Place-based Education Evaluation Collaborative (PEEC)

Working Document:

Complete List of All Survey Items, Indices, and Modules

4-9-06, v5h

One of the goals of the Place-based Education Evaluation Collaborative is to advance the evaluation tools and methods available to the broader field of place-based education. Thus, please feel free to use part or all of any of the surveys PEEC has created. However, please include the following citation: Taken with permission from the PEEC Cross-Program Surveys (2004), developed by M. Duffin, A. Powers and program staff of the Place-based Education Evaluation Collaborative (PEEC), .

What follows is a working document that systematically summarizes all of the components used to construct all PEEC surveys. This document is frequently updated.

Several design guidelines were used in the construction of survey items. Most modules have one negatively worded item as a way to help keep respondents focused on the meaning of the response options. Extreme wording was avoided while constructing the phrasing for items. Response scales for all Likert items were standardized with four interval points (either agreement or frequency) in order to oblige respondents to choose either the top half or the bottom half of the scale (or else the systematically included option for “n/a, don’t know”).

There are four reasons (two logical, two logistical) for using this indices and modules design approach. First, the target outcomes are relatively broad questions or concepts. The "answers" we were most interested in are not usually located on the item level, and we wanted our analytic strategy to be consistent with our primary interests. Second, conducting our analyses at the level of indices instead of individual survey items used data reduction to lower the risk of compounding type I errors. Logistically speaking, this approach stabilizes the construct being analyzed because individual survey items can be modified slightly without having to change the index. This was crucial during 2003-04 because different versions of surveys needed to be administered (even within the same PEEC program) as a consequence of the iterative design process. Thus the wording of survey items can continue to evolve within reason. Finally, it is hoped that this indices and modules design approach increases the transferability of these surveys to other place-based education program contexts.

Table ?. Summary of PEEC Survey Modules and Indices

MODULE / INDEX / CMP / CO-SEED / SSP / FFEC
Description / Type / Description / Com / Edu / Stu / Com / Edu / Stu / Com / Edu / Stu / Com / Edu / Stu
L / adult reported use of local resources / freq / llp / use of local place /  /  /  /  /  /  /  / 
llpeop / use of local people /  /  /  /  /  /  /  / 
lsl / service-learning /  /  /  /  / 
P / adult reports of pedagogical craft / agree / pcg / meet curriculum goals /  /  /  / 
ptc / collaboration /  /  / 
pteg / engagement/growth /  /  /  / 
C / student reports of engagement, civic- and learning / agree / ccc / connect. to comm. /  /  / 
cse / self-efficacy /  /  / 
csr / social responsibility /  /  / 
cel / engagement in learn. /  /  / 
csb / stewardship behavior /  /  / 
N / student reports of attachment to place / freq / nlr / learn through local /  /  / 
nto / time outdoors /  /  / 
nup / understanding of place /  /  / 
noa / overall affect /  /  / 
X / adult reports of student performance / agree / xsel / engagement in learn. /  /  /  /  /  / 
xsaa / academic achievement /  /  /  /  /  /  /  / 
xsce / civic engagement /  /  /  /  /  / 
xssb / stewardship behavior /  /  /  /  / 
xts / test scores /  /  /  /  /  /  /  / 
W / adult, student reports of whole school improvement / agree / wpeop / school culture, people /  /  /  /  / 
wenv / environmental quality /  /  /  /  / 
Y / adult, student reports of improve-ments in the community / agree / yce / civic engagement /  /  /  /  /  / 
yeq / environmental quality /  /  /  /  /  /  /  / 
ypdm / planning/decision making /  /  /  /  /  / 
y10 / self-efficacy /  /  /  / 
ygen / general, overall /  /  /  /  /  / 
ypav / program adds value /  /  /  /  /  / 
D / dose, misc. demog. / mult / n/a / hours, freq., %, non-PBE /  /  /  /  /  /  /  / 
S / Sustainable Schools Project (SSP) specific / agree / stp / sustain. teach practice /  / 
n/a / misc. items /  / 
E / CO-SEED specific / open / n/a / misc. items /  /  / 
M / Community Mapping Program (CMP) specific / agree / mpi / project implementation /  / 
mgis / use of GIS /  / 
mvc / value to community / 
mstan / meet nat’l standards / 
mps / project sustainability /  / 
varies / mngs1 / world in spatial terms / 
mngs18 / geog. for future planning / 
mnrc / science as inquiry / 
miste6 / technol. problem-solving / 
msel / engagement w/maps / 
miu / interdisciplinary utility / 
mmas / mapping mastery / 
open / n/a / misc. items /  /  / 
F / Forest For Every Classroom (FFEC) specific / agree / fcb / cost-benefit / 
fvpl / value of public lands / 
n/a / misc. items / 

NOTE: Questions L1-L6 refer to the activities in your own classroom or the classrooms you are most familiar with.

L- teacher practice- use of local resources (frequency scale)

use of local place (1,1a,4,4a,4b); use of local people (2,2a,5,5a,5b); service-learning (3,6)

L1- The school building and grounds (places outside of the classrooms) are used as places for learning.

L2- Parents and/or other community members work directly with students on school-related projects.

L3- As part of school, students work on real-world problems in their community, school buildings and/or school yard.

L4- The content of classroom assignments and homework is directly connected to the local natural and/or urban environment.

L4 student version- Our classroom assignments and homework are about nearby nature and/or the city where we live.

L5- Students learn about and/or interact with local cultural heritage, history and people through their schoolwork.

L5 student version- In my school we learn about local people, culture and history.

L6- Students do community volunteering and/or service-learning work to satisfy their educational requirements.

NOTE: If you are not a classroom teacher, substitute the words “I” or “me” in the following questions to “the teachers I work most closely with”

P- improving teaching craft (agreement scale)

curriculum goals (1,4); collaboration (2,5); teacher engagement/growth (3,6)

P1- The [name] program helps me meet local, district and/or state learning standards.

P2- I collaborate with other teachers for curriculum planning.

P3- I feel energized and confident while teaching about the local environment and/or community

P4- It is difficult to cover traditional subjects through the [name] program

P5- The curriculum in our school is well-coordinated throughout the grade levels.

P6- the [name] program has helped me become a better teacher.

NOTE: Items C1-C9 of this survey are taken with permission from The Civic Responsibility Surveys (1998), developed by A. Furco, P. Muller, and M. S. Ammon at the Service-Learning Research & Development Center, University of California, Berkeley.

C= student engagement, civic and learning (agreement)

Connection to community (1,2,7); self-efficacy (5,8); social responsibility (3,4,6,9); enthusiasm for learning (10,11,12,15); stewardship behavior/action (13,14)

C1. I feel like I am part of a community.

C2. I pay attention to news events that affect the community.

C3. Doing something that helps others is important to me.

C4. I like to help other people, even if it is hard work.

C5. I know what I can do to help make the community a better place.

C6. Helping other people is something everyone should do, including myself.

C7. I know a lot of people in the community, and they know me.

C8. I feel like I can make a difference in the community.

C9. I try to think of ways to help other people.

C10. This is how I feel about school:

a. I do not enjoy school and what I’m learning is not important to me.

b. Sometimes I learn useful things in school, but usually what I learn is not that important.

c. I learn something important on most days. I can usually see how most of what I learn at school will be useful in my life.

d. Almost everything I learn is important and useful. I enjoy learning at school every day.

e. I’m not sure

C11. I like it when I get to be absent on a regular school day.

C12. On my own time, I often study or read extra about the topics we’re working on at school.

C13. In the last two months I have done something with my classmates to take care of my neighborhood or community.

C14. In the last two months I have done something on my own time to take care of my neighborhood or community.

C15. I enjoy learning about [program content area description].

N= attachment to place (frequency)

learning using local resources (from above: L1,1a,2,2a student versions L4,4b,5,5b); time outdoors (N1, 1a,2,2a,6,6a); understanding of place (N3,3a,3b,5,5a,7,7a,S4old); overall affect (N4,4a,8,8a); perhaps integrate with ‘connection to community’ (from above: C1,2,7)

N1. I visit parks, playgrounds, forests, creeks, ponds or other natural areas by myself.

N2. I visit parks, playgrounds, forests, creeks, ponds or other natural areas with friends, family or as part of a group.

N3. As I go about my day, I notice plants and animals that I know a lot about.

N3a (old versions). I know a lot about the different plants and animals in my community.

N4. I think to myself that I am glad to live in this community.

N5. I stop and think about how things that I do are going to affect nature and the people around me.

N6. I spend almost the whole day inside buildings, cars or buses.

N7. I share my opinions about what should be done to take care of the community where I live.

N8. I feel good about what this community will be like in the future when I am grown up.

NOTE: questions X1-X10 refer to the group of students that you know best or work most closely with in your school or project.

X- perceptions of student behavior (agreement scale)

student engagement in learning (1,5,11,12); student academic achievement (2,6,10?,11?); student civic engagement (3,7); student environmental stewardship behavior (4, 8); test scores (9,10)

X1- Students are enthusiastic about learning.

X2- The [name] program may be nice, but it does not really improve student academic achievement.

X3- Through their schoolwork, students gain a sense of responsibility for improving the local community and environment

X4- Through their schoolwork, students regularly take action to protect and improve the environment.

X5- Students prefer [name]-style activities to more traditional-style school activities.

X6- I am satisfied with the quality of education in our school.

X6 student version. My school is good at academics (literacy, math, science, social studies).

X7- Students have a strong connection to the community where our school is located.

X8- At home or outside of school, students regularly take action to protect and improve the environment.

X9- Standardized test scores are an accurate indicator of student academic achievement.

X10- I think the [name] program helps students increase their scores on standardized tests.

X10 student version. [program name] helps me do better on tests and get better grades.

X11- The [name] program is particularly beneficial for students with learning challenges.

X12- Students are self-directed in their work on the [name] program

W- perceptions of whole school improvement

school culture, people (1,3,5); environmental (2,4);

W1- Our school staff shares a common vision for education about the environment and community.

W2- Our school is environmentally healthy.

W3- The sense of community within our school is fairly weak or non-existent.

W4- Our school is active in natural resource conservation (e.g. water, energy, soil, air, solid waste).

W5- Place-based educationis part of the cultural fabric of our school.

Y- Perceptions of community improvement (agreement scale)

Civic engagement (3,3inv,6); environmental quality (4,7); planning/decision making process (5,8); efficacy (10); in general (3,4,5); program adds value (6,7,8,9);

Y1. What are the two things that you appreciate most about this school? (open response)

Y2. What two things about this school do you think need the most improvement? (open response)

Y3- In general, people in our community are actively involved in trying to make the community a better place to live.

Y3inv- My school and community do not work together very often.

Y4- Our community is environmentally healthy.

Y5- The key decision makers in our community have a good plan for addressing the important needs in our community.

Y6- The [program name] gets people (young and old) more involved in solving real life problems in our community.

Y7- The quality of the environment in our community is improving as a result of the [program name].

Y8- Through the [program name], students are collaborating with important decision makers in our community.

Y9- The [name] may be nice, but it doesn’t address real needs our community.

Y10- I am (or plan to become) actively involved in projects to improve the social or environmental quality of our community.

IMPORTANT ANALYSIS NOTE: THE NUMBERING FOR THE Y MODULE FOR CO-SEED TEA V2.1 WAS OFF BY TWO NUMBERS.

D- teacher demographics/dosage

D1. For this item, please write a NUMBER in the box to the right of each activity description to indicate how many times you have participated in that [PROGRAM NAME] or other place-based or environmental education-related activity over the years. Write 0 in the box if you have not taken part in that activity or if it does not apply to you. If the number of times is large or hard to quantify, just put your best guess. The idea is to try to get an overall estimate of your level of involvement with [PROGRAM NAME] and other place-based or environmental education training. It might help to read through the whole list of activities first to jog your memory.

Number Number

a. [PROGRAM NAME] summer institutes / k. conversations with community members or parents for [PROGRAM NAME] business
b. ELC staff leading activities for my whole classroom / l. activities led by [PROGRAM NAME] sponsored community partners or parents
c. ELC staff supporting/helping with lessons I lead in my classroom / m. meetings/ conversations with Antioch staff
d. quick, informal meetings or conversations with ELC staff / n. interviews with [PROGRAM NAME] evaluators
e. ELC or Antioch staff providing me with curriculum or content resources / o. other [PROGRAM NAME] activity (please specify)
f. school staff meetings or in-service days about [PROGRAM NAME] / the next four items (v-y) refer to other place-based or env. education activities NOT directly associated with [PROGRAM NAME]
g. attended monthly SEED Team (or Theme Team) meetings / v. non-[PROGRAM NAME] college or graduate level courses related to place-based or env. education
h. [PROGRAM NAME] sponsored release time for professional development / w. non-[PROGRAM NAME] workshops/conferences/seminars related to place-based or env. education
i. number of days an Antioch intern was helping in my classroom / x. non-[PROGRAM NAME] place-based or env. education books/curriculum guides I’ve read
j. applied for [PROGRAM NAME] mini-grant / y. non-[PROGRAM NAME] place-based or env. education articles/lesson plans I’ve read/studied

D.1z. Of the non-[PROGRAM NAME] place-based or env. education activities you listed in D.1v-y above, approximately what portion of these did you do as a result of being inspired by [PROGRAM NAME]:

  1. none
  2. about a quarter
  3. around half
  4. maybe three quarters
  5. all
  6. I’m not sure/couldn’t guess

D3. For the current school year, I have had (or will have) my students working on [PROGRAM NAME]-related projects:

  1. two days per year or less
  2. three to six days per year
  3. about one day a month
  4. one day a week or more
  5. I’m not sure/ doesn’t apply to me

D4. In terms of my overall curriculum plan for the current school year, [PROGRAM NAME] is:

  1. a very small part of it, if at all
  2. a significant but contained unit
  3. a major part of it
  4. the core organizing structure
  5. I’m not sure/ doesn’t apply to me

D6. What subject do you teach:

  1. Not a teacher/ doesn’t apply to me
  2. elementary classroom, integrated
  3. math
  4. science
  5. social studies/ history
  6. English
  7. foreign language
  8. physical education or health
  9. art or music
  10. technology
  11. Other: ______
  12. after school or other non-formal education project leader

D7. My role in the school is:

  1. specialist
  2. student aide or paraprofessional
  3. administrator
  4. classroom teacher: elementary
  5. classroom teacher: middle school
  6. classroom teacher: high school

g. other:______

D8. For how many school years have you been working in this school? (count the current school year as one)

  1. First year here
  2. 2-3 years
  3. 4-5 years
  4. 6 or more years

for community members:

D9. I go to the school building for a purpose other than picking up or dropping off children.

D10. Please circle of all of the following roles that apply to you:

  1. parent of current student(s)
  2. parent of former student(s)
  3. member of the CO-SEED team that meets monthly
  4. member of the PTSA or other regular school committees
  5. volunteer in classrooms or field trips this school year
  6. employee or representative of an organization that is working with the school on one or more projects this school year
  7. have lived in this community for 0-10 years
  8. have lived in this community for more than 10 years
  9. none of the above
  10. other:______

D11. How many students would you confidently say were involved in your CM project this year?

# of students = .

SSP specific questions:

Sustainability teacher practice (S3, 4, 5, 5old, 6, 6old, 7, 8).

S1. Please describe, in your own words, what “sustainability” means.

(S2 on v2.0 and prior) S10. Sustainability means:

a. Helping to meet your community’s needs.

b. Making sure people in the future will have the same (or better) quality of life you do.

c. Improving the economy, environment and equity (fairness) for today and the future.

d. All of the above.

e. I don’t really know what sustainability means.

(S3 on v2.0 and prior) S.32 In the box below, please feel free to tell us anything else you think we should know concerning your opinions about the Sustainable Schools Program, or learning about sustainability.

S.3 Learning activities focus on the environment and/or natural resources.

S.4 Learning activities focus on community (i.e. what it means, how to build it, strategies for improving it).

S.5 Learning activities focus on economic or equity issues.

S.6 Learning activities focus on taking care of land, plants, or animals.

S.7 “Regular” reading and writing lessons directly support the science, social studies or service-learning curriculum.

S.8 Science, social studies or service-learning projects have a specific literacy component.

s.11My school and local community do not work together very often. (early versions only)

Teachers organize their curriculum around central concepts or “big ideas”

CO-SEED specific questions:

E1. Please feel free to comment on your responses on this survey or other interests/concerns about CO-SEED.

E2. In the box below, please feel free to tell us anything else you think we should know concerning your opinions about the CO-SEED project, or learning about the environment or community.