2010-2011 Challenge Day Student Survey Report

Prepared by Amber Starfire

Purpose of the Survey Challenge Days mission for the program workshop is to provide youth and their communities with experiential programs that demonstrate the possibility of love and connection through the celebration of diversity, truth, and full expression. The organizations vision is that every child lives in a world where they feel safe, loved, and celebrated. Since 2008, Challenge Day has used the student survey that is the subject of this report to measure the impact of the program on participants subjectively perceived attitudes and emotions in relationship to the vision and mission of the Program: social awareness, connection with others, safety, acceptance of self and others, and hope for the future. This report represents the results of data collected between August 10, 2010 and June 15, 2011. A total of 4,426 surveys were completed. Of these, 4,002 students reported that they had attended one Challenge Day and 424 had attended at least two Challenge Days. Survey Content The Student Survey consists of three parts: 1. Twenty-six statements divided into five categories: Awareness, Safety and Social Responsibility, Acceptance of Self and Others, Connection and Expression, Positive Future Orientation. Respondents used a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The following statements in part one all began with: After participating in the Challenge Day program, I am more
Safety and Social Responsibility Acceptance of self and others Connection and Expression l saf e at sch ool spea k up whe nI see som eone bein g bulli ed Positive Future Orientation k to improve relationsh ips

Awareness

1 2 3 4

Aware of the effects of teasing Aware of the effects of members of one group mistreating members of another group Aware of the effects of bullying Aware that my actions affect others

1Li
ke ly to as k fo r he lp

1 Acce
pting of other stude nts, inclu ding those who are differ ent in some

3Like
ly to try to help othe rs

6*Afraid
of certain groups of people

2Li
kel y to fee

5Like
ly to wor

4Likel
y to

way

1 C
o n n e ct e d t o o t h e r st u d e n ts a n d a d u lt s

2 Understanding of other peoples experiences 3 Accepting of myself 4 Likely to try to understand and accept others

scho ol

3 Com
forta ble liste ning to other s

team or club at scho ol

1 Convinced
that I can make my life whatever I want it to be.

7 Co
mfo rtab le expr essi ng my feeli ngs to adul ts

2 Hopeful
about my future

4 Supp
ortiv e of other s

3 Convinced
that I can make a difference in others lives

5 Lik
ely to be frie ndl y to new peo ple at sch ool

4 Hopeful
that a school where people treat each other with respect and acceptanc e is possible.

8 Co
mfo rtab le expr essi ng my feeli ngs to othe r stud ents

2 *
Lon ely at * Disagreement with these statements indi cate s that the stud ent would

6 Likel

y to parti cipat e in a feel lonely or afraid, and they are less reverse scored in the analysis.

2010/2011 Challenge Day Student Survey Report 09/02/2011

Page 2

2. Yes/No and open-ended follow-up questions: 1. During the Challenge Day, did you make a commitment for change? If so, what commitment did you make and how will you do it? 2. Would you recommend the Challenge Day program to your friends or family members? 3. Do you think the skills taught during the Challenge Day, such as emptying your balloon and/or validations, will be helpful to you in your personal life? 4. What does Notice, Choose, Act mean to you? 5. How can we improve the program? 3. Demographic questions, including grade level, gender, ethnicity, and volunteer availability for follow up studies. Method of Gathering Survey Data Schools were asked to administer the Student Survey to students as soon as possible, up to one week following their Challenge Day workshop. The survey was given by computer and the identities of the students, except where given voluntarily for follow up, were anonymous. Limitations During the 2010/2011 school year, Challenge Day provided 887 programs in 478 schools. Of the schools that hosted Program, 55 (11.5%) participated in the survey. Participation was on a volunteer basis and schools administered the surveys as best fit their schedules and resources. Schools where students had ready access to computers in the classroom or computer labs were more likely to participate in the survey than those who did not. It is possible that these two factors (volunteer participation and access to technology) favored disproportionate survey participation by Caucasian school populations in the higher socio-economic spectrum (see Student Participant Demographic section below). In addition, although schools were asked to administer the survey within one week of their Challenge Day Program events, there is no way of knowing when, in relationship to the Program(s), the survey was actually administered. Part One: Method of Analysis A frequency distribution table was used to analyze the multiple-choice data from Part One of the survey. Responses were grouped into three categories: Negative (responses of 1 to 2), Neutral (responses of 3), and Positive (responses of 4 to 5). The percentage in each category of total student responses was calculated. Analysis of Individual Statements in Part one

Percentages of positive attitude shifts, as reported by Challenge Day participants, are impressive. In all statements except two, the percentage of participants who reported positive attitude

2010/2011 Challenge Day Student Survey Report 09/02/2011

Page 3

changes (i.e. they felt more aware, connected, comfortable, etc.) was between 60 and 90%, as shown in the following table. Of the two exceptions, 56.98% of students reported an increased comfort expressing feelings to other students, and 48.98% of students reported and increased comfort with expressing feelings to adults. Frequency Percentages for Individual Multiple Choice Statements
Statement

members of another group

Comfortable expressing my feelings to other students More likely to feel safe at school More aware of the effects of bullying More likely to ask for help Less lonely at school
More accepting of other students, including those who are different in some way

More aware of the effects of teasing More connected to other students and adults Comfortable expressing my feelings to adults

More aware of the effects of members of one group mistreating

More comfortable listening to others More supportive of others More likely to try to help others Less afraid of certain groups of people More likely to speak up when I see someone being bullied More understanding of other peoples experiences More convinced that I can make my life whatever I want it to be More accepting of myself More likely to be friendly to new people at school More likely to participate in a team or club at school More hopeful about my future More aware that my actions affect others More convinced that I can make a difference in others lives More likely to work to improve relationships More likely to try to understand and accept

others More hopeful that a school where people treat each other with respect and acceptance is possible

Negative % 3.62 4.18 14.19 4.93 12.72 6.26 3.62 10.44 11.77 2.71 2.30 2.21 3.57 15.52 5.69 2.76 3.98 4.95 2.85 7.79 3.46 2.78 3.64 3.41 2.46

Neutral % 10.26 14.44 36.83 13.38 30.30 22.64 8.95 27.34 13.58 10.71 9.38 7.89 9.44 20.54 20.45 9.74 11.25 14.78 10.05 20.27 10.01 8.77 14.62 13.80 8.34

Positive % 86.13 81.38 48.98 81.70 56.98 71.10 87.44 62.22 74.65 86.58 88.32 89.90 86.99 63.94 73.86 87.51 84.77 80.28 87.10 71.94 86.53 88.45 81.74 82.78 89.20

4.23

10.35

85.43

2010/2011 Challenge Day Student Survey Report 09/02/2011

Page 4

Analysis of the Five Statement Categories As can be seen by the following table and chart, all categories achieved overwhelmingly positive emotional and attitudinal shifts. The highest positive results occurred in Awareness (85.93%), Acceptance of Self and Others (85.89%), and a Positive Future Orientation (84.62%). The lowest percentage of positive responses, 64.62% a significant majority of participants reported increased feelings of Connection/Expression.
Percentages for Statement Categories
Negative % Awareness Safety and Social Responsibility Acceptance of Self and Others Connection and Expression Positive Future Orientation 3.73 7.48 3.22 7.15 3.82 Neutral % 10.34 19.04 10.89 28.23 11.56 Positive % 85.93 73.48 85.89 64.62 84.62

Responses for Each Statement Category

2010/2011 Challenge Day Student Survey Report 09/02/2011

Page 5

Analysis of Part Two: Yes/No Questions and Open-Ended Responses 1. 76.41% of Challenge Day participants (3,382) reported making a personal commitment for change as a result of their workshop experiences. Of these, where common terminology was used, 1 349 made a commitment to be more accepting of themselves and/or others 2 138 promised to help stop teasing 3 65 expressed the desire to be a better person 4 306 made a commitment to treat others with respect 5 495 wrote that they would be nicer to others 6 575 made a commitment to be friendlier to people they dont know 7 480 said they would try to be more aware of and stop bullying by themselves and others

8 203 said they would help others more often 9 521 committed to stop judging others before getting to know them 10 304 said they would be more supportive, listen, and understand others 11 71 wrote that they would treat others with love
(Students often made more than one commitment, so many of these overlap)

Examples of typical commitments for change:

Try to keep the challenge day feeling in my head and keep making people feel better about coming to me for help. I will not laugh about anyone else, or tease them for what they are going through. Try to help others more, also help people make a difference in themselves to change and that no matter what you look like, how you act, what you are, how fat or skinny you are, none of that ever matters. Be yourself and dont try to be someone that youre not. I will do my best to be as friendly as possible to people and to reach out to those who are alone because I know what its like to be alone and I dont want anyone to ever have to feel that way. I also promised to listen to my friends whenever they needed to talk no matter what time of day or night and be as supportive as possible. Try to be more friendly and treat other people with the respect that they deserve, and if I have ever hurt anyone, then make it up to them. I can do this by being more kind, and supportive to everyone. To try to stop bullying others; I will try to compliment more than insult. To try to make sure that bullying no longer happens in my school. In order to do so, I try to seek out those who are in trouble and protect them from bullying by no longer standing by, but standing up for them. To smile to at least 10 people each day and give hugs, to discourage bullying and stand up for others, and to encourage acceptance of others in the world around me. My commitment was to stop teasing and bullying at school. Because even if it seems or was intended to be harmless, it usually is not, and that can have a huge negative effect on other people. Also to be supportive of others. My commitment was to say hello to people in the halls, to try to be less judgmental and be more supportive and understanding. I have already started to do that and it has made me a happier person that isnt so self-oriented but aware of others needs around me.

2010/2011 Challenge Day Student Survey Report 09/02/2011

Page 6

2. 95% (4205) reported that they would recommend the Challenge Day program to their friends or family members. 3. 90.6% (4011) reported that the skills taught during the Challenge Day, such as emptying your balloon and/or validations, would be helpful to them in their personal lives. 4. 86.6% (3832) responded to the question: What does Notice, Choose, Act mean to you? Examples of typical responses:
"Notice - Choose - Act" means that if I Notice someone being bullied, or picked on, I will Choose whether or not to Act. It means that you have to notice that you have a problem, choose to fix it, and act on your words. It means find a problem and dont turn a blind eye to problems, choose the best path to success, and dont just sit there: go do your plan! NOTICE- notice means that I need to be more aware of my surroundings, and make sure that just be cause my friends might be telling me to do something that it might not be right and could potentially harm me or get me in trouble. CHOOSE- means I should think about what I do before I decide to do it. I should weigh out the consequences of each choice. ACT- acting on a whim is not realized. They are the three steps to change. One must be aware of what is going around them to be able to do anything about it. And before one can do anything, they need to choose what to do. Acting is a verb, so it implies there is physical effort involved. With this in mind, it is cowardly to not look for changes one can make. It is cruel to notice but not choose to act. And it is vital that one act to make the world a better place. To me, it means when I notice something, I have the choice to act and if so how I will in a way that I am comfortable with.

5. 79.7% (3,528) responded to the question: How can we improve the program? Though it was not possible to get an exact number because of the variety of ways in which the responses were worded, a large number of respondents indicated they either didnt know or felt that the program didnt need improvement. Ideas for improvement included: 1 Having more Challenge Days and/or letting more people participate. 2 Have more icebreakers and fun activities. 3 More time on certain activities, such as crossing the line, family group discussions, or Speak Out (end of day sharing). 4 Less emphasis on sadness and crying. 5 More restroom and water breaks, as well as longer lunch breaks. 6 Many students requested better food. (Food is the responsibility of the schools and is not provided by the Challenge Day program.)

2010/2011 Challenge Day Student Survey Report 09/02/2011

Page 7

Student Participant Demographics Grades 7-8: 32.8% Grades 9-12: 67.2% Female: 57.3% Male: 42.7% Caucasian: 68.8% Hispanic/Mexican/Latino: 9.3% Black/African American: 7.3% Asian/Asian American/Pacific Islander: 3.4% American Indian/First Nation/Inuit: 2.3% Middle Eastern: 1.2% Other: 6.7%

Student Diversity (Race/Ethnic Background)

2010/2011 Challenge Day Student Survey Report 09/02/2011

Page 8

Conclusions The responses to this survey are consistent with responses from previous years. They indicate that Challenge Day positively influences a high percentage of participants self-perceived attitudes and emotions in relationship to social awareness, connection with others, safety, acceptance of self and others, and hope for the future. Recommendations for Future Study At the end of this student survey, participants were asked to give parent/guardian and personal contact information on a volunteer-only basis if they were interested in participating in future follow up studies, and 28.8% (1,275) responded. Since 2008, as of the end of the 2010/2011

school year, Challenge Day has received contact information for a total of 4,190 students. It would be of value to Challenge Day and its client schools to design and implement a qualitative follow up study with these volunteer participants and their families to find out more about the long-term impact and effects of the program.