The National Student Research Center

E-Journal of Student Research: Social Studies

Volume 5, Number 2, June, 1997

John I. Swang, Ph.D.

Founder/Director

National Student Research Center

2024 Livingston Street

Mandeville, Louisiana 70448

U.S.A.

E-Mail: nsrcmms@communique.net

http://youth.net/nsrc/nsrc.html

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. What Students Know And Feel About Gun Control
2. What Do Students Know and Feel About Unemployment In The United States
3. What Students Know and Feel About Water Pollution
4. What Students Know and Feel About Endangered Animals

TITLE:  What Students Know And Feel About Gun Control   

STUDENT RESEARCHER:  Jamey Shaw and Parker Auld  
SCHOOL:  Mandeville Middle School
         Mandeville, Louisiana
GRADE:  6
TEACHER:  John I. Swang, Ph.D.

I.  STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:

We would like to do a survey research project on gun control.  
We want to find out what students know and feel about gun 
control.  Our hypothesis states that the majority of students 
will want more gun control laws in the USA.
 
II.  METHODOLOGY:

First, we choose our topic.  Then we wrote our statement of 
purpose.  Next, we reviewed the literature about gun control, 
the Brady Gun Control Bill, the pros and cons of gun control, 
the gun industries, and gun manufactures.  We then wrote the 
review of literature.  From our review of literature, we 
developed our hypothesis.  Next, we developed our 
questionnaire.  We then passed out our questionnaire to 24 
randomly chosen sixth grade students at Mandeville Middle 
School in Mandeville, Louisiana, USA.  We then put the 
questionnaire out on the Internet to students around the world.  
We then scored our surveys when they were returned.  Next, we 
analyzed our data, rejected or accepted our hypothesis, and 
wrote our summary and conclusion.  Finally, we applied our 
findings to the world outside the classroom.  

III.  ANALYSIS OF DATA:

Seventy-five students answered our questionnaire from 
Australia, Denmark, Louisiana, Minnesota, and North Carolina.  

A majority of 60% of the students that answered our survey did 
not think that a person should be allowed to purchase a gun 
without a permit or background check.  A majority of 71% of the 
students thought that we should have more gun control laws in 
this country.  A majority of 94% of the students knew that 
crimes involving guns in this country have greatly increased in 
the last decade.  A majority of 74% of the students knew that 
most suicides committed by teenagers involved the use of a gun.  
A majority of 68% of the students thought that authorities 
should ban the sale of military assault weapons.  A majority of 
69% of the students thought that people who committed a murder 
with a gun should be sentence to death.  A majority of 73% of 
the students felt that there should be a waiting period before 
the purchase of a handgun.  A majority of 64% of the students 
did not think that we should allow the sale of high powered 
automatic handguns in the USA.  A majority of 69% of the 
students did not think that people with criminal backgrounds 
should be allowed to purchase a gun.  A majority of 76% of the 
students knew that the Brady Bill requires a waiting period 
before the purchase of a gun.  A majority of 81% of the 
students knew that most accidents with a gun involve children 
playing with family guns.  A majority of 63% of the students 
did not know that 18,253 people committed murder with a gun in 
1993 in the USA.  A majority of 80% of the students did not 
know that 1,521 people died accidentally using guns in 1993 in 
the USA.  A majority of 73% of the students did not know that 
39,277 died because of guns in 1993 in the USA.  A majority of 
51% of the students knew that a stranger or robber is not the 
most likely person to shoot you, it is most often a friend or 
family member.  A majority of 85% of the students felt that the 
Brady Bill is a good thing.  A majority of 54% of the students 
felt that everyone should carry a gun for self defense.  A 
majority of 59% of the students did not think that guns make 
the world a better place to live.  A majority of the students 
knew that the USA has the highest peace-time gun related death 
rate in the world.  A majority of 65% of the students knew that 
children in the USA are 12 times more likely to die from 
gunfire than children in the rest of the industrialized world.

IV.  SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:

A majority of 97% of the responses to the factual questions on 
our survey were answered correctly.  Students are very 
knowledgeable about gun control issues.  They also know how 
incredibly deadly the wide-spread use of guns in the USA has 
become.   

The majority of the students that answered our questionnaire 
thought that the USA should have more gun control laws.  
Therefore we accepted our hypothesis which stated that the 
majority of the students would want more gun control laws.

V.  APPLICATION:

We will apply our findings to the world outside the classroom 
by telling teachers, parents, and government authorities to 
spread the word that students think gun control is a good 
thing.  



TITLE:  What Do Students Know and Feel About Unemployment In 
        The United States

STUDENT RESEARCHER:  Hannah Johnson 
SCHOOL:  Mandeville Middle School
         Mandeville, Louisiana
GRADE:  6
TEACHER:  John I. Swang, Ph.D.

I.  STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:

I would like to do a survey research project on what students 
know and feel about unemployment in the United States.  My 
hypothesis states that the majority of the responses to the 
factual questions on my questionnaire about unemployment will 
be incorrect.  I think this because the unemployment rates are 
hard to imagine and detailed facts about unemployment are not 
taught yet at this grade level.

II.  METHODOLOGY:

First, I wrote my statement of purpose and my review of 
literature on unemployment, the causes of  unemployment, the 
types of unemployment, and how the government responds to 
unemployment.  Then I developed my hypothesis and 
questionnaire.  Next, I took a random sample population of 
twelve sixth grade students at Mandeville Middle School in 
Mandeville, Louisiana, USA and sent my questionnaire to them.  
I also sent it out on the Internet to students around the 
world.  When I got the questionnaires back I scored them and 
analyzed the data.  Then I wrote my summary and conclusion.  
Last, I applied my findings to the world outside my classroom.   

III.  ANALYSIS OF DATA:

I received a total of 14 responses to my  questionnaire.  
Eleven of the responses were from Louisiana, one from 
Washington, and one from Australia.  The majority of the 
students were studying in grade six.
  
A majority of seventy-five percent of the students surveyed 
thought that you would have a hard time getting a job today if 
you did not know how to use a computer.  A majority of forty-
two percent knew that the Social Security Act in the USA was 
originally designed for unemployed people.  A majority of 
eighty-three percent knew that the Great Depression was a time 
in U.S. history when a great many people were left without 
jobs.  A majority of fifty-nine percent didn't know that 
Franklin Roosevelt was the president during the Great 
Depression.  A majority of fifty-eight percent didn't know that 
the Civilian Conservation Corps was one of the work programs 
stated by the US government during the Great Depression.  A 
majority of sixty-four percent knew that workers changed jobs 
often in the U.S.  Half of the students knew that the Great 
Depression was in the 1930's.  A majority of fifty-eight 
percent didn't know that the unemployment rate in the U.S. for 
1996 was 5.2 percent.  A majority of seventy-five percent 
didn't know that the states of Nebraska and South Dakota had 
the lowest unemployment rate in 1995.  A majority of sixty-
seven percent didn't know that the state of West Virginia had 
the highest unemployment rate in the U.S. in 1995.  A majority 
of seventy-five percent didn't know that in 1995 one billion 
people around the world were unemployed or under-employed.  A 
majority of fifty-eight percent didn't know that in 1994 
850,000,000 people around the world were unemployed or under-
employed.  From 1994 to 1995, there was an increase of 
150,000,000 people that were unemployed or under-employed 
around the world.  A majority of fifty-eight percent knew 
someone who had been laid off.  A majority of sixty-seven 
percent didn't think that unemployment is a problem in their 
community.   

IV.  SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:

A majority of the answers to the factual questions about the 
Great Depression were answered incorrectly.  A majority of 56% 
of the responses to the factual questions on the entire survey 
were answered incorrectly.  Also, a majority of the students 
that answered my questionnaire knew someone that had been laid 
off from work, but did not think that unemployment was a 
problem in their community.  Therefore, I accept my hypothesis 
which stated that the majority of the responses to my 
questionnaire will be incorrect.  Students are not very aware 
about unemployment in the United States and the Great 
Depression.

V.  APPLICATION:

Since most of the factual were answered incorrectly, the topics 
of unemployment and the Great Depression should be taught more 
in schools. 



TITLE:  What Students Know and Feel About Water Pollution

STUDENT RESEARCHER:  Jack Hornsby 
SCHOOL:  Mandeville Middle School
         Mandeville, Louisiana
GRADE:  6
TEACHER:  John I. Swang, Ph.D.

I.  STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:

I would like to do a survey research project on what students 
know and feel about water pollution.  My hypothesis states that 
a majority of the responses to the factual questions on my 
questionnaire will be correct.

II.  METHODOLOGY:

First, I wrote my statement of purpose.  Next, I made an 
outline of my review of literature on water pollution.  Then I 
put the information into paragraph form.  Next, I developed my 
hypothesis.  Then I developed my questionnaire.  I gave the 
questionnaire to 12 randomly chosen sixth grade student at 
Mandeville Middle School in Mandeville, Louisiana, USA.  I also 
sent it out on the Internet to students around the world.  When 
I received the questionnaires back I scored them.  Next, I 
analyzed the data.  Then I wrote my summary and conclusion and 
accepted or rejected my hypothesis.  Finally, I applied my 
findings to the world outside the classroom.

III.  ANALYSIS OF DATA:

A total of 34 students from Louisiana, California, and Canada 
responded to my questionnaire.  A majority of 68% of the 
students didn't know that Texas had more chemical accidents 
reported from 1993 to 1995 than any other state in the U.S.A.  
A majority of 68% of the students knew that oil spills are a 
main cause of water pollution.  A majority of 65% of the 
students knew that Greenpeace is a group fighting against water 
pollution.  A majority of 60% of the students didn't know that 
the runoff from commercial livestock operations and poultry 
farming are a type of water pollution called agricultural.  A 
majority of 85% of the students knew that chemical dumping is 
considered illegal.  A majority of 52% of the students knew 
that the Exxon Valdez environmental disaster occurred off the 
coast of Alaska.  A majority of 55% of the students knew that 
water pollutants cannot be readily treated.  A majority of 67% 
of the students knew that big greedy companies as well as 
individuals cause marine pollution.  All of the students 
thought that water pollution is a very big problem in our world 
today.  A majority of 94% of the students are aware of the 
dangers of water pollution.  A majority of 60% of the students 
knew that people contribute to the water pollution problem when 
they spray their ditches with weed killers.  A majority of 60% 
of the students didn't know that the dumping of sewage is a 
type of water pollution called municipal.  A majority of 94% of 
the students thought that farmers should use more natural means 
instead of chemicals to fight pests, insects, and disease which 
affect their crops.  A majority of 91% of the students didn't 
know that two plant nutrients which poison fish and cause algae 
to choke off all of the oxygen in the water are phosphorus and 
nitrogen.  A majority of 94% of the students thought that there 
are too many oil spills occurring and the government should do 
something about it.  A majority of 97% of the students knew 
that illegal sewage dumping is a major cause of water 
pollution.  A majority of 77% of the students didn't know that 
lakes are more susceptible to water pollution than rivers and 
oceans.  A majority of 66% of the students knew that overuse of 
fertilizer pollutes the groundwater.  A majority of 51% of the 
students didn't know that radioactive pollution comes from 
containers which were dumped into the sea and leaked, nuclear 
power plants, medical wastes, and natural runoff.  A majority 
of 51% of the students didn't think that water pollution is a 
problem in their community.  A majority of 53% of the students 
didn't think that they were doing all they can to stop water 
pollution. 

IV.  SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:

A majority of 54% of the answers to the factual questions on my 
questionnaire were incorrect.  Therefore, I reject my 
hypothesis which states that a majority of the responses to my 
questionnaire will be correct.

V.  APPLICATION:

Since all of the students think that water pollution is a very 
big problem in our world today, they can write to their 
Congressmen or teach others about the dangers of water 
pollution.



TITLE:  What Students Know and Feel About Endangered Animals

STUDENT RESEARCHER:  Dominick Bono 
SCHOOL:  Mandeville Middle School
         Mandeville, Louisiana
GRADE:  6
TEACHER:  John I. Swang, Ph.D.

I.  STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:

I would like to do a survey research project on what students 
know and feel about endangered animals.  My hypothesis states 
that the majority of the responses to the factual questions on 
my questionnaire will be correct.

II.  METHODOLOGY:

First, I picked my topic.  Second, I wrote my statement of 
purpose.  Third, I wrote my review of literature about 
endangered animals.  Fourth, I developed my hypothesis.  Next, 
I wrote my methodology and developed my questionnaire.  Then I 
handed out my surveys to twelve randomly chosen students at 
Mandeville Middle School in Mandeville, Louisiana, USA.  Then I 
sent out the questionnaire on the Internet.  When the 
questionnaires were returned I scored them.  Then I analyzed my 
data and wrote my summary and conclusions.  Finally, I accepted 
or rejected my hypothesis and applied my findings to the world 
outside the classroom.

III.  ANALYSIS OF DATA:

A total of 12 students responded to my questionnaire.  Ten were 
from Louisiana  and two from North Carolina.  They studied in 
grades 6 through 8.  A majority of 92% of the students thought 
that the protection of endangered animals should be done 
locally and internationally.  All the students knew that 
Tropical Rain Forests contain the greatest variety of animals 
on earth.  The majority of 83% thought that the selling of 
endangered animals should be illegal.  Half of the students 
knew that over 90 endangered animals that live in the U.S. live 
in the South West.  A majority of 75% knew that destruction of 
habitat is the greatest threat to endangered animals.  All of 
the students thought that pouching must be put to an end.  A 
majority of 75% knew that the 1973 Endangered Species Act in 
the U.S.A. requires that any endangered animal should be 
offered protection.  All of the students felt that breeding and 
reintroduction programs for endangered animals should be 
sponsored.  Half of the students felt that the number of 
endangered animals listed by the Fish and Wildlife Service has 
not been greatly exaggerated.  A majority of 54% did not know 
that the brown pelican is not considered an extinct animal any 
longer.  A majority of 75% did not know that when animals 
become endangered they clump together.  The majority of 92% 
felt that any animal that is critically endangered should be 
watched over.  A majority of 67% said that protecting 
endangered animals is more important then jobs for the economy.  
A majority of 67% knew that any animal that is about to die out 
is an endangered animal.  A majority of 67% did not know that 
the American Box turtle is an endangered animal.  A majority of 
67% felt that we should actively help endangered animals. 

IV.  SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:

A majority of 60% of the responses to the factual questions on 
my questionnaire were correct.  Therefore I accept my 
hypothesis which stated that the majority of the responses to 
the factual questions on my questionnaire will be correct.  
This indicates that students are aware of the plight of 
endangered animals.
 
The students also knew a great deal about endangered animals 
and how people can help them and how some people hurt the 
animals.

V.  APPLICATION:

I can apply this information to the outside world by 
encouraging teachers to help students protest against poachers 
and other threats to endangered animals.  They can write 
letters to state legislatives and the U.S. Congress stating 
their concern for the endangered animals.

© 1997 John I. Swang, Ph.D.