Culture survey on Moodle

Hi Stage 2 Society and Cultures class

As said today in class, the culture survey on the Australian culture we created in class together is now up on Moodle at http://dlb.sa.edu.au/tscmoodle/course/view.php?id=492#section-4. The file is called Culture Survey and is ready to use. The survey is also posted on Google Docs at https://docs.google.com/document/d/10hk8p2VTb2CietT35YCZMDsFXt4bKIDTZEF5S03beu0/edit. Please get at least 10 people to complete the survey by the first lesson next term. During that lesson we will collate the surveys and start working out how to represent the data.
Remember, this is a survey and not an interview. People just need to tick boxes, circle numbers and make a few written responses. They do not need to put their name on the survey. You should ask the person if they have already done this survey. If they have, they should not complete the survey. We want a sample of at least 200 different surveys for the assignment.
Good Luck.
Malcolm

Surveys are not interviews

The address for the Socialsense blog
http://culturalscene.blogspot.com.au/
The Thebarton Senior College Moodle
Course Calendar for your time management

Contact Emma and Malcolm at
emma.hebenstreit@thebartonsc.sa.edu.au
malcolm.mcinerney@thebartonsc.sa.edu.au




Some guidelines and hints on surveys

What is a survey questionnaire?
Survey questionnaires present a set of questions to a subject who with his/her responses will provide data to a researcher.

The design is critical
The key to obtaining good data through a survey is to develop a good survey questionnaire. It is worth spending the time designing your survey to ensure you gain the information you want and that the persons surveyed understand your questions.

Some hints and guidelines with design

* The key to developing a good survey questionnaire is to keep it short while ensuring that you capture all of the information that you need.

* Before you begin to design your survey questionnaire, you developed a set of focus questions for your research. Your survey questions should relate in some way to your focus questions. These questions should serve as a plan for the survey and a question should be rejected if it cannot be seen as helping you answer one of the focus questions in some way.

Types of Questions:

There are two different types of questions that can be used to collect information. The first is called a fixed response question and the second is called an open question. It is important to understand when and how to use these questions when designing your survey.

1. Fixed response
These are questions that offer the respondent a closed set of responses from which to choose. Such a question makes data collection and analysis much simpler and they take less time to answer. Fixed response questions are best suited in the following situations:
• when you have a thorough understanding of the responses so that you can appropriately develop the answer choices
• when you are not trying to capture new ideas or thoughts from the respondent.

Examples of a fixed response question

Do you have a driver's license?
( ) Yes
( ) No
How many hours a day do you spend doing homework?
( ) 0 to 1 hour
( ) 2 to 3 hours
( ) 4 to 5 hours
( ) more than 5 hours

* When writing the selection of responses for a fixed response question, you should make certain that the list covers all possible alternatives that the respondent might select AND that each of the answers is unique (ie they do not overlap).

* For valid data collation it is suggested to use the "Don't know" and other option sparingly.
* You should try to ensure that your respondents are capable of answering the majority of the questions on your survey questionnaire.
* It is suggested that with some fixed choice questions it is better to add a part (b) to the question requesting other choices they wish to make or the opportunity to explain their response.

2. Scaling question (also fixed response but different)

Sometimes you will be interested in obtaining a person's opinion on a topic, subject, product, event, etc.... To capture varying degrees of emotion/opinion about a subject, it is best to use a scale question. A scaling question asks respondents to explain the degree with which they feel about a certain topic, subject, event, etc... For example:

Please describe how you felt about the Harmony day.
(1)Unsatisfied (2)Somewhat (3)Satisfied (4)Satisfied (5)Extremely Satisfied


* In some cases you may wish to have a part b to the scaling question to provide the opportunity for the surveyed to explain why they circled the number they did. Few will take this opportunity but it is worth putting it in your survey.


3. Ranking question (also fixed response but diferent again)

A ranking question asks respondents to explain how they feel about something by comparing it to other items in a list. For example:

Please rank the following Harmony Day activities in order of preference (starting with 1 for your favourite activity).

___ Music
___ Displays
___ Dancing activities
___ Food

* A ranking asks respondents to list their responses in order of preference. This type of question leads you to an answer where the respondent is comparing one thing to another rather than giving you their feeling about each individual item as was the case with the scaling question.

* The disadvantage to a ranking is that if the respondent feels the same about two or more items, they are still forced to sort them into a ranking. The results of a ranking basically tell you which is the most preferred and which is the least preferred item on the list, but you do not know from a ranking if the respondent likes or dislikes any or all of the items on the list.

* It is often a good idea to have part b to a ranking question to provide the respondent with the opportunity to state any other option/s they would have liked to rank.

* Do not have a “other”: category because it makes collation invalid.

4. Open-ended questions

Open-ended questions, are questions where there is no list of answer choices from which to choose. Respondents are simply asked to write their response to a question.

Here is an example:

Example of a open-ended Question
What else would you like to see happen on Harmony Day?

* It is best to use open-ended questions when you are exploring new ideas and you don't really know what to expect from the respondents.

* Open-ended questions let you get more insight into the respondents' thoughts and ideas about a subject.

* The disadvantages to using open-ended questions is that it can be much more time consuming and difficult to analyze the data.

* In general you should try to minimize the number of open-ended questions in your survey questionnaire.

* If you find yourself designing a survey questionnaire where the majority of the questions are open-ended, then you may need to do more exploratory research to get a better foundation of knowledge for the subject you are researching.

General tips to creating a good survey questionnaire:
Here are some tips and tricks to help you ensure you are developing a good survey questionnaire:

* Clearly state your intentions with the research.
At the top of your survey, write a brief statement explaining why you are collecting the information and reassure each respondent that the information is entirely anonymous. If you need to know specifics about a person, respect their privacy by identifying them as subject1, subject2, etc...

* Include instructions with your survey questionnaire
What may seem obvious to you probably is not very obvious to someone else. To ensure that you collect valid survey results, make sure you include instructions on how to answer the survey questionnaire. There should probably be a short introductory set of instructions at the top of the survey questionnaire, and additional instructions for specific questions as needed.
Your overall instructions may be something like:
Please mark the appropriate box next to your answer choice with an "x" ( X ). Please answer all of the questions to the best of your ability.

* Don't ask for personal information unless you need it to help answer your focus questions.

* Keep the questions short and concise
The wording for survey questions should be short and concise. Each question should be clearly stated so that there is no misunderstanding about what is being asked. The best way to ensure your questions are well worded is to test them by having other people review and test your survey before you distribute it to the full sample.
Ask only one question at a time (the double barreled question)
This is a very common mistake in survey questionnaires and one that will severely impact the results of your data. When you are writing a question, you must make sure that you are only asking one question at a time.

Here is an example of a double-barreled question:

How have teachers and students at your school responded
to Harmony Day?
( ) Satisfied
( ) Unsatisfied

It should have been:
How have teachers at your school responded to Harmony Day?
( ) Satisfied
( ) Unsatisfied
How have students at your school responded to Harmony Day?
( ) Satisfied
( ) Unsatisfied

* Make sure the questions are unbiased
When developing your survey questionnaire, you want to make certain that you are asking the questions in a neutral way, ie that you are not leading them toward a particular answer.

* Here is an example of a leading question:

Do you think that the new cafeteria lunch menu offers a better variety
of healthy foods than the old one?
( ) Yes
( ) No
( ) No Opinion

Here is a non-leading question

How do you feel about the new cafeteria lunch menu compared to the old one?
( ) The new menu offers a better variety of healthy foods
( ) The old menu offers a better variety of healthy foods
( ) The selections are similar
( ) No opinion
Ask questions that can be answered by your subjects
Make sure that the questions you are asking are questions that people will be able to answer.

* Order/group questions according to subject
If you have more than six questions in your questionnaire, then you should make an effort to organize your questions so the respondents can answer them as quickly as possible. A good way to organize the questions is to group them together by subject. This way your respondents can focus their thoughts and answer a series of questions around these thoughts. Put the open questions (not part b open questions) at the end of the survey.

* Present the questions in a clean and organized layout
A clean layout will make it much simpler for people to respond to the questions and for you to collect the data. Make sure that your method for marking answers is well explained and that your answer boxes are consistent throughout the questionnaire. Look at this example of a survey.

* Your sample
Make sure that you get a sample of adequate number (at least 20) and one that meets the sample requirements of your research i.e. your survey sample may require a gender balance or gender focus, across ages or of a particular age, across ethnic groups or just one group etc. These sample requirements will depend on the focus of your research. Discuss this sample issue with your teacher.

* Test the survey questionnaire
Once you have developed your survey questionnaire, you should conduct a small test (5 -10 people) to make sure that respondents clearly understand the questions you are asking and that you are capturing the information that you need for your study.

Types of questions for your survey design.

Suggested % in brackets after question type. This is only a guide.
1. Forced choice question:
• Yes/no (15%)
• Selection of choices (15%)

2. Ranking question (20%)
A nominated number of choices (cannot have suggested others – make that part b)

3. Scaled question (20%)
Some form of scale response from 0-10

4. Open-ended response – an open question
• As a question in itself (10%)
• As a follow up open question to either the forced choice, scale or ranking question. The question could be asking for explanation of forced choice, ranking or scale decision or other options that the interviewee would have liked to have as a choice (20%)




Activity

What do you think?
Have a look at and critique this survey about the 1960 youth. Is it good or bad?

The country - city divide

Images above: Country and city, all Australian but different worlds and different subcultures.


Contact me at malcolm.mcinerney@thebartonsc.sa.edu.au
The address for the Socialsense blog
http://culturalscene.blogspot.com.au/
The Thebarton Senior College Moodle
Course Calendar for your time management


Today we had the pleasure of Sue coming to our class to be interviewed. Sue helped us to explore the concepts of city and country subcultures. I think the discussion was excellent and by the end of the sessions we certainly had explored not only the nature of these two subcultures but also how to conduct a really thorough interview. Here are the core questions and interview questions from the interview with Sue.

Purpose: Comparing Country and City subcultures

Core questions

What is the country subculture?
What is the city subculture?
Are the two subcultures all that different?
Does the country subculture stay with country people when they move to the city?
Do people change when they come to the city (and vice versa)


Interview questions

1. Introduction
• Where do you live now?
• Did you grow up in the country?
• How many years did you live on a farm?
• Have you always been a teacher?
2. What was living in the country like? Can you describe a typical day on the farm?
3. Was it a good place to bring up children?
4. What do you consider were the best parts of living in the country?
5. What do you consider were the worst part of living in the country?
6. Do you believe there is a rural sub-culture?
7. Now that you live in the city can you tell us how life in the city is different?
8. How would you describe the city sub-culture of where you live? Do you think it would be different to the suburbs?
9. Which subculture do you prefer? Why
10. Do you think city students are different to country students? If so, what ways?
11. Do you think you have kept any of your country values, even though you are now a city person?
12. Do you think your children have country or city value?
13. Do you think it would be easier moving from the country subculture to the city or vice versa?
14. Do you think you can tell a country person by looking or talking to them?
15. Do you think it would be easier for a new arrival to Australia to adjust to life in the country or city? Please explain your response?
16. Do you think city people understand country people?
17. In your opinion is there a divide between country and city in Australia? If so, how is this acted out?
18. Have you anything more to add to help us answer out core questions?


I am sure both classes would like to thank Sue for participating in our studies. Now it is over to you all to conduct your interview for the assignment using the survey questions we developed. Good luck.

What is the Australian culture?

Contact me at malcolm.mcinerney@thebartonsc.sa.edu.au
The address for the Socialsense blog
http://culturalscene.blogspot.com.au/
The Thebarton Senior College Moodle
Course Calendar for your time management


The greatest pleasure I have ever known is when my eyes meet the eyes of a mate over the top of two foaming glasses of beer
Henry Lawson, Australian Legend, Early 20th Century

We value excellence as well as fairness, independence as dearly as mateship
Draft Constitutional Preamble, John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia, 1999

It would take an awful lot of courage to jump on the back of a crocodile, but I suppose that's what you do for a mate
Thursday Island Police Sergeant Graham Burridge, The Courier Mail, August 20, 1999.


Several weeks ago we used the Moodle to start up a chat session on; “What is the Australian Culture”. Some of your thoughts were very interesting - are Australians really like that?

Australia has many things in common with the rest of the world, though there are several parts of our national identity and culture which are peculiar to us. These are detailed in the sections below. They include emphasis on physical as opposed to mental achievement, the concept of mateship, Australian idiom, language and humour. The embracing of the concept of multiculturalism is also covered. Be aware that any culture and national identity is always changing.

As the Australian Government site says in relation to Australian Culture,

“everyone in Australia is expected to uphold the principles and shared values that support Australia’s way of life. These include:
• respect for equal worth, dignity and freedom of the individual
• freedom of speech and association
• freedom of religion and a secular government
• support for parliamentary democracy and the rule of law
• equality under the law
• equality of men and women
• equality of opportunity
• peacefulness
• a spirit of egalitarianism that embraces tolerance, mutual respect, and compassion for those in need. Australia also holds firmly to the belief that no one should be disadvantaged on the basis of their country of birth, cultural heritage, language, gender or religious belief.”

As we read about Australian culture many of these characteristics keep reappearing. But what is the Australian culture really? It is way beyond BBQ’s, footy, meat pies and thongs! There is an Australian culture but for many of us it is hard to define beyond the formal cultural characteristics listed above. In many ways it is the way of being; how we talk, how we respond to others, what we value, what makes us laugh, how we think about things, how we use our body, how we dress and what we like doing.

These websites are interesting in supplying some of the more subtle cultural traits.

http://www.culturecrossing.net/basics_business_student.php?id=13
http://www.uq.edu.au/study/index.html?page=18058&pid=17895
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/australia.html

Is there really a typical Australian? One website says that a typical Australian has the following characteristics:

• a strong sense of justice, balanced by a desire to champion the "underdog"
• loyalty and a strong sense of "mateship" and sticking by one's mates (friends)
• enjoys barbeques and beer (but not all of us like beer!)
• enjoys a day at the beach
• appreciates and respects the dry outback, with all its dangers and its raw, untouched beauty, even though not all Australians have the opportunity to travel through it
• hard-working and often hard-playing.


Have a look at these two YouTube videos on Australian culture.

Video 1: Australian Culture

Video 2: A personal view on what it is to be Australian


Do you agree with these views?

Stage 1 Society and Cultures Assignment 2

Use this information to design a brochure for a tourist coming to Australia. The brochure should be called; “Everything you need to know about Australians before visiting.” This will be the basis of assignment 2.

City of Joy: More than just a film!

Contact me at malcolm.mcinerney@thebartonsc.sa.edu.au
The address for the Socialsense blog
http://culturalscene.blogspot.com.au/
The Thebarton Senior College Moodle
Course Calendar for your time management

Support material for film: City of Joy

The culture of the people of Calcutta you see in the film is based on the religion of Hinduism. Hinduism is the religion of the majority of people in India and Nepal. It also exists among significant populations outside of the sub continent and has over 900 million adherents worldwide. Unlike most other religions, Hinduism has no single founder, no single scripture, and no commonly agreed set of teachings. In this posting I have supplied a range of sites that help explain what you are watching in the film in terms of lifestyle, values, beliefs and rituals. The City of Joy is not a fiction film. Calcutta lives today as you see in the film, with people struggling, suffering, loving and identifying with their culture in a joyous way.


The following sites gives inforhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifmation to aid your understanding of many of the scenes of the film, City of Joy. Pity Max did not have the opportunity to gain such an understanding before he dived into life in the slums of Calcutta with little understanding of the culture.

* Calcutta (Kolkata) rickshaw pullers.
Even today it is estimated that there are more than 18,000 rickshaws plying the streets of Kolkata, nearly 6,000 registered with the city government.

* A mission around railway stations in Calcutta

The Caste System in India.


* Child birth

* Hindu weddings

* Hindu marriage

* Hindu dowry

* Sati and child marriage


* Treatment of TB in Calcutta today

City of Joy

Contact me at malcolm.mcinerney@thebartonsc.sa.edu.au
The address for the Socialsense blog
http://culturalscene.blogspot.com.au/
Course Calendar for your time management


View the City of Joy trailer


This week we are going view the movie City of Joy. This movie, made in 1992, is a wonderful example of how two cultures can clash and that underneath the cultural differences is basic humanity and the universal culture that we have talked about. Here is some information on the movie to set the scene for you.

From Wikipedia
Hasari Pal (Om Puri) is a rural farmer who moves to Calcutta with his wife (Shabana Azmi) and three children in search of a better life. The Pals don't get off to a very good start: They are cheated out of their rent money and thrown out on the streets, and it's difficult for Hasari to find a job to support them. But the determined family refuses to give up and eventually finds its place in the poverty-stricken city.

Meanwhile, on the other end of Calcutta, disillusioned Texas doctor Max Lowe (Patrick Swayze) has arrived in search of some spiritual enlightenment after the loss of a patient. He, too, gets off to a rough start: After being tricked by a young prostitute, he is roughed up by thugs and left bleeding in the street without his documents and valuable possessions.

Hasari comes to Max's aid and takes the injured doctor to the "City of Joy," a slum area populated with lepers and poor people that becomes the Pals' new home and the American's home away from home. Max spends a lot of time in the neighborhood, but he doesn't want to become too involved with the residents because he is afraid of becoming emotionally attached to them. He soon, however, is coaxed into helping his new-found friends by a strong-willed Irish woman (Pauline Collins), who runs the local clinic.

Eventually, Max begins to fit in with his fellow slum-dwellers. And he begins to see that his life isn't half bad. There are many around him whose lives are much worse, but they look on each day with a hope that gives new strength to the depressed doctor.


As you watch the movie I would like you to consider the attached questions (on Google docs and TSC Moodle) and to develop your understanding of the Hindu culture as previously discussd when Dr Chintamani Yogi visited us.

Primary and secondary research

Images: Students doing primary and secondary research.

Contact me at malcolm.mcinerney@thebartonsc.sa.edu.au
The address for the Socialsense blog
http://culturalscene.blogspot.com.au/
The Thebarton Senior College Moodle
Course Calendar for your time management


Stage 1 Society and Culture classwork


Just a reminder about the two types of research:

* Secondary research is based on the findings from other people's research. It involves the gathering of the results of other's research from books, reports or the Internet. Selections or summaries are made of the research allowing for evidence to be gathered to support your conclusions.

Secondary research may include:

* statistical analysis where information is readily available from the census studies, Australian Bureau of Statistics, local councils and other government bodies, is analysed to give a notion of the need for a particular target market for a project. This may be useful for establishing if there is a genuine need for a project.

* information research, including all forms of print, that is, texts, magazines, journals, pamphlets. It also includes electronic sources. These need to be checked for reliability and relevance. Anyone can publish on the Internet. Print sources should not be too out of date. Use your school and local librarians, they are trained to help you find information.




* Primary research is the research you generate by asking questions, conducting trials and collating results. This research can take the form of quantitative research ('countable' data collection) or qualitative research(opinion/knowledge data gathering).

The most common way of collecting primary data is through surveys/questionnaires and interviews.

* A survey is usually general and covers a wide range of issues. It is designed to find information rather than to investigate specific questions about an issue. We tend to use surveys when we don't know about something and we want to identify the most important ideas, questions and issues.

* A questionnaire usually focuses more on a particular topic or issue. We tend to use these when we know something about the topic and whttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gife have some hunches about what might be the most important issue or questions to investigate.

* Interviews can be face-to-face or over the telephone or Internet. It is crucial to have a list of questions prepared. This helps prevent being side tracked and ensuring the information you require is collected.


I have uploaded the Powerpoint on culture onto the Moddle at http://dlb.sa.edu.au/tscmoodle/ . Go and have a look to support your 100-150 words on What is culture?