Teacher End of Semester Survey (TESS), Form A1

TEACHER END OF SEMESTER SURVEY (TESS), FORM A¹

Instructions

Thank you, in advance, for responding to the following questions. This instrument is being administered as part of a long-term research project by WestEd to understand strategies for improving high school economics. WestEd, a research, development, and service agency, works with education and other communities to promote excellence, achieve equity, and improve learning for children, youth, and adults.

This survey is designed for you to share with us your experience of using problem-based approach in teaching economics this semester. It will take you about 10 minutes to complete it. All your answers will remain confidential and will be used only for statistical purposes.

1. Please generate a unique identification number by following the example, and filling in the blank boxes below:

Month of birth date (November = 11) + Last 4 digits of home phone (5432) + First letter of last name (S)

Example:	1	1	+	5	4	3	2	+	S
YOUR ID:

2. Your email address:

3. Please read each question and click on the response choice (see example 1) or the point on the scale (see example 2) that best represents your position. Select only one response (unless otherwise specified) for each statement. You will also need to fill in a blank.

Example 1:

Never

A few times a semester

Once or twice a month

Once or twice a week

Almost everyday

How often do you use the supplemental information to assist yourself in teaching economics this semester?…

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Example 2:

Not At All Very Much

I enjoy teaching economics this semester………………..

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TEACHER END OF SEMESTER SURVEY, FORM A

1.	To what extent are you SATISFIED with…	Very Unsatisfied				Very Satisfied
a.	the curriculum materials you have for teaching Economics?					
b.	the methods you use to teach Economics?					

2.	During the past semester, how often did you give assignments in Economics that required students to do the following?	Never	A few times a semester	Once or twice a month	Once or twice a week	Almost every day
a.	Listen to lectures and take notes					
b.	Answer questions in the textbook or worksheets					
c.	Work on projects that take a week or more					
d.	Write in a journal or keep a written account of their thinking					
e.	Work together in small groups					
f.	Use a rubric to help assess and guide their work					
g.	Organize and analyze information or data					
h.	Come up with solutions to economic problems, like those found in the real world					
I.	Consider alternative solutions to an economic problem					
j.	Orally present their work or ideas to others					
k.	Use the Internet to get information					
l.	Using computers -- besides word processing -- to analyze or present data (e.g., Excel, PowerPoint, graphing, concept mapping, etc.)					

3.	How confident are you in terms of your ability to teach each of the following Economics concepts?	Not very confident					Totally confident
a.	Tradeoffs							
b.	Scarcity							
c.	Opportunity costs							
d.	Demand							
e.	Supply							
f.	Profit (revenue & costs)							
g.	Fiscal policy							
h.	Monetary policy							
i.	Trade							
j.	Specialization							
k.	Markets							

4.	In the future,	Yes	No
a.	I would prefer to teach other subjects rather than Economics.		
b.	I am willing to teach Economics if assigned.		
c.	I look forward to teaching Economics.		
d.	I am really enthusiastic about teaching Economics.		

5.	Please rate the challenge level for the following in teaching Economics this semester.	Not a challenge				A major challenge
a.	There was too much content to cover					
b.	The content was too difficult					
c.	I had too many students					
d.	It was difficult to assess student learning					
e.	Students lack reading or writing skills					
f.	Students lack math skills					
g.	Students lack self-management skills					
h.	Students have difficulty working together in teams or groups					
i.	Students do not know how to solve complex real-world problems					
j.	Students lack motivation or interest in Economics					
k.	Student absences					
l.	Disruptive student behavior (besides absences)					

6.	Did you have any professional development training other than Problem Based Economics this year that improved your teaching of Economics?	 Yes  No (only Problem Based Economics)  Skip to 9
7.	If yes, how many additional days of professional development training did you have (NOT counting Problem Based Economics)?	___ Days (in addition to Problem Based Economics)
8.	What did this additional professional development training emphasize?	 Economic content  Ways of teaching economics  Both equally

9.

Overall, were you encouraged by using the Problem Based Economics curriculum?

 It is going great, couldn’t be better.  It is going great, and I can see ways to improve.  It could be great, but first I need to figure out how to incorporate PBE into my teaching.  I’m not sure Problem Based Economics is the way I’d like to teach.

Thank you for completing this survey!

1 For treatment teachers.