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Census at School: Engaging students in statisticsGuest contributors:Lisa Shipley and Shelley Harris, Centre for Education Statistics, Statistics Canada Introduction IntroductionCensus at School is an international classroom project that teaches students aged 8 to 18 about statistical enquiry and census-taking. Students anonymously fill in an online questionnaire about themselves - their height, time use, eating habits and much more - and then use their class results to learn statistical concepts, practice data analysis and explore social issues. Their responses also become part of national and international project databases that are used for teaching statistics.Statistics Canada's Education Outreach program manages the Canadian component of the Census at School project, which began in 2003. The project originated in the United Kingdom in 2000, and now also includes Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Students respond well to working with data about themselves. Younger students create graphs to illustrate their findings, such as the time they spend reading vs watching TV, or the relationship between their gender and the time they spend on homework (girls seem to spend more time on homework). They learn from experience about the importance of accurate answers when collecting data. Older students examine and compare larger national and international datasets, gaining skill in applying statistical analysis techniques. The project also raises students' awareness about the importance of Canada's national census for understanding the country and for planning essential services - and about the new online reporting option available during the upcoming 2006 Census.The Census at School statistical literacy project is not an official Statistics Canada survey conducted under the Statistics Act. Schools and students participate on a voluntary basis and the data collected are not representative of Canada's student population. This is clearly stated with the summary Canadian results that are made available on the project website for the benefit of participating students. The following article presents an analysis of Census at School survey results that shows what students themselves had to say about their reading and associated daily habits. It was written by Statistics Canada analysts as an example to students of the type of detailed analysis that can be made using Canadian Census at School results. The article uses data that were collected from over 22,000 students across Canada during the 2004-2005 academic year. Both Census at School questionnaires (one for grades 4 to 8, the other for grades 9 to 12) posed questions about students' reading habits. In total, almost 17,000 elementary students (grades 4 to 8) and about 5,600 secondary students (grades 9 to 12)1 completed the on-line questionnaires.Although the questions on reading were different in the two questionnaires, the overall respondent population could be divided into students who did read/did not read. Students in grades 4 to 8 were asked if they had or had not read in the last two weeks, while students in grades 9 to 12 were asked how much time they had spent reading in the last week, with responses ranging from 0 hours to 10 or more hours. The grade 9 to 12 students who read could be further sub-divided into moderate readers (students who had read 1 to 6 hours in the last week) and avid readers (students who read more than 7 hours in the last week). It is important to remember that collection of the Census at School data was not done under the Statistics Act as an official Statistics Canada survey. Random selection was not used, nor was the collection based on other statistical concepts such as stratification or population representation. Therefore, the results discussed here are representative only of the students who answered the on-line questionnaires for this international classroom project. These results cannot be applied to the Canadian student population in general. Nevertheless, these students had much to say.Readers and non-readers - a demographic profileOverall, there was striking consistency between students in grades 4 to 8 and students in grades 9 to 12 in the proportion of readers and non-readers. In grades 4 to 8, 29% of students had not read in the last two weeks, while 71% were readers (Table 1). In grades 9 to 12, the distribution was identical, with 29% indicating they had done no reading in the last week and 71% indicating that they had read (61% were moderate readers, 10% were avid readers).The populations of non-readers and readers showed considerable differences in their distributions by gender. In grades 4 to 8, almost two-thirds (62%) of the non-reading population were male, while 38% of non-readers were female (Table 2). By contrast, only 45% of the reading population in the younger grades were male and 55% were female. The prevalence of males in the non-reading population did not change for the secondary school population. In grades 9 to 12, 66% of the non-reading population were male. Males accounted for less than half of both the moderate readers (45%) and the avid readers (44%) in the upper grades. Notwithstanding the differences in proportion of males and females who did and did not read, both genders showed similar patterns in commitment to reading across the various age groups. Both males and females showed fairly consistent declines in commitments to reading from age 8 on, with 15-16 year-olds having the lowest levels of reading for all age groups (Figure 1). However, there was a renewed commitment to reading in the 17-19 year-old age group for both genders. By this age, the proportions of males and females who were reading had surpassed their original 8-10 year-old age levels.Figure 1. Female readers and non-readers by age groupNote: Results presented in this table are representative only of the students who answered the on-line questionnaires. It cannot be assumed that any results discussed in this article or appearing in these tables can be applied to the Canadian student population in general. Source: Census at School project, Statistics Canada. Figure 2. Male readers and non-readers by age groupNote: Results presented in this table are representative only of the students who answered the on-line questionnaires. It cannot be assumed that any results discussed in this article or appearing in these tables can be applied to the Canadian student population in general. Source: Census at School project, Statistics Canada. Readers, non-readers and school-related characteristicsSeveral questions on both the grade 4 to 8 and the grade 9 to 12 questionnaires probed aspects of school-related daily life that can be assessed from a reading/non-reading perspective. All students were asked to identify their favourite subjects at school and, for the grade 9 to 12 students, what plans they had after finishing grade 12. Favourite subjects at schoolOne would expect readers and non-readers to have different interests in their school subjects. The participants in the Census at School project did indeed show variation in this area across the reading/non-reading categories. Physical education had the highest proportion of grade 4 to 8 students who claimed it as their favourite subject, although there was a 10% point difference in the proportion of non-readers (43%) and readers (33%) who chose it as their favourite subject (Table 3). In the grade 9 to 12 population, the situation was the same, with physical education having the highest proportion of students claiming it as their favourite subject in both the non-reader (39%) and moderate reader (22%) populations. Again, there was a substantial difference in the proportions (17% points) for the two groups. Although physical education ranked first among favourite subjects for four of the five elementary and secondary groups (grade 4 to 8 readers and non-readers; grade 9 to 12 non-readers and moderate readers) the proportion of students who placed it first declined as one moved from students who did not read to students who did read. An analysis was made of the differences across reading groups of the five subject areas with the highest proportions of students claiming them as favourites. Of note is the fact that English ranked in the top five for moderate and avid readers in grades 9 to 12 only. Among the avid readers, English ranked first in the list of favourite subjects, at 16%. Science made it to the top five for readers in grades 4 to 8 and for avid readers in grades 9 to 12. As well, as commitment to reading increased, so too did the proportion of students identifying math as their favourite subject at school. Readers were more diversified in their interests than non-readers, and avid readers were more diversified than moderate readers. The share of students who chose subjects other than the five with the highest proportions increased as commitment to reading increased (see the proportions associated with the category ‘All other listed subjects’ in Table 3).Future academic and other plans Reading habits and daily life outside of schoolA number of elements in daily life outside of school can impact the choices students make in how they spend their time. Certainly role models are known to influence the choices young people make and there is great debate over whether the world of electronics and computers has a positive or negative influence on student reading behaviour. Participation in sports, paid work and volunteering in the community may also be indicators of a student’s propensity to read. The Census at School project posed several questions that were related to these kinds of activities, the results of which can be assessed in terms of student reading patterns.Role models As was seen with the previous analyses of favourite subject, readers were more diversified in their selection of role models than were non-readers. And once again, for grade 9 to 12 students, avid readers were more diversified in their list of role models than moderate readers. The proportion of students listing people other than the five with the highest proportions increased as commitments to reading increased (see the proportions associated with the category ‘All other listed people’ in Table 5). ElectronicsAs far as respondents to the Census at School project were concerned, electronics and the computer environment did not vary much across reading styles. While readers were less likely to own a cell phone in elementary school than were non-readers, these differences disappeared for the secondary school students (Table 6). It is notable that the share of students with cell phones almost doubled between elementary and secondary school, but did not vary to any large degree across secondary school students’ reading habits. Readers in elementary school were more likely to have a computer and an internet connection at home than were non-readers, but again these differences all but disappeared for the secondary school population. Extracurricular activities Results from other questions on the Census at School questionnaire for grades 4 to 8 further dispel the assumptions made about reading and involvement in sports. In athletic-related activities (walking, jogging, swimming etc.) readers consistently showed higher levels of participation than non-readers, sometimes more than 20% points higher (walking and jogging, for example) (Table 8). The only physical activities where the proportion of participants was higher for non-readers than readers were hockey and skateboarding and these differences were minimal. In a number of other extracurricular activities, readers also participated at higher rates than did non-readers. Readers participated at much higher levels than non-readers in dance and drama (41% compared to 23%), playing computer games (73% compared to 53%), although clearly not computer games related to sport (see Table 8), and in watching TV or films (92% compared to 71%).Responses to engagement in extracurricular activities for the grade 9 to 12 population clearly reflect the teenage lifestyle. Over 90% of students engaged in hanging out with friends, playing or listening to music and watching TV or films, regardless of reading habits. Teenage lifestyle habits aside, some noteworthy differences did appear between the various reading groups in a number of other activities (Table 9). As the commitment to reading increased, so too did the proportion of students who participated in board and card games. Non-readers, moderate readers and avid readers showed clear differences in helping behaviours such as doing jobs around the home (non-readers 73%, moderate readers 85%, avid readers 86%) and participating in community volunteer work (non-readers 12%, moderate readers 22%, avid readers 31%). Most noteworthy is the difference between non-readers, moderate readers and avid readers in the proportion doing homework for school. For non-readers the proportion of students doing homework in the last week was 67%. For moderate and avid readers this was substantially higher at 91% and 89% respectively.SummaryThe Census at School project reveals some interesting patterns when comparing readers to non-readers in the respondent population. Almost one third (29%) of the more than 22,000 respondents, or almost 7,000 students, said they had not read in the last week - a figure which causes concern given that all respondents were attending school full-time. Of similar concern is the fact that almost two thirds of the non-readers in both elementary and secondary school were male. An unexpected survey result was the decline in the proportion of students who were reading as age increased.Readers and non-readers in the Census at School population varied in several ways. As interest in reading increased, so too did the proportion of students identifying English, math and science as favourite subjects at school. Variation in reading habits appeared to be closely tied to student aspirations - while less than half of non-readers planned to attend university, almost three-quarters of avid readers wanted to attend university. Readers and non-readers also differed in terms of their engagement in extracurricular activities. Non-readers were more likely to participate in activities associated with organised sport while readers were more likely to participate in individual sports (walking, jogging), coach sport and read about sports. Furthermore, readers were more inclined to help out at home, volunteer in the community and were more committed to doing their school work.ConclusionThe more than 22,000 respondents to the Census at School project questionnaires have shed light on some apparent differences in daily life experiences between readers and non-readers. These students’ responses demonstrated that while readers and non-readers share many of the normal activities of youth in Canada (listening to music and hanging out with friends), they differ in some notable ways (such as their commitment to homework and their plans for the future). The results discussed here also seem to indicate that it is not enough to divide the population into readers and non-readers. Certainly, avid readers appear to experience life differently from both non-readers and moderate readers. What students said through the Census at School project clearly points to areas that researchers need to take into consideration when undertaking future studies into the complex issue of which students read or not, and why.Notes
Tables:Source: Census at School project, Statistics Canada.
Source: Census at School project, Statistics Canada.
1 Not chosen in the top 5 for this group 2 Other listed subjects include French, history, geography, music, social studies Source: Census at School project, Statistics Canada.
Source: Census at School project, Statistics Canada.
1 Not chosen in the top 5 for this group 2 Other listed people included religious figure, politician, business person, coach, community leader or elder, doctor or nurse, teacher Source: Census at School project, Statistics Canada.
Source: Census at School project, Statistics Canada.
Source: Census at School project, Statistics Canada.
Source: Census at School project, Statistics Canada.
Source: Census at School project, Statistics Canada. |
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