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THE E-DATABASE OF STUDENT RESEARCH is made possible through grants provided by the United States Department of Education, South Central Bell Telephone, American Petroleum Institute, Intertel Foundation, Springhouse Publishing Corporation, Graham Resources, Inc., Chevron Oil Company, Central Louisiana Electric Company, Louisiana State Department of Educaton, and National Science Foundation. Mandeville Middle School and the National Student Research Center thank these organizations for their generous support of education.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Student Knowledge of Deforestation
2. Student Knowledge of Heavenly Bodies
3. Student Knowledge of the Moon
4. Student Feelings About Drug Use
5. Student Opinions About Changing Schools
6. A Survey of Student Collections
7. Student Opinions About T.V. Violence
8. Student Knowledge About Endangered Species
TITLE: Student Knowledge of Deforestation
STUDENT RESEARCHER: Courtney Lowe
SCHOOL: Mandeville Middle School
Mandeville, Louisiana
GRADE: 6
TEACHER: John I. Swang, Ph.D.
I. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:
I want to find out what students know and how they feel about
deforestation. Deforestation is the disappearing of forests
due mostly to the cutting down of trees. My hypothesis states
that 50% of the responses to the factual questions on my
questionnaire will be correct.
II. METHODOLOGY:
First, I developed a statement of purpose or research idea and
conducted a review of literature on deforestation. From this,
I developed a methodology to test my hypothesis. Next, I
constructed a questionnaire from my review of literature.
After that I drew a random sample of twelve sixth grade
students at MMS. When returned, I scored my questionnaires and
recorded my data on a data collection sheet. I then conducted
my analysis of data and wrote a summary and conclusion where I
accepted or rejected my hypothesis. Finally, I applied my
findings to the world outside of the classroom and published my
research.
III. ANALYSIS OF DATA:
I sent out twelve questionnaires to a random sample of sixth
grade students at Mandeville Middle School and got them all
back. A majority of ten students agreed that trees have as
much right to live as people do. A majority of eight students
agree that houses should be built of materials other than wood.
A majority of eleven students agree that we should stop
destroying our forests. A majority of eleven students
correctly said that most of the tropical forests in the world
will disappear in the next ten to fifteen years. A majority of
the students know that the use of wood and wood products, the
need for fuel, and forest fires are three causes of
deforestation. A majority of nine students correctly said that
deforestation causes nutrients in the soil to be washed away
turning fertile land into semidesert. A majority of seven
students correctly said that the loss of habitat, erosion, and
climate changes are three consequences of deforestation. No
one knew that 48% of the earth's plant species occur in or
around forests areas. A majority of nine students correctly
said that, in the next twenty years, one fourth of the plant
species that live in forests will be lost due to deforestation.
A majority of seven students were sad, two students were OK and
three students had no feelings at all about seeing trees in a
forest being cut down. A majority of seven students correctly
said that deforestation contributes to global warming. A
majority of eight students correctly said that forests are
being destroyed at the fast rate of 150,000 sq. kilometers per
year. All of the students correctly said that forests are
being destroyed faster than they can be renewed. A majority of
eleven students knew that trees produce a great deal of the
oxygen we breath.
IV. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:
After analyzing my data, I found that 72% of the answers to the
factual questions on my questionnaire were correct. Therefore I
reject my hypothesis which stated that 50% of the responses to
the factual questions on my deforestation questionnaire would
be correct. Students knew more about deforestation then I
first believed.
V. APPLICATION:
I can apply my findings to the world outside of the classroom
by telling students to work to stop deforestation. We know
enough about it, so we should follow our instincts to stop
deforestation. I will write to my state and national
legislators and tell them what students at MMS think about
deforestation. Hopefully, this information will help them make
decisions to stop deforestation.
TITLE: Student Knowledge of Heavenly Bodies
STUDENT RESEARCHER: Teresa Kloepfer
SCHOOL: Mandeville Middle School
Mandeville, Louisiana
GRADE: 6
TEACHER: John I. Swang, Ph.D.
I. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:
I would like to find out what students know about comets,
asteroids, meteors, and meteorites. I also want to find out if
students know what will happen when one of these heavenly
bodies hit the Earth. Comets are chunks of ice and dust that
orbit the sun. Asteroids are miniature planets orbiting the
sun in the asteroid belt. A meteor is what we call a shooting
star. A meteorite is large mass of stone or metal that has
fallen to the Earth. My hypothesis states that 40% of the
responses to the factual questions on my questionnaire about
comets, asteroids, meteors, and meteorites will be answered
correctly.
II. METHODOLOGY:
First, I stated my purpose, reviewed the literature about
heavenly bodies, and developed a hypothesis. Then I developed
a questionnaire, drew a random sample of twelve 6th grade
students at MMS, and distributed the questionnaire to them. I
also sent it out on the NSRC's Electronic School District to a
non-random sample of students around the world. When I got the
questionnaires back I scored them and recorded my data on a
data collection sheet. Then I analyzed my data with
statistics, charts, and graphs. Then I wrote my summary and
conclusion where I accepted or rejected my hypothesis. After
that I applied my finding to the world outside the classroom.
Finally, I turned in my complete report to be published in the
NSRC journal of student research.
III. ANALYSIS OF DATA:
I handed out twelve questionnaires to a random sample of grade
students at MMS. Eleven were returned. I also sent my
questionnaire out on the Electronic School District to students
around the world. I received 77 responses from students in
grades 3 through 12. Students lived in Canada, Israel, Rhode
Island, New York, Montana, and Minnesota.
A majority of 45 students did not know that a comet is made out
of ice and dust. A majority of 57 students did not know that
comet can have three types of tails. One type is with a long
crest and curve, another is straight and fibrous, and the third
type is both of them put together. A majority of 57 students
did not know that most of the matter in a comet is concentrated
on it's nucleus. A majority of 57 did not think that a large
comet or asteroid hitting the Earth would not cause a
devastating affect. A majority of 50 students said that they
would use a nuclear weapon to blow up a comet or an asteroid
that threatens to hit the Earth. A majority of 57 students
knew that comets rarely strike the Earth. A majority of 46
students did not know that an asteroid is a burnt out comet. A
majority of 46 students did not know that the Apollo asteroid
intersects the Earth's orbit. A majority of 56 students said
that they were not worried about a comet or an asteroid hitting
the Earth and destroying it. A majority of 52 students said
that they would pray if they knew that a large comet or
asteroid was about to hit the Earth. A majority of 54 students
knew that when a meteorite hit the Earth it can make craters
big enough to hold lakes. A majority of 46 students did not
know that a comet is our biggest threat to extinction if it
hits the Earth. A majority of 46 thought that the dinosaurs
became extinct because a huge comet hit the Earth and threw
enough dust in the air to block out the sun for a long period
of time. Twenty-one students thought that human beings could
extinct if a large heavenly body were to strike the Earth.
IV. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:
Since 47% of the responses to factual questions on my
questionnaire were answered correctly, I can reject my
hypothesis which stated that 40% of the responses to the
factual questions on my questionnaire about comets, asteroids,
meteors, and meteorites will be answered correctly. The
students knew slightly more than I predicted. The majority of
the responses were still incorrect.
V. APPLICATION:
I will apply my findings to the world outside the classroom by
writing a note to the Congress about how we could prevent a
comet hitting the Earth by blowing it up with a nuclear weapon.
I would also tell the Congress about how students would feel
when they find out a large comet or asteroid is about to hit
the Earth.
TITLE: Student Knowledge of the Moon
STUDENT RESEARCHERS: Mr. Carbone's Science Class
SCHOOL: North Stratfield School
Fairfield, Connecticut
GRADE: 4
TEACHER: Mr. V. Carbone
I. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:
We want to find out what students know about the moon. Our
hypothesis states that a majority of students will get 5 out of
11 questions correct from our questionnaire.
II. METHODOLOGY:
First of all, we researched the topic - the moon. Next, we
developed a questionnaire from our research. We passed out the
questionnaire to students in our school. We also sent our
questionnaire on the Internet for students to answer. We then
got our questionnaires back and scored them. Finally, we
analyzed the data and wrote our summary and conclusion.
III. ANALYSIS OF DATA:
We had students answer our questionnaire from Connecticut,
Arizona, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Utah. The majority of
students knew that the moon had a crust, mantle, and core.
Most of the students did not know that an astronaut can not see
stars from anywhere on the moon. The sun is so bright that the
astronauts could not see the stars during the lunar day. Most
everyone knew that Neil Armstrong was the first astronaut to
walk on the moon. Only one student knew the date the first
astronauts landed on the moon - July 20, 1969. The majority of
students did not know that 49 moons could fit inside of the
earth. Only two students knew the approximate age of the moon
at 4.5 billion years old. Only two knew that James Irwin and
David Scott found the famous old rock called the "Genesis
rock." Three students knew that Eugene Cernan walked on the
moon the longest. Four students knew that James Irwin was the
eighth person to walk on the moon. No one could name all the
astronauts that walked on the moon. (Armstrong, Aldrin, Conrad,
Bean, Shepard, Mitchell, Scott, Irwin, Young, Duke, Schmitt,
and Cernan.) A majority of students knew that the craters on
the moon were formed by meteoroid impact.
IV. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:
We reject our hypothesis. A majority of the students did not
know the answers to our questions. They only knew three of our
questions as a majority.
V. APPLICATION TO LIFE:
Teachers may need to teach the moon as a subject. If people
are going to some day live on a lunar base, they need to know
more about it.
TITLE: Student Feelings About Drug Use
STUDENT RESEARCHER: Jonathan Landry
SCHOOL: Mandeville Middle
Mandeville, Louisiana
GRADE: 6
TEACHER: E. Marino, M.Ed.
I. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:
I wanted to do a scientific research project on how students at
M.M.S. feel about drug use. My hypothesis states that at least
sixty percent of the sixth grade students at M.M.S. will feel
they have enough information about drug use to make an
intelligent decision.
II. METHODOLOGY:
First, I stated my purpose. Then I did my review of literature
about drugs and drug abuse. Next, I developed my hypothesis.
After that I developed a questionnaire. Then I drew a random
sample of 13 sixth graders at M.M.S. Next, I administered and
scored the questionnaire. After that I analyzed my data and
wrote my summary and conclusion. Finally, I applied my
findings to the real world outside the classroom.
III. ANALYSIS OF DATA:
I sent out 13 questionnaires and all of them were returned.
Out of 13 students, everyone participated in the D.A.R.E.
program and everyone had enough information to make a decision
about drug use. Ten students knew that D.A.R.E. stood for Drug
Abuse Resistance Education. Eleven out of 13 students knew
what a drug was. Eleven students knew what peer pressure was.
Everyone knew that marijuana can hurt you more than cigarettes.
When given this situation - You go to a party with your friends
and they ask you if you want to drink some beer. What do you
do? - 5 students said they would say no thanks, 7 students said
they would leave the party, and one said they would just sit
there. Given another situation - Claudia likes a boy named
Randy. One morning he brings a small hand gun to school and
asks her to hold it, but she knows that guns aren't allowed at
school. She wants Randy to like her. What should she do? - One
student said they would hold the gun, 2 students said they
would tell someone, and 9 students said they would tell someone
and walk off. Twelve students agree that the best way to not
use drugs is to just say no. Twelve students agreed that there
are too many kids our age doing drugs. When asked what another
word for taking a chance is everyone knew that the word was
risk.
IV. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:
All 13 students participated in D.A.R.E. and everyone had
enough information to make an intelligent decision about drug
use. Therefore I accepted my hypothesis which stated that at
least sixty percent of the sixth grade students at M.M.S. will
feel they have enough information about drug use to make an
intelligent decision about drug use.
V. APPLICATION:
Now that I know this information, I can share it with the
D.A.R.E. officers and my principal so they can keep the
D.A.R.E. program going at my school.
TITLE: Students Opinions About Changing Schools
STUDENT RESEARCH: Teresa Kloepfer
SCHOOL: Mandeville Middle
Mandeville, Louisiana
GRADE: 6
TEACHER: E. Marino, M.Ed.
I. Statement Of Purpose and Hypothesis:
Recently, half the students at Mandeville Middle School (MMS)
were sent to a new school named Chinchuba Middle School (CMS).
Many school friends were separated in the process. I wanted to
know if six grade students at MMS made new friends and\or kept
in touch with their friends at CMS. I also wanted to know if
they miss their friends at CMS. My hypothesis stated that the
majority of six grade students at MMS have kept in touch with
their friends that moved to CMS.
II. Methodology:
First, I stated my purpose, reviewed the literature, and
developed a hypothesis. Then I developed a questionnaire, drew
a random sample, and administered my questionnaire to a
randomly chosen group of sixth grade students at MMS. When I
got the questionnaires back I scored them, analyzed my data,
and then I wrote my summary and conclusion. After that I
applied my findings to the world outside the classroom.
Finally, I published an abstract of my complete report.
III. Analysis of Data:
I handed out 13 questionnaires and received 11 back. Two
students said that none of their close friends went to CMS so I
randomly gave their questionnaire to students who had friends
that went to CMS. A majority of 8 students said that their
close friends have kept in touch with them by sporting events,
phone, letters, getting together, sleep overs, and
unexpectedly. A majority of 8 students also said that they see
or hear from their friends at CMS a couple times a month. Four
students said they wanted to keep in touch, but they didn't
have the time. All of the students I interviewed have made new
friends. Only one student liked the idea of their friend going
to CMS. Some activities students suggested to bring all the
sixth graders together are: parties, sports activities, field
trips, combined chorus, special school days, and trips.
IV. Summary and Conclusion:
The majority of sixth grade students at MMS have kept in touch
with their friends that go to CMS. Therefore, I accept my
hypothesis which stated that the majority of sixth grade
students at MMS have kept in touch with their friends at CMS.
V. Application:
I can apply my findings to the world outside the classroom by
telling the principals of both schools how the sixth grade
students feel and some ways the sixth graders from both schools
could get together.
TITLE: A Survey of Student Collections
STUDENT RESEARCHER: Casey Blanchette
SCHOOL: Mandeville Middle School
Mandeville, Louisiana
GRADE: 6
TEACHER: Ellen Marino, M.Ed.
I. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:
I want to find out what percentage of sixth grade students at
Mandeville Middle School actually have collections of their
own. My hypothesis states that at least 50% of sixth grade
students at Mandeville Middle School will have collections of
their own.
II. METHODOLOGY:
First, I stated my purpose, did a review of literature on
hobbies, and developed my hypothesis. Then I developed a
questionnaire, drew a random sample of 13 sixth grade students
at Mandeville Middle School, and administered the
questionnaires. I then scored the questionnaires when they
were returned. Finally, I analyzed the data, wrote a summary
and conclusion, and applied my findings to the real world.
III. ANALYSIS OF DATA:
I handed out 13 surveys and 11 were returned. Ten out of 11
students are interested in collecting, have collections of
their own, and have friends that have collections. Nine
students agreed that collecting is a good hobby and a fun way
to pass your time. All of the students agreed that you can
learn many things from collecting. Only 4 out of 11 students,
knew that a coin collector is a numismatic, but everyone knew
that there are more types of collections than coins and sports
cards. Types of collections that students listed, cups, rocks,
money, comic books, autographs, pencils, pins, erasers, cards,
sports cards, autographed baseballs, and pictures. Students
stated that the most popular types of collections include,
bottle tops, stamps, coins, cards, sports cards, and baseballs.
IV. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:
Out of eleven questionnaires, about 90% of sixth grade students
said that they had a collection of their own. Therefore I
accept my hypothesis which stated that at least 50% of sixth
grade students at Mandeville Middle School will have
collections of their own.
V. APPLICATION:
I would apply the results of this project by sharing this
information with the school library. I would tell them that
the majority of sixth grade students at Mandeville Middle
School are interested in collecting and have collections of
their own. Perhaps in the future, they could purchase more
books on collecting.
TITLE: Student Opinions About T.V. Violence
STUDENT RESEARCHER: Richard Kaufmann
SCHOOL: Mandeville Middle
Mandeville, Louisiana
GRADE: 6
TEACHER: E. Marino, M.Ed.
I. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:
I wanted to do a scientific research project on what students
think about TV violence. My hypothesis states that a majority
of sixth grade students at Mandeville Middle School will think
that there is too much violence on TV.
II. METHODOLOGY:
First, I stated my purpose, reviewed the literature on violence
in the entertainment media, and developed my hypothesis. Then
I developed a methodology to test my hypothesis. Next I
developed my questionnaire. Then I drew a random sample of the
13 sixth grade students at Mandeville Middle School. After
administering the questionnaires, I scored them and analyzed my
data, wrote a summary and conclusion, and applied my findings
to the real world.
III. ANALYSIS OF DATA:
Eleven of the thirteen surveys were returned. Eight students
watched more than ten hours of TV a week. A majority of the
students agreed that the amount of violence on TV affects a
person's attitude. Only four students thought that their
parents didn't care about the amount of violence on TV. Ten
students agreed that video games being rated helped them
determine the amount of violence in the game. Only three
students thought that they modeled somebody on TV. A majority
of the students said that there is too much violence on TV.
Eight students believed that the video game Mortal Kombat II
was violent, three said Power Rangers and Super Punchout were
violent, and one said Bubsy was. A majority of students
thought that, of all the TV they watched during the week, only
five hours of it contained violent shows.
IV. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:
The majority of students feel that there is too much violence
on TV. I therefore accept my hypothesis which stated that the
majority of sixth grade students at Mandeville Middle School
would think there is too much violence on TV.
V. APPLICATION:
I can share my findings with parents so they can use this
information to monitor the amount of violence their children
watch on TV.
TITLE: Endangered Species
STUDENT RESEARCHER: Nickie Buehring
SCHOOL: Mandeville Middle
Mandeville, Louisiana
GRADE: 6
TEACHER: E. Marino, M.Ed.
I. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:
I wanted to do a science research project on what 6th graders
know about endangered species in the southeast region of the
U.S. My hypothesis stated that the majority of 6th grade
students at Mandeville Middle School that I survey will
correctly answer half the factual questions about endangered
species in the southeast region.
II. METHODOLOGY:
I stated my purpose and wrote my review of literature about
endangered species. Then I developed my hypothesis. Next, I
developed a questionnaire and drew a random sample of the
thirteen 6th graders at Mandeville Middle School. I
administered my questionnaires and scored them when returned.
The I analyzed my data and wrote a summary and conclusion. I
applied my findings to the real world, outside of the
classroom. Finally, I published my complete report.
III. ANALYSIS:
I sent out thirteen questionnaires and all thirteen were
returned. All but one student knew that the Federal Government
has a list of endangered species. Only three out of thirteen
knew that fifty-five acres of wetlands are being destroyed each
hour. A majority of nine students thought that people were the
cause of animals becoming endangered. Ten thought that most
people are trying to protect animals in Louisiana. But
according to Environmental Atlas, people in the state of
Louisiana do not do enough. Eight students did not know that
eighty percent of the original wetlands in the United States
are gone. Eight students feel that the Federal Government is
doing a good job protecting endangered species. In order to
protect endangered species, six students felt that people
should stop killing them, three students said to recycle and
stop polluting, and one thought that we should set up reserves
for the animals. A majority of seven do not do anything to
protect endangered species at this time.
IV. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:
Only one factual question, out of four, about endangered
species was answered correctly by a majority of the students I
surveyed. I therefore accept my hypothesis which stated the
majority of 6th grade students at Mandeville Middle School will
correctly answer half the factual questions about endangered
species in the southeast region.
V. APPLICATION:
I will share my findings with my friends, family, teachers,
naturalists, Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, the Zoo, and the
Aquarium. Students need to know more about endangered species
if we are to save them.
© 1995 John I. Swang, Ph.D.