8

th
grade
Design, administer, and analyze a generation gap survey
Duration: 9 days
Step 1: Explain the difference between independent and dependent variables
Read about the difference by visiting this link1 or by going over handout1 on your own or with
your partner. Then create a bubble map for each term identifying key characteristics and
examples.
Step 2: Formulate a hypothesis using dependent and independent variables
Decide how you think generations may differ in their opinions on a particular topic. Team up
with a classmate and choose two topics to study. These will be called "dependent variables,"
because you are stating that you believe that a person's beliefs about these topics depend on their
age. The "independent variable" is what causes the differences in the dependent variables. In this
case, the independent variable is the generation to which the person belongs. Choices for topics
might include:
Politics
TV violence
Movies
Religion
Technology
Women in the military
Gun control
Family values
Friendship
Eating habits
Decide exactly how you think the dependent variables will differ for the generations. This is the
hypothesis. For example, if the topic is TV violence, the hypothesis might be: "Younger people
think TV violence is fun and harmless, but older people think it is dangerous and harmful." If the
topic is Women in the military, the hypothesis might be: "The older a person is, the more he or
she will believe that women in the military should not be allowed in combat." If the topic is
friendship, this might be the hypothesis: "Young people tend to value friends more than family,
and older people tend to value family more than friends."
Step 3: Create a survey and test it
Use Polleverywhere or Google Form to create a survey similar to one shown in class (teacher
will create a sample survey to show the class) use the following links to learn some of the basics.
De Santiago
Adopted from: Microsoft.com/education 5/15/14
age 1 of !
8
th
grade
1. Link1: Forms
2. Link2 : Poll Everywhere
With a partner, create statements for survey participants to respond to that will accurately test the
hypothesis. Statements should be designed to elicit answers like "strongly agree" or "strongly
disagree."
Assign numerical values for different attitudes toward the statements. For example:
5 Strongly agree
4 Agree
3 Neutral
2 Disagree
1 Strongly disagree
Present the survey statements to the rest of the class to test whether:
The class can guess the hypothesis.
The statements accurately reflect the hypothesis
Make any necessary changes to the survey questions based on the feedback that you receive from
the class.
Step : !dminister the survey
Select a social network site like twitter or Facebook to disseminate the survey in order to receive
a minimum of ! responses from the target audience.
Set a duration of "#$ days to gather responses.
Step ": !naly#e the survey data
Organize the spreadsheet in Google Forms or Excel
Clarify the variables. For example, "Independent Variable: Generation"; "Dependent Variable:
Political Beliefs." There should be one column for each dependent variable on the worksheet.
When entering data into the worksheet, each response (completed survey) should be put in its
own row, and the independent variable should go in the first column.
Note how many males/females there are, and what part of the world the respondents were born
in. Even if you do not include this information in the analysis, it is important to record it, because
these differences may affect the results. Make these the second and third columns.
Sort the data based on the generation group. Then, calculate the average score for each
dependent variable for each group. Using Excel's filtering features, evaluate the data by showing
records that match certain rules, or criteria. For example, show all records of people who were
born between 1946 and 1955 from the United States that scored the highest for one of the
dependent variables.
Create charts that show a trend in the data
De Santiago
Adopted from: Microsoft.com/education 5/15/14
age " of !
8
th
grade
Step $: %resent the Findings
Create a presentation to show the team's hypothesis, survey, and results to the class. The team
can:
Present the research findings by creating a presentation from Google docs.
or
Create a presentation in Office PowerPoint.
You will be Assessed on the following:
Formulation of your hypothesis
Design of your survey
Administration of survey
Analysis of survey results
Final Excel or PowerPoint presentation
&aterials' (esources' and E)uipment:
Software: %oogle docs& 'olleverywhere& and social media
*eb sites:
+in,1 http:--nces.ed.gov-nces,ids-help-user/guide-graph-variables.asp
+in,2 http:--www.techrepublic.com-blog-google0in0the0enterprise-use0google0forms0
to0create0a0survey-1"$
De Santiago
Adopted from: Microsoft.com/education 5/15/14
age ! of !