Student+Survey+of+Culturally+Diverse+Gifted+Students



 Student Survey of Culturally Diverse Gifted Students This survey was created for the Talented and Gifted (TAG) students in a very culturally diverse, Title 1, public elementary school. In the school, 42% of students are Black, 27% are White, 19% are Hispanic, 6% are Asian, and 3% are Multi- Racial. There are approximately 90 students in the TAG program and 900 at the school. 85 of the TAG students from the 2nd-5th grade completed the survey. The cultural makeup of the students in the TAG program closely resemble the makeup of the school, however the percentage of white children is slightly higher. The survey was comprised of two parts, one was multiple choice and the other was open answer.

Questions for TAG students

 * Why are you in TAG?
 * What grade are you in?
 * What grade did you start the TAG program?
 * Do you like school? Yes No
 * Do you have any brothers or sisters? Yes No
 * Do you have any brothers or sisters in the TAG program at Woodland or any other school? Yes No
 * Who is the person who helps you with your homework most of the time?
 * Who is the person in your life that encourages you the most?
 * Who is your hero?
 * Are you more like the kids in your TAG class or kids in your neighborhood?
 * What do you do when you get home from school?
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">What do you do on the weekends?
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">What is your favorite thing to do with your family?
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">What do you want to be when you grow up?

Multiple Choice Summary <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Of the multiple choice questions there were some interesting findings. Overall, I found answers to be more dependent on age than culture. There were some questions that could have had a cultural component, but it was not clear enough to draw conclusions. To find if the variations were based on culture, more students in both culturally diverse schools, and in culturally homogenous schools would need to be surveyed. These questions included: The percentage of students with siblings in the TAG program, who helps you with your homework most of the time?, who encourages you?, and who is your hero? To the questions of who helps with homework and who encourages the student the most, Parents were the dominant answer by approximately 65% across age levels, with caregivers coming in second for homework help and siblings coming in second for encouragement. To the questions of who the child's hero is, parents were the highest choice with 49% followed by Other Non- Familial Adults at 25%, which included teachers, sports and historical figures.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Two questions stood out. The first question was: Are you more like the students in your TAG class or in your neighborhood? The answers to this question were based less on the cultural makeup of the classes and more related to the age of the students. It seems that the older students get, the more they relate to their peers in the Gifted program than to the children in their neighborhoods. I believe this stems from children becoming more aware of their giftedness, and feeling a solidarity with like-minded children. This would make a case for homogenious grouping in schools.

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<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The second question was: Do you like school? I only included yes and no for the options but children from the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades wrote in “sort-of” as another option. The percentage of children who like school went down with every grade level. 95% of 2nd graders liked school, 86% of 3rd graders liked school, 85% of 4th graders, and only 62% of 5th graders said that they liked school. This would be one question I would like to study further to see if this is related to the culturally diverse students being At-Risk, or if this is a normal occurrence among all students as they age. I would also add a “Why” component of this question to further surveys.

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Open Answer Summary <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Of the fill in the blank questions, the answers were actually quite similar across grade levels and cultural groups. For instance, for the question: Why are you in TAG, most students said because they were smart or talented. A few children had answers that related to passing tests, creativity, and “thinking outside the box”, and one 4th grader was bold enough to say, “Because I can do the impossible!” For the questions relating to home life, the answers were again very similar across all grades and groups. Children primarily said they have a snack and do homework when they get home from school and they do extracurricular activities and go on outings with their families on the weekends. For future careers, the answers were as varied as the students: doctor, NFL star, paleontologist, singer, veterinarian, graphic designer. Spending time together with simple activities was the overwhelming answer for what children like to do with their families. Again, I believe that is not related to culture, but overall busy lifestyles of families across cultural boundaries.

Survey Answers and Statistics <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">For further information on the findings of the survey, please look at the file attached below. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">