Teaching surveys feasibility in grade 6 does not have to be complicated. Picture a UX researcher designing and conducting surveys to understand what users need before building software. That kind of thinking is exactly what Oklahoma's grade 6 computer science standard 6.IC.SI.02 asks students to practice \u2014 and it is very teachable with the right materials. This post walks through what the standard means, the misconceptions students bring to it, and discussion starters you can use tomorrow, whether you teach in a classroom or at your kitchen table.<\/p>\n
\nIndividually and collaboratively develop and conduct an online survey that seeks input from a broad audience. Use the survey to evaluate whether it is feasible to solve a problem computationally.\n\u2014 Oklahoma Academic Standards for Computer Science (February 2023)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
In plain language: Oklahoma's standard asks sixth graders to develop and conduct an online survey that seeks input from a broad audience, and use it to evaluate whether a problem is feasible to solve with a computer program.<\/p>\n
In student-friendly terms, the learning target is: "I can individually and collaboratively develop and conduct an online survey that seeks input from a broad audience, and use the survey to evaluate whether it is feasible to solve a problem computationally."<\/strong><\/p>\n
What Students Should Be Able to Do<\/h2>\n
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- I can write clear, specific survey questions that avoid leading or biased wording.<\/li>\n
- I can plan a strategy for reaching a broad audience.<\/li>\n
- I can analyze survey responses to identify overall patterns.<\/li>\n
- I can use survey data to evaluate whether a problem is feasible to solve computationally.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Along the way, students pick up the working vocabulary of the topic: survey, audience, feasible, response, bias, pattern, sample, analyze, questionnaire, computational, ratingscale, distribute.<\/p>\n
Surveys Feasibility: Misconceptions to Watch For<\/h2>\n
These are the wrong turns students reliably take with this standard \u2014 knowing them ahead of time is half the lesson plan. Each correction strategy below comes straight from the unit's teacher guide (the paragraph and activity references point into the unit itself).<\/p>\n
1. "Any survey question is fine as long as people answer it."<\/strong><\/p>\n
Use paragraph 2's key point \u2014 leading or vague wording produces unreliable data, even if people do answer; good survey questions are clear, specific, and unbiased.<\/p>\n
2. "Surveying your friends is just as good as surveying a broad audience."<\/strong><\/p>\n
Reference paragraph 3 \u2014 surveying only close friends tends to reflect opinions too similar to your own, missing the variety of perspectives a broader audience would provide.<\/p>\n
3. "A longer survey with more questions always produces better, more complete data."<\/strong><\/p>\n
Point to paragraph 5 \u2014 long surveys often cause people to quit partway through, which can actually reduce the quality and representativeness of the data collected.<\/p>\n
4. "If a few people respond to a survey, that's enough to draw a confident conclusion."<\/strong><\/p>\n
Clarify from paragraph 6 \u2014 a small sample may not represent the full intended audience, so confident conclusions require looking for patterns across a reasonably broad set of responses.<\/p>\n
Discussion Starters You Can Use Tomorrow<\/h2>\n
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- Why do you think companies survey potential users before building a new app or feature?<\/li>\n
- What's an example of a survey question that might unintentionally lead to bias, even if the writer didn't mean to bias it?<\/li>\n
- Why might combining multiple choice and open-ended questions in the same survey be a good strategy?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Bringing It Home<\/h2>\n
This topic is a natural one for families. One ten-minute activity to try: Together, write 3-4 survey questions about a topic your family is curious about (favorite weekend activities, household chores, screen time habits), ask family members or neighbors, and look for a pattern in the answers.<\/p>\n
Where This Leads<\/h2>\n
Students who can individually and collaboratively develop and conduct an online survey that seeks input from a broad audience, and use the survey to evaluate whether it is feasible to solve a problem computationally are building skills used every day in UX research, data analysis, market research, product management, and computer science education.<\/p>\n\n
See the Unit in Action<\/h2>\n\n