Form 12 Phase II Member Survey

EVALUATION OF THE MINNESOTA READING CORPS

Follow-Up Survey of Member Applicants

Consent Page:

Under contract with the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), NORC at the University of Chicago is seeking to obtain information from members of the Minnesota Reading Corps program for the 2012-2013 school year. You are being asked to participate in this important study, the Evaluation of the Minnesota Reading Corps Program.

The information collected in the questionnaire is being requested by NORC and your data is protected under the Privacy Act of 1974 as amended. Under this Act, NORC is required to treat all information you provide as confidential. The information you provide will be used only for the purpose of analyzing data and preparing scientific reports and articles. Any information publicly released (such as statistical summaries) will be in a form that does not personally identify you. Your individual information will not be shared with the Minnesota Reading Corps or CNCS.

Your participation will be used to assess and identify areas for possible improvement to the Minnesota Reading Corps program. The information you provide will also be used to better understand the needs and experiences of AmeriCorps member applicants like you. Your response is voluntary and failure to provide some or all of the requested information will not in any way adversely affect you. Actual time to complete the questionnaire may vary depending on your circumstances. On average, it will take approximately 20 minutes.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a current valid OMB Control Number. The OMB Control Number is xxxx-xxxx for this study and approval expires on xx/xx/xxxx.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this study, you may refer to the Frequently Asked Questions at [INSERT LINK to Project Website where FAQs are listed]. For a detailed description of the study, you may refer to the Project Description at [INSERT LINK to Project Description]. For a detailed description of the organizations involved in this study, you may refer to the Description of Organizations at [INSERT LINK to Description of Organizations]. If you have further questions, please contact the study team at 1-800-XXX-XXXX or send an email to MRCEval@norc.uchicago.edu. For information on your rights as a research subject, please call the NORC Institutional Review Board administrator at 1-866-309-0542.

Again, thank you for your time and effort in completing this very important study on the Evaluation of the Minnesota Reading Corps Program.

To indicate your consent to begin the survey, please press the "BEGIN SURVEY" button below.

1. During the 2012-13 school year, in which Minnesota Reading Corps program did you/do you serve?

 ₁ Preschool (PreK)

 ₂ Kindergarten thru 3^rd Grade (K-3^rd) (Skip to Question 2)

1a. In which role did you serve?

 ₁ Community Corps Member

 ₂ Professional Corps Member, Lead Teacher

 ₃ Professional Corps Member, Assistant Teacher

2. Do you have any of the following teaching credentials? [New]

 ₁ State teacher license (Skip to Question 3)

 ₂ National board certification (Skip to Question 3)

 ₃ Other (Please specify)________ (Skip to Question 3)

 ₄ None of the above

1a. Do you plan to obtain a teaching credential?

 ₁ Yes

 ₂ No

3.

What is the highest level of education you expect to complete? (Please check one)

[AC Longitudinal Survey]

 ₁ Some high school (Skip to question 4)

 ₂ High school diploma (Skip to question 4)

 ₃ High school equivalency diploma or certificate (GED) (Skip to question 4)

 ₄ Vocational, trade, or business school after high school (not for a BA or MBA)

 ₅ Less than 2 years of college

 ₆ Two or more years of college (including 2-year degree)

 ₇ College degree (4- or 5-year degree)

 ₈ Master’s degree or equivalent

 ₉ Ph.D., M.D., or other professional degree

3a.

In what field? (Please check only one)

[New]

 ₁ Teaching children/adults

 ₂ Social/community work

 ₃ Law

 ₄ Business

 ₅ Health-related

 ₆ Computer/technical/scientific

 ₇ Environmental

 ₈ Public safety

 ₉ Agriculture

 ₁₀ Other (Please specify) __________

4.

What are you planning to do after your Minnesota Reading Corps service? (Please check all that apply)

[AC Member Survey, modified]

 ₁ Get a job

 ₂ Go to college (Skip to question 4b)

 ₃ Go to college and work at same time

 ₄ Enroll in the same or another AmeriCorps program

(Skip to question 5)

 ₅ Volunteer (Skip to question 5)

 ₆ Retire (Skip to question 5)

 ₇ Stay home to take care of family member(s) (e.g., children, parents) (Skip to question 5)

 ₈ Other (Please specify) __________(Skip to question 5)

 ₉ Do not know (Skip to question 5)

4a. In what sector would you be working? [If #4=1 or 3] (Please check only one)

[New]

 ₁ Public Schools

 ₂ Other Government/public sector

 ₃ Private sector

 ₄ Non-profit sector (tax exempt, charitable organization)

 ₅ Other (Please specify)_______________

4bi-iii.

In what field? [Loop question: if #4= 1, 2,or 3] (Please check only one)

[AC Longitudinal Survey]

 ₁ Teaching children/adults

 ₂ Social/community work (Skip to question 5)

 ₃ Law (Skip to question 5)

 ₄ Business (Skip to question 5)

 ₅ Health-related (Skip to question 5)

 ₆ Computer/technical/scientific (Skip to question 5)

 ₇ Environmental (Skip to question 5)

 ₈ Public safety (Skip to question 5)

 ₉ Agriculture (Skip to question 5)

 ₁₀ Self Employed (Skip to question 5)

 ₁₁ Other (Please specify) __________ (Skip to question 5)

4c.

In what area do you plan to teach? (Please check only one)

[New]

 ₁ Pre-kindergarten

 ₂ Elementary school

 ₃ Middle school

 ₄ High school

 ₅ College

5.

Please indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with each of the following statements

[MRC Member Survey, modified]

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neither Agree Nor Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree
I am committed to volunteering in schools.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I am committed to ongoing promotion of childhood literacy.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I am committed to community service.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
If a job I hold in the future does not have community service as part of its mission, I will encourage the organization to include opportunities for community service.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5

6. Please indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with each [AC Longitudinal Survey]

of the following statements. Community should be defined as you view it.

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neither Agree Nor Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree
I have a strong attachment to my community.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I often discuss and think about how larger political and social issues affect my community.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I am aware of what can be done to meet the important needs in my community.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I feel I have the ability to make a difference in my community.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I try to find the time or a way to make a positive difference in my community.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5

7.1

[If #4=1-5, 8, or 9] Please indicate whether you feel each of the following things is very important, somewhat important, or not important to you.

[AC Longitudinal Survey]

	Not Important	Somewhat Important	Very Important
Working to correct social and economic inequalities.	 1	 2	 3
Working in a job where I am of direct service to people.	 1	 2	 3
Working in a profession involving children.	 1	 2	 3
Working in a teaching or education field.	 1	 2	 3

7.2. [If #4=6 or 7] Please indicate whether you feel the following

is very important, somewhat important, or not important to you.

Not Important	Somewhat Important	Very Important

Working to correct social and economic inequalities.

 1

 2

 3

8.

Below are a few statements about how some people feel about obtaining a job. For each statement, please indicate how true the statement is for you.

[New, based on Rotter’s (1966) Locus of Control Scale]

	Not at all true	Mostly not true	Neither true nor untrue	Mostly true	Very true
I feel confident in my ability to get a good job.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
If I cannot get a good job, it is because people are not fair to people like me.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
To get a good job I just have to try hard enough.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
Getting a job is a matter of hard work, luck has little or nothing to do with it.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
Getting a good job depends mainly on being in the right place at the right time.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
The job opportunities I have in life are dependent on circumstances that I cannot control.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5

9.

Below is a list of activities that you, along with others, might try to accomplish. Think about how hard it would be for you to accomplish each activity. Assume that each of these is an activity you feel is worthwhile to accomplish.

[AC Longitudinal Survey]

	Would not be able to get this done	Might be able to get done	Would be able to get this done
Getting the local government to fix a pothole in my street.	 1	 2	 3
Getting the local government to build an addition to the community center.	 1	 2	 3
Getting an issue on the ballot for a statewide election. (Assume your state allows this.)	 1	 2	 3
Organizing an event to benefit a charity or religious organization.	 1	 2	 3
Starting an after-school program for children whose parents work.	 1	 2	 3
Organizing an annual cleanup program for the local park.	 1	 2	 3

10. Please indicate your agreement with each of the following statements. [MRC Member Survey]

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neither Agree Nor Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree
I felt welcomed and part of the team at my site.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
The Minnesota Reading Corps program was well integrated with other interventions or initiatives on-going at my site.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I had sufficient materials to perform my role at my site.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I had adequate computer access at my site.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I had adequate workspace at my site.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I felt supported by my Internal Coach.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I felt supported by my Master Coach.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I knew what was expected of me.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I was aware of my progress in meeting program requirements.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
My service and contributions were valued.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
My experience with Minnesota Reading Corps matched my expectations.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I had sufficient training to perform my assignment at the site	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5

10. Thinking of your overall Minnesota Reading Corps [AC Member Survey]

experience, how satisfied were you with the following:

	Very Dissatisfied	Somewhat Dissatisfied	Satisfied	Very Satisfied	Extremely Satisfied	N/A
Gaining an understanding of the community where you served.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5	 6
Gaining an understanding of the organization(s)/school(s) where you served.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5	 6
Establishing a relationship with your Internal Coach.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5	 6
Establishing a relationship with your co-workers/fellow members.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5	 6
Providing services to the community.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5	 6
Learning new skills.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5	 6
The quality of onsite or optional training.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5	 6
Knowing the needs of students I worked with	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5	 6

10. All things considered, how satisfied are you with your overall [AC Member Survey]

Minnesota Reading Corps experience?

 ₁ Very Dissatisfied

 ₂ Somewhat Dissatisfied

 ₃ Satisfied

 ₄ Very Satisfied

 ₅ Extremely Satisfied

To what extent would you say that your Minnesota Reading Corps service was a defining personal or professional experience? A defining experience is one that resulted in a change or shift in your beliefs, aspirations, and/or professional goals or one that confirmed your beliefs, aspirations, and/or professional goals.

[AC Member Survey, modified]

 ₁ Not at all defining

 ₂ Slightly defining

 ₃ Moderately defining

 ₄ Very defining

 ₃ Extremely defining

14.

How do you think the Minnesota Reading Corps tutoring affected you personally?

[New, based on findings from Hedrick et al, 2000 and Malone, Jones, & Stallings, 2002]

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neither Agree Nor Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree
It helped me learn about myself personally and/or professionally.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I learned that tutoring is harder than I thought.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I clarified my possible future educational and career goals.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
It helped me understand how different students learn.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
It helped me understand how to motivate students.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
It helped me learn how to be a better tutor.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I gained a greater mastery of how to tutor young children how to read.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I learned more and developed a deeper understanding of the school environment.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I gained a deep sense of satisfaction by helping others.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I gained a clearer sense of social problems and solutions.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I increased my sense of commitment to social justice and social responsibility.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
It increased my desire to become a teacher	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5

15.

Please indicate your overall agreement with each of the following statements about Minnesota Reading Corps (MRC) program outcomes.

[MRC Member Survey, modified]

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neither Agree Nor Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree
Participation in the MRC program had a positive impact on me this school year.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
Participation in the MRC program had a positive impact on the site I served this school year.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
Participation in the MRC program had a positive impact on the students I served this year.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
Participation in the MRC program had a positive impact on the teacher of the students I served this year.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5

16.

Thinking about your Minnesota Reading Corps service over the past 12 months, please indicate how much you agree with the following statements.

[AC Longitudinal Survey]

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neither Agree Nor Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree
I felt that I made a contribution to the community.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I re-examined my beliefs and attitudes about myself.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I was exposed to new ideas and ways of seeing the world.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I felt like part of a community.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I learned more about the “real” world.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I felt I could make a difference in the life of at least one person.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I did things I never thought I could do.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5
I changed some of my beliefs and attitudes.	 1	 2	 3	 4	 5

Thank you very much for your time and cooperation.

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