANT 4
Q1. When thinking about school and ALL your classes in general, please tell us what do you
think about the following statements...
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What does “doing well in school” mean to you?
o She is very academically motivated, what she strives for is to do well.
When we asked about “trouble understanding a problem”, what kind of problems did
you think about?
o She thought mostly about specifically chemistry, usually things that she just
started that she is warming up to rather than something she has done a lot
before
What does “participation in class” mean to you?
o Trying to understand the concepts and working to understand them, not just
saying something and giving up.
Were any of these questions difficult to answer?
o No
Did you feel you had the choices you needed to answer the way you wanted?
o Yes
How did you decide when to use “sometimes” and “often”?
o Didn’t use sometimes, but used often usually whenever there are some things she
knows every now and then she kind of slides a bit and won’t do always.
How did you decide when to use “always” and “often”?
o See above
How sure were you of your answers?
o 99%
Q2. When thinking about your ENGLISH class last year, how strongly do you disagree or agree
with the following statements?
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What English classes have you taken in high school? How about this year?
o In high school: Freshman year took honors, past 2 years taken AP (AP Language
in 10th grade and AP Literature this year)
What activities do you typically do in your English classes?
o Last year they did punctuations a lot and would practice for the multiple choice
sections of the AP exam and would do timed writes – other than working toward
the exam, annotations and making sure they understand the pieces and the
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meaning behind it. Did a lot of that this year too. This year, they elaborate a bit
more on the meaning behind the pieces of work that they do, they also do a lot of
the annotations like last year, not as much punctuation.
When we asked about “the topics we are studying”, what kind of topics do you cover in
your English class?
o The different types of language devices and types used in the different pieces of
work (i.e., simile, metaphor, symbolism)
What does “doing well in your English class” mean to you?
o Getting something out of it, being able to go back and use the things that they’ve
learned in there and apply it to her different classes.
Were you sure of all your answers or some more than others?
o More sure about some more than others (e.g., less sure of “I like my English class
more than any of my other classes” – more of a math/science person).
Q3. How strongly do you disagree or agree with the following statements?
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Our questions here are about how you feel about school. What would you say “feeling
close to people at school” means to you?
o How easily you can go up to someone and talk to them, but at her school they’re
a close school because they’re relatively small but there are a lot of differences in
all the people, it’s hard to find a common ground. Not necessarily your typical
high school social classes, they’re such a small town in WV, it’s mainly people
who like to go hunting and your people who focus on school or sports. There are
really 3 main different types of people and it’s really hard to go in the twix and
tweens.
When we asked about “I am part of this school”, what came to mind?
o If she’s able to make a difference for the people at this school and help out.
What does the statement “self-expression” mean to you? Do your teachers encourage
it?
o Self-expression means being able to be who you truly are rather than someone
you portray to the different people you’re around. She selected agree, not strong
agree only because the teachers do encourage being who you are but don’t know
how to explain it.
What does “feeling safe in your school” mean to you?
o Feeling like she can go to the principal, vice principal or any teachers and tell
them how she feels about things.
Did you feel you had the right choices to answer the question how you wanted?
o Yes
Q4. Overall, how do you feel about school?
o She loves school, she loves being able to go and learn and further her education.
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For this open-ended question, I would like to hear more about your thoughts about this
question. What came to mind at the time of answering?
o Not really.
Q5a. What extracurricular activities are you involved in while at school?
o Beta Club (Community service group and activities; similar to honor society but
not at the same time: doing fundraisers and donating to different charities.
o Honor Society
o Golf Team
o Math Field Day
o Pumpkin Drop Team (more science related; drop a pumpkin from a crane and
drop it 50 feet down to the ground; they all go to the capital, it’s a statewide
activity; similar to egg drop activity on steroids).
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What does the term “extracurricular” mean to you?
Skipped. [See “enrichment activities” probe in Q5b for the closest response to this
question].
Q5b. Now we have specific questions about after school activities, in a typical 5-day week,
how often:
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Question 5b is about after school activities. First, what does “after school activities”
mean to you? Are any of those related to your activities “at school” in some way?
o “After school activities” means doing things after school - it’s pretty selfexplanatory. Yes, they do relate to her activities “at school”, two of the things
where she said once or twice a week occurs seasonally as opposed to all year
round (e.g., golf in the sport section was only for a few months).
o [Interviewer probed to elaborate what respondent was referring to for visual
arts]: she does a lot of it on her own and doesn’t take classes. It doesn’t always
happen once a week, but it is whenever she feels like it. It’s weekly, but not
necessarily scheduled.
Could you tell me which after school activities you are involved with now?
o She has nothing active right now.
How many of these activities occur after school? And during the weekend?
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o The respondent explained that most of their “after school activities” occur during
what they call a “links period”, a period during school hours where students get
to go to different clubs/club meetings as opposed to staying after school for
these activities. For example, their Beta club, honors society hold their meetings
during the links period. The clubs they have are active, but they’re not held during
after school hours.
o Additionally, at their school, instead of having theater, drama, and music clubs,
they just have class periods for those activities and students use them as
electives. They don’t really have any of those types of activities outside of school.
o Since fifth grade, she has been in choir, but had some scheduling issues due to
her AP classes. When she was in choir, she would go to choir class once a day.
What does the term “academic activities” mean to you? Are you involved in any
academic activities after school this year? How about last year?
o “Academic activities” means anything that relates to school – it involves school
even if it’s at home (e.g., homework). She also considers the Beta club an
academic activity.
o Second probe skipped because respondent selected never for academic activities
question.
Would you tell me what comes to mind when I mention “music activities and classes”
after school?
o (See above for clarification on arts programming only present as classes)
o They have an all-state chamber choir and different state choirs. Every now and
then, schools in county will get together and practice together outside of school
so that they can audition for the state choirs.
Do you participate in “literature clubs”? What kind of activities do you think you would
do in a literature club?
o Respondent selected never for literature club question.
o When thinking of “literature clubs”, she thought of the book club at school. She is
not sure if it is active this year due to having low membership last year.
What do you do in a “debate club”?
o They do not have a debate team.
What are “enrichment activities” to you? Could you give me some examples?
o “Enrichment activities” means getting help with someone after school for your
academic things or your extracurriculars. By extracurriculars, she means choir,
music activities, poetry, literature, or even study groups.
What are your favorite after school activities?
o Relaxing. It was choir until last year, the choir teacher they had for a while went
to a different school.
Q6. How strongly do you disagree or agree with the following statements?
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Question 6 is about what you think about participating in group discussions and giving a
speech. First, when we asked about “group discussions”, what activities did you think
about? Would you say there are opportunities for group discussion in your school?
o In class whenever you’ll have a debate or something on the board you’ll have to
discuss. There are different clubs where you can have discussions but that’s about
it.
What about “giving a speech”? Are there opportunities for you to do this?
o Mostly English class or presenting a project or at different inductions to different
clubs and things.
What do you think about the phrase “I face the prospect of giving a speech with
confidence”?
o She would change “prospect”. Change it to opportunity or chance.
What does the term “confidence” mean to you?
o Knowing in your head that you are going to be able to do it.
Were any of these questions difficult to answer?
o “I like to get involved in group discussions.” – She doesn’t really care to do it, but
it isn’t her favorite thing in the world to do.
Q6a. How strongly do you disagree or agree with the following statements?
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Question 6a is about what you think about performing in public. First, when we asked
about “performing in public”, what activities came to mind first?
o Choir, giving speeches, and dance (also takes a dance class but not affiliated with
school).
Besides dance, theater, and music, what other kinds of performances have you done in
public?
o Don’t really know of anything.
Would you say you have opportunities to perform in public at your school?
o Not a lot but there are some.
Were any of these questions difficult to answer?
o Not really.
Q7. What grades did you earn in school last year?/Q8. What grades did you earn in your
ENGLISH/READING/LITERATURE class last year?
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When we asked about your grades, did the answer choices make sense to you?
o There should be a straight A option.
When thinking about how well you are doing in your English class, what came to mind?
o Mostly A’s – thought about grades.
Q9. What is the highest level of education you plan to complete?
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When we asked about the highest level of education you are planning on completing,
how did you decide what answer to choose?
o Haven’t yet completely decided what she wants to do but she knows all of the
options she narrowed her paths down to are pretty sure graduate or professional
school. One may or may not be a 4 year college.
Q10. How TRUE are the following about you right now?
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Coming back to Question 10, please take a moment to read the statements again. Let
me know when you are done so I can ask you some questions about it.
Did you find any of these questions difficult to answer? (IF YES: Which specific phrases?
Why?)
o “Working with others in class activities” – she is a self-proclaimed perfectionist,
it’s hard to let other people work on the same level as she does or who put as
much effort in their work as she does.
In the question, “How true are the following about you right now?”, how do you
understand “right now”? Were there any questions that you felt did not apply to you?
o She understands “right now” as in this point in life.
o She felt that all the questions applied to her except for “I try to work out
problems by talking or writing about them”. This isn’t her approach to problem
solving.
When we asked about “high goals and expectations for yourself”, what came to mind?
Could you share any examples?
o By “High goals and expectations for yourself”, it means what she wants to do
with her life and not necessarily what other people think is a high goal, there are
different definitions of a high goal – for someone who has started out with a lot,
their high goal could be going to college and becoming a doctor or even someone
who hasn’t started with anything or even someone who started with nothing and
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who wants to be the first person in their family to go to college for anything, even
a community college, it just differs from person to person.
What does the term “successful career” mean to you?
o Similar to her response for “high goals and expectations”, “successful career” is
whatever you look for in life, not what is necessarily what is the social norm of a
successful career.
What does the phrase “I understand why I do what I do” mean to you?
o “I understand why I do what I do” means that she understands why she does
things and what she wants to do in life.
What does the phrase “need help” mean to you? What kind of help did you think of?
o “Need help” refers to any kind of help, but mostly emotional.
Q11. If you found out about a problem in your community that you wanted to do something
about (for example, illegal drugs were being sold near a school, or high levels of lead were
discovered in the local drinking water), how well do you think you would be able to do each
of the following?
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Could you mention any community problems that have been important to you during
the past year?
o The smoking in the girls’ bathroom at their school is a problem that has been
important to her during the past year. She did not really take any action around
that issue.
Did you find any of these questions difficult to answer? (IF YES: Which specific phrases?
Why?)
o The respondent found quite a bit of the questions difficult to answer. She doesn’t
like to say that kids can’t do stuff like that, but for the most part she thinks it’s
really hard for a young person to be able to organize a lot of things that would be
of that size. Even for someone who has power in the community, it’s hard to
organize an entire meeting, get a panel to agree with it, and especially hard if it’s
someone still in high school.
When we mentioned “elected officials”, who came to mind?
o Her first thought was the board of education and mayor.
Could you explain what organizing a petition means to you in your own words?
o Getting as many people to come together as you can possibly get to go against
something.
Q12. The following questions are related to your experiences with poetry. For the following
please choose if you strongly disagree, disagree, neither disagree or agree, agree, or strongly
agree.
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The set of statements in Question 11 are all related to poetry. Please take a moment to
re-read before we continue and let me know when you finish.
First, were any of these questions difficult to answer?
o “My English teacher encourages me to write my own poetry” was difficult to
answer. Her English teacher would encourage her, but in an AP class they don’t
really write a lot of poetry - that typically happens in Spanish.
What does the term “poetry” mean to you?
o The most true a person can be in expressing themselves
Would you say you have been involved in poetry activities at school? How about outside
of school?
o No, no.
Are there any other places where you have been involved in poetry activities?
o Just Spanish class.
Have you memorized any poems at school? Was that recently?
o Yes – it was last Winter in Spanish class.
How about “reciting poems” to others? Have you done this? (IF YES: Could you describe
this a little more detail?)
o Last year, her Spanish class did a few poems where they would have to memorize
and recite to her. If they had to recite a poem, it would have to be one they write
themselves.
What comes to mind when you read the phrase “Poetry is best-appreciated when read
aloud”?
o Coffee shops or slam poetry.
Q13. How do you feel about poetry in general? (e.g. What aspects of poetry do you like? Are
there things about poetry that you don’t like? If so, what are they?)
o She loves poetry, she is not big on writing it at all, likes to read it. Likes to figure out the
real meaning behind it and what the speaker was thinking whenever they wrote it. She
loves similes. Does not like the lack of punctuation – she’s a grammar nerd.
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Were there other aspects of poetry you would’ve liked to talk about?
o She doesn’t know a huge amount of poetry to know what “other aspects” could
have been talked about in that question.
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The next set of questions are about a program called Poetry Out Loud? Are you familiar
with it? Have you or any one you know participated in Poetry Out Loud? (IF NOT: Skip to
Question 17)
o Familiar but never participated.
How would you describe Poetry Out Loud?
o She thinks it’s a great program that needs to be kept around especially in WV
because the arts are not looked upon very highly here. It needs to be bigger at
their school – they had 12 participants last year.
Q20. People sometimes use social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat,
or Twitter, to create or share information or perspectives related to poetry. How often have
you done the following:
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Statements in Question 20 are about sharing poetry through social media. First, what
does the term “social media” mean to you? (IF respondent answered “Never” to all, skip
to Question 19)
o Any social media platform – more popular (like the ones listed). Uses pinterest
and tumblr to get poetry.
What are the main social media platforms you use?
o Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Pinterest – the others about the same (Facebook
try not to get on too),
When we asked about “sharing poems”, who have you shared poems with?
o Mostly the people who follow her – she’ll repost and follow there. Especially on
Pinterest, she has a poetry board. On Pinterest, you can select certain people in a
group for a particular board, she’ll do that with some of her friends.
When we asked about “commenting or tweeting about poetry”. Have you done any of
these?
o Have commented on her friend’s poetry (who competed in POL). Doesn’t
comment too much on contemporary poets. Will tweet random quotes from
poems or books or anything like that.
Are there any other ways that you share poetry with others?
o On Instagram and Twitter you can select the post and direct message it to
someone, she’ll usually do that to some friends so she doesn’t have to share or
retweet.
Q24. Is English your first language?
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What does the term “first language” mean to you?
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o The language you speak the best.
Did you have any issues answering any of the questions about general characteristics?
Which? Why?
o No issues
Are there any questions that were difficult to answer?
o No
| File Type | application/pdf |
| Author | Sara Miller |
| File Modified | 2018-02-08 |
| File Created | 2018-02-08 |