TANZANIA’S CHILDREN ON HEROES, HOPES, AND FEARS, Sept 2010 - January 2011

TANZANIA’S CHILDREN ON HEROES, HOPES, AND FEARS Overall Goals: 1. To assess the perspectives of children in the greater Arusha area on the topics of Heroes, Hopes, and Fears. 2. To create a survey system that can be applied independently of any individual to determine these perspectives across a wide range of geographic and situational demographics. 3. Create a publishable paper on the findings. PHASES: Phase 1: Preparation of Initial Phase Goal: Fishing for perspectives and values in the categories of Heroes, Hopes, and Fears that bear the potential of value to the survey sponsors and are deemed worthy of the allocation of resources in further study and confirmation. Application: Create a list of 100 questions of a broad range of approaches and styles, limited only by having some correlation to the three main topics. These questions should be intended to produce primarily one-word nouns as answers, providing simple and quantifiable results. Visit three schools and at each question 100 students, asking each 5-10 of the questions (3-4 minutes max each). This results in asking each question 3-6 time, with gender and age information included. If possible, additional information can be acquired by requesting one-on-one time with a single student who will answer all the questions. At the same time, the questions in written form can be given to the headmaster to answer according to how he thinks most students would answer. All this data - and more importantly the careful observation of the process of questioning and answering - will provide the initial foundation of which questions to ask and how to ask them. Phase 2: Initial phase (Dry Run) Goal: Find out what the right questions are. Demonstrate the ability of certain questions and topics to generate valuable information. Develop a system of questioning that can be applied independent of any individual. Application: Take the refined list of questions to several schools and apply survey as it has been developed in light of Phase 1. Include at least one control group that does not involve a westerner. Phase 3: Application Goal: Ask the right questions. Make the first official application of system on Arusha Primary School students, gleaning confirmable and reliable analysis of perspectives on the topics of heroes, hopes, and dreams. Demonstrate the consistency, efficiency, and applicability of the survey system. This information should also confidently indicate the most important specific areas for deeper study and confirmation. Phase 3.5: Report Goal: Write up an official report of the project and the information gleaned. The report should: 1. Give the survey sponsors a clear explanation of the potential and limitations of the survey system, demonstrate what general and specific valuable information within the survey topic has been confirmed, and what areas of study are worth deeper investigation. 2. Be presentable to other NGOs and pertinent organizations as an aid to their own work in similar fields and as a platform for anyone interested in deeper study in the subject. 3. Be presentable to publications as publishable material on this little-studied but significant issue, with the goal to spark greater interest in survey work among children in the developing world, an aid to a wide range of organizations world wide for whom the specific information can be helpful, and the increased recognition of the work being done by the sponsor organization. Phase 4: Depth and Breadth Goal: Using the validated system of survey, produce the specific information that will be influential in specific instances of development and decision-making by survey sponsors, according to various demographical needs. TIMELINE: October 1-15: Phase 1 -Meeting individuals with pertinent experience/knowledge -Preparation of the list of 100 “raw” questions -Planning of project goals, intended application, and timeline. October 15 - November 15: Phase 1 -Initial “raw” survey of three schools and additional “question style” experimentation while survey author lives in rural school during this period. November 15 - November 21: Phase 1 - Phase 2 -Analyze data from “raw” survey. -Discuss with translators and survey sponsors. -Create more focused list of questions. -Develop more accurate and efficient method of survey application. -Set up further school visits for following week. November 22 -28: Phase 2 (Dry Run) -Visit three -five schools and apply survey, including at least one where survey is applied without the involvement of any westerner. -Set up visits in further schools November 29 - December 3: Phase 2 - Phase 3 - Analyze and discuss data with translator, survey sponsors, and several experienced outsiders (from initial meetings) for guidance and feedback on the results thus far. - Refine question list in length, selection, and question style. - Refine survey style to glean maximum amount of specific, quantifiable, and usable information from each location. - set up school visits for the next three weeks. December 6 - December 22 (until winter break): Phase 3 !!Warning, not enough time for enough schools!! -Visit as many schools as possible in as wide a range of geographic and economic environments as possible, with at least three being applied without the involvement of any westerner. December 23- January 3: -Winter break -Analysis of data and crunching of the numbers. -Initial bullet-point outline of numeric results. January 3 - 7: Phase 3 - Phase 3.5 !!Warning, not enough time for follow-up interview visits!! - Analyze and discuss data and results with translator, survey sponsors, and several experienced outsiders (from initial meetings) for interpretational guidance and feedback. -Visit three schools where specific students had valuable answers, whether extremely representative, divergent, or thoughtful. Interview these students in greater depth for deeper feedback on the reasons for these perspectives. January 8 - 16: Phase 3.5 -Write report January 17 - 21: Phase 3.5 -review and feedback on report. January 22 - 28: Phase 3.5 -Editing of report. -Final feedback. -Final editing. January 31: Phase 3.5 -Submit final report Jeremy and Sig, This is the initial brain-storm list of Phase One questions which Jacob helped me refine. Right now there are about 150 questions here, which we hope to limit to about half that for Phase One, but I want to send this list to you both as-is to get your feedback before we continue refining the style and content of the questions. It’s possible that not a single question here will be used verbatim for the final Phase Three survey, (which we hope to limit to 10-20 questions). These questions are intended to “fish” for the right style of questions and the content that seems to produce interesting answers. That being the case these questions are often very broad, and are almost entirely intended to produce single-word answers that will be easy to quantify and analyze. The next Phase might introduce more open-ended questions, more pointed questions, and/or a much different selection of question style, depending on the results of Phase One. The purpose of these questions for Phase One is to be open to as wide a variety of creative responses as possible while still producing simple results than can be easily entered into a spread-sheet. The questions will also be randomized before applying the survey so that each student get’s a broad range of question style and content in their five-ten questions. Phase 1: Preparation of Initial Phase Goal: Fishing for perspectives and values in the categories of Heroes, Hopes, and Fears that bear the potential of value to the sponsors of the survey and are deemed worthy of the allocation of resources in further study and confirmation. Questions Approaches: -Be VERY general and see what they can come up with without prodding (umbrella questions). -Ask specific situational questions. - “Mirror” questions: “What do most people in your class want to be/have/do?” “How would your parents answer this question?” -To select for perspectives that might be different than Western perspectives, ask questions with an assumption of western values and see how they react. - Multiple choice, true/false, “finish this sentence” (copy common question style from exams). -Comparative answers: What do you want more than___? Who is more important than____? - “List three things.” -Add “why.” Topics: -Heroes/Role-models -Hopes -Fears -Media access and interest HEROES: -Who are your heroes? Why? -I want to be a _____. -Who is your favorite person? -Who is your least favorite person? -Who do you most respect Fear Love Admire Want to be like? -Who is the most powerful person you know? -Who is your favorite musician? -Who is your favorite actor? -Someday I want to meet _____. -If you are running from a dangerous dog, who will you run to for help? -If you need 500 shillings, who will you ask? -If you fail an exam, who will you tell first? -If you fail an exam who will you hide it from? -If you do something very well, who will you most want to tell? -I always obey _______. -List three adults that you don’t need to obey. -In what ways do you want to be the same as your parents when you grow up? -In what ways do you want to be different from your parents when you grow up? -List three things about your parents that you want to copy when you grow up. -List three things about your parents that you don’t want to copy when you grow up. -What job do you want when you grow up? -When you grow up do you want to be different than you are now? -List three ways that you want to be different when you grow up? -When I grow up I want to be like _____. -The person in my family who most helps me is ______. -The person in my life I most like is _____. -The person who most helps me in my life is _____. -In all the stories you’ve heard, who is the best character you’ve heard about? -Who is your favorite person you’ve learned about in school? -Who is your favorite person from the Bible? -Do you want to be like God? -I love ______. -The best person in the world is _____. -Who is the worst person in the world? -The best person I know is _____. -Who is the most powerful person in the world? -Who is the most important person in your village? Do you want to like that person when you grow up? -Who is the most important person in the world? Do you want to be that person when you grow up? -What person in the world would you like to change places with? -Would you like to be president? -Could you be president? -What job do most people in your class want when they grow up? -If I ask your class who is their favorite person, what will most of them say? -Most of my classmates want to be like ____. -Who do your classmates think is the most powerful person they know? -Who do your classmates think is the most powerful person in the world? -If your classmates do something bad, will they go to a teacher, a father, a mother, a friend, or someone else for help? HOPES: -What can make your life better? -I want to be like ____. -I want to have ____. -I am happy when ____. -What can make your life perfect? -The world will be perfect when/if _____. -What do you want to own when you grow up? -What do your classmates want to own when they grow up? -Who do you want to live with when you grow up? -Where do you want to live when you grow up? -What do adults want? -Do you want to be an adult? -I am happy when my father says ____. -I am happy when my mother says _____. -I am happy when my teacher says _____. -Can people make themselves rich? -Can people make themselves poor? -Can people make the world a better place? -Will education help you when you grow up? -When you grow up, will your life be better than it is now? -When you grow up will you be more successful than your parents? -I am a successful person when I _____. -If I had 1,000 shillings I would buy ____. -What would you do with 1,000,000 shillings? -What would you rather have than 10,000 shillings? - What would you rather have than 100,000 shillings? -What do you want more than candy? -What do you want more than a bike? -What do you want more than a new house? -Do you want a new radio or a new school uniform? -Do you want candy or a new textbook? -I want to see____. -I never want to see ___. -At least once in my life I want to ____. -When you grow up do you want to be rich or happy? -Can you be happy without being rich? -When you grow up do you want to be powerful? -What will make you powerful? -Do you want to be married or single? -Do you want to have children? -Do you want your own house? -When you grow up do you want to visit other countries? -Do you want to live in another village? -If you had one wish, what would you wish for? -If you could change one thing about your life, what would you change? -Can you make that change happen? -Who can make that change happen? -What do you want to change about your village/school? -Can you make that change happen? - ____ can make that change happen. -The world will be happier if _____. -Do you think this change will ever happen? -Can people make this change happen? -Who can make that change happen? -What makes you happy? -What makes you sad? -What makes you angry? -What makes adults happy? -What makes adults sad? -What makes adults angry? -What makes people happy? -What makes people sad? -What makes people angry? -What makes your classmates happy? -What makes your classmates sad? -What makes your classmates angry? FEARS: -I am afraid of ____. -List three things you’re afraid of. -What is the last thing you were afraid of? -What can make you cry? -What was the last thing you cried about? -Are you afraid of being alone? -Are you afraid of your teacher? -Are you afraid of dying? -Are you afraid of your mother? -Are you afraid of your father? -Are you afraid of going to sleep? -What are you more afraid of than a snake? -What are you more afraid of than getting sick? -Who is the most frightening person you ever heard about? -What is the most frightening thing in the world? -The most dangerous thing in the world is ______. -I wish the world had no ____. -If you break something at home, what will you do? -If you lose a textbook, what will you do? -If you think you are sick, what will you do? -I am afraid in school when ____. -I am afraid at home when ____. -What are the other students in your class most afraid of? -Are your classmates afraid of your teacher? -Are your classmates afraid of adults? -Are your classmates afraid of a family member? -The worst thing that could happen to me is ____. -The worst thing that could happen to my family is _____. -The worst thing that could happen to the world is _____. MEDIA: -I listen to the radio ___hours a day/week. -I watch TV ___ hours a day/week. -I listen to the radio: every day/ more than once a day/ once a week/ more than once a week/ less than once a week -I watch TV every day/ more than once a day/ once a week/ more than once a week/ less than once a week -I usually watch about 1/ 1-5 / 5-10 / more than 10 movies a month. -If I gave you a DVD / CD / cassette tape could you listen to it? - Would you rather buy a music CD or a movie DVD? - On the radio I like to listen to ______. - On TV I like to watch _____. - My favorite type of movie is _____.