This survey research assignment examines the feelings of first semester Seneca students during their studies. The author conducted a survey of 40 students using 10 closed-ended questions about their experiences participating in classes, interactions with professors, reactions to grades, and views on the grading system. The strengths of the questions are that they directly relate to typical aspects of students' school lives like grades. However, the questions could be improved by avoiding potential bias and more clearly connecting to principles of psychological research, such as using open-ended questions that allow for varied responses rather than predefined answers.

1. TITLE: SURVEY RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT
TOPIC FOR ASSIGNMENT: WHAT FEELING SENECA
STUDENTS USUALLY HAVE DURING SCHOOL
NAME: DIANA (SEO HEE) CHO
STUDENT NUMBER: 034-556-134
COURSE NAME: PSY100MC
PROFESSOR: BOB GREGORY
DATE: FEBRUARY 19, 2014

2. Cho 2
FIRST SEMESTER SENECA STUDENTS SURVEY
(TFS AND TIS STUDENTS)
1. When you attended a class for the first time, did you feel like youcan participate in
class activities?
o AbsolutelyYes 24
o Probably (Iwill do my best, but I am not sure yet) 13
o No (it might be very hard to get used to it) 3
2. When you participate in class, do you think that teachers encourage students to think
about their own way to do work?
o AbsolutelyYes 17
o Probably (Yes, but it might depend on the students who are active or passive) 13
o No (teachers primarilythinkabout their own way to teach students and students need
to followthem) 10
3. Which types of student do you think you are?
o Active (I can participate in class easilywith my classmates) 14
o Moderate (If the atmosphere of class is active, I can participate well, but if it is not, I
become a quiet person) 25
o Passive (Ido not want to participate in class. I just want to listento the professor’s
lecture) 1
4. How many courses are youtaking now for this semester?
o Less than 5 courses 5
o 6 courses 31
o More than 6 courses 4

3. Cho 3
5. If you are taking 6 or more than sixcourses, how do you feel when you attend the
class and do work? (If you chose ‘less than5 courses’for question#5, do not answer
this question)
o Very Stressful (Ifeel a lot of stress, so that I want to drop one or two courses)27
o Moderate (Sometimeswhen it is on week 5, 6, and 7, I feel little-bit pressure, but
mostlyit is okay to control) 11
o Easy & Flexible (Ido not feel any stress) 2
6. If you are an international student, which course do youusually feel it is hard to take
a class?(Do not answer this questionif you are Canadian)
o English (EAP300, EAP500, EAC149, EAC150) (It is very tough to write an essay
and listento professor’s sayingbecause English is not my first language) 22
o Major Courses (FIS, TRT, TDC, TMS…) (It is hard to understand the lecture and
prepare tests and assignments) 14
o General Courses (ICA, PSY…) 4
7. Do you feel nervous to meet professor andtalk to him/her individually when you have
a problem with studying?
o MostlyYes (I do not know how to deal with it and talk to my professor whenI have a
problem) 6
o Not Really (If the professoris too strict to deal withmy problem, it might be hard to
talk, but mostly, it is not reallyhard to talk to them) 4
o I do not feel nervous 30
8. When you get a worse mark than you expectedto get, how do you feel?

4. Cho 4
o It is definitely fine (Because Ihave another chance to do other work, I do not care
about it 8
o I care about it, but I do not feel reallystressful 23
o I feel verystressful (Itriedmybest, but when I got this mark, I feel like I want to
give up) 9
9. When you feel bad about gettingthe worse mark, how do you deal with it?
o I go to workshopto be helpedfor mywork 6
o I tryto solve it bymyself 27
o I do not want to thinkabout my mark. I can easilyforget about it 7
10.What do you think about grading system in school?Is it very useful to force students
to study at school?
o Very Useful (As long as they always checktheir marks, they regard studying as a
compulsoryeducation) 17
o Probably (Although students do not like grading themselves, it can make them
motivated to study) 21
o Not Useful (Students do not like it because grading educationmakes them have low
self-esteem) 2

5. Cho 5
1. Strengths and Weaknesses ofMy Questions
My topic for this researchis about what feelingSenecastudents have during school. I
interviewed 40 students who are in the first semester for TFS and TIS in order to know about
the feelingtheyusually have when it comes to studyingat school. The strengths of questions
are that the questions are preciselyrelatedto their schoollife. Senecastudents primarilycare
about their grades, so that it is compulsorytheyhave to do school work. For example,
especiallythe questions ‘when you get a worse mark than you expectedto get, how do you
feel?’would conform questionthat most people canask. Accordingto the Principles of
Scientific Research, the questions are requiredto keepshort and simple. My questions are ten
and the topic which is about grade is a commonkeyword that students always consider. It
also implies that I am a student and also interestedina school life whenthey complete my
questionnaire.
However, the weaknesses of questions are that it is biasedto find the result of
questions and the relationbetweenmy survey and the principles of psychological research.
For instance, the question‘do you feel nervous to meet professor andtalk to him/her
individually when you have a problem with studying?’ may be confusingfor students to
answer. Some students might feel nothingwhen they ask questions and others might not. It is
hard to only ask if theyfeel nervous. Everyone has different understandings by thinking
about their experiences first. The consequences of this surveycan be dependable on the
different feelings of students without avoiding a bias. That is why that questionwould not
conform to the principles of research. Therefore, to make my questions more reliable and
valid, the survey shouldhave a clear goal which I want to ask students and make it clear who
I am and the purpose I survey based on the principles of scientificresearch.

6. Cho 6
2. Differences between‘Open-ended’and ‘Closed-ended’
The Feeling about Grading
System
Very Stressful
Not Really
Easy & Flexible