Customers Count — Activity
Choose a Scenario
Choose a scenario for your research. You may choose one of the three sample scenarios provided or create one of your own.
Write Your Questions
Prepare your survey using the template provided. Start your survey with a question that determines whether the person is eligible to take the survey. For example, if the survey is about cell phone use, ask, “Do you have a cell phone? If not, please do not complete this survey.”
One student in the group should type the questions. Everyone in the group should check to be certain the questions are typed and formatted correctly.
If a question requires people to write their answers, leave a space for the answer. For categorical questions with answer choices, use the format shown below.
Which type of fiction do you read most often?
Fantasy Historical Fiction
Science Fiction Horror Mystery
Plan Your Approach
Describe how you plan to conduct the survey. You should plan to collect data from 30 to 40 people. Here are some sample data collection plans.
- Ask other students to complete the survey during lunch. (It might take two days to get all the surveys.)
- Ask a local business (such as the grocery store) for permission to set up a table outside the door. Ask people who pass by if they would be willing to take a short survey to help you with your school project.
- Each team member is assigned a certain number of people to survey. Team members independently survey friends, neighbors, or family members.
- Get permission to distribute surveys to spectators at a school athletic event.
You should have a plan to be sure team members do not give the survey to the same people. When distributing the survey, it's a good idea to have a supply of pencils.
