INFO FOR SCHOOLS
Brief Overview of the benefits of the Missouri 2002 Student Survey
Topics of Interest
1. The focus of the Missouri 2002 Student Survey
2. 2002 Missouri Student Survey School Participation
3.
2002 Missouri Student
Survey Student Participation
5. Types and Examples of Questions Asked
1. The focus of the 2002 Missouri Student Survey
The
focus of the student survey is the health risk behaviors of youth such as violence
and alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use that can result in injury and/or
impede positive development. The survey also includes risk and
protective factors, the attitudes and opinions that research has shown to
be highly correlated with these health risk behaviors.
Information from the 2002 Missouri Student Survey will be used to meet a variety of needs at the community and state levels. First, the survey will provide information that can be used to identify the importance of various problem behaviors at the statewide, regional, and local levels. This information can help guide resource and policy decisions, such as targeting interventions. The State level data can also be used to compare Missouri results with the other states that have conducted similar projects.
The survey aims to gather information to better understand the impact of risk- and protective-factors and to guide future prevention efforts so that youth can have better prevention outcomes, such as reduction in substance abuse, violence, delinquency. Additionally, by participating in this study, school districts have the valuable opportunity to learn more about the needs of its students. Schools will be provided with a summary report for their district or region, along with statewide results for comparison. This information, which will be provided at no cost, may be very useful in guiding the planning of prevention programs for students.
Participation in this study was completely voluntary. Each school had the right to decline participation, just as each student had the right to decline participating in the study.
The
survey is being directed by Missouri Institute of Mental Health (MIMH), the
State's Contractor. MIMH provided logistical support to the
schools participating in the survey. Tasks
that schools were asked to perform included:
- to work with the study coordinators to assist in distribution of parental consent letter
- to maintain a copy of the questionnaire on file for parental review
- to allow the classroom teachers to administer the survey
- to
assign one staff person to work with Missouri Institute of Mental Health on the
survey (i.e., to assist with
distribution of parental consent letter and coordinate receipt and return of
survey materials to classroom teachers).
a. Voluntary:
Students were given the option to decline to participate, or to
skip any questions that they preferred not to answer.
b. Anonymous: The student
were given a survey booklet and a place for him to record his response. The survey booklet
did not have the student's name or any other identifying information on it.
After the completion of the survey, each student was asked to place his/her completed questionnaire
into an envelope and seal it. No one
at the school had access to students' responses, and no one from the project team will
be able to link any individual child to a questionnaire.
The
self-administered survey took approximately 45 minutes to be completed and was administered during a single class period.
The
survey questions were designed to measure key behaviors without asking
sensitive questions, although it is possible that some questions asked were
considered sensitive by some schools or school districts. The survey included
questions related to alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use; violent behaviors,
and related risk and protective factors.
The questions in these topic areas were asked honestly and
straightforwardly, in order to determine if Missouri youth
engage in health risk behaviors.
Some
examples of the questions asked:
17.
My teacher(s) notices when I am doing a good job and lets me know about
it.
NO!
no
yes
YES!
93.
Which of the following activities for people your age are available in
your community?
__sports
teams
__scouting
__boys
and girls clubs
__4-H clubs
__service
clubs
Examples
of questions that could be considered sensitive by some include:
30c. How old were you when you
first had more than a sip or two of beer, wine, or
__Never
__10 or younger
__12
__13
__14
__15
__16
__17 or
older