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Student Critical Thinking Questionnaire (Phase Two) - Years 5-12

Welcome to the Developing in Digital Worlds student Critical Thinking questionnaire. Thank you for taking part! We want to find out how you go about using digital devices such as Netbooks, computers and/or tablets for learning. Below you will find two passages and a story. Please read these carefully and choose the best possible answer for each question.


CONFIDENTIALITY & DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
We want to reassure you again that your personal (identifying) information will be kept in a secure location separate from the main questionnaire data. Your answers are completely confidential, and no personal information such as your name or birth date will be shared with any other individual or agency.

Use Of Personal Information Collected
Any personal information you choose to provide will only be used for the purpose of the research project and will not be shared with other persons or organisation outside the University of Auckland.

 

Your Information
(This question is mandatory)
Your first name:
(This question is mandatory)
Your last name (or family name):
Other names you are known by (if any):
(This question is mandatory)
Your school:
(This question is mandatory)
You are a:
(This question is mandatory)
Your date of birth (dd/mm/year):
Example: 15 December 2012
(This question is mandatory)
Your classroom name or room number:
e.g., Room 3
(This question is mandatory)
Year level:
e.g., Year 5; Year 12
Part One
Fracking is a way of mining for natural gas. Water, sand and chemicals are sprayed with great force into rock underground. When the rock breaks up, gas is freed. Mining companies tell the public fracking is safe for the environment. But some people living close to the wells want it banned. They claim fracking leaks chemicals and oil. For example, Jackie and Steve Snow, North Dakota farmers blame fracking for dogs, cows, and chickens dying. But fracking has been safely used for over 20 years in Taranaki. Scientists have found oil and gas leaks naturally into water sources even without fracking.
(This question is mandatory)
1. Why did animals die on Jackie and Steve's farm?
(This question is mandatory)
2. We could decide whether fracking caused water pollution, if we knew that
(This question is mandatory)
3. Based on the information provided, we can say that Jackie and Steve would believe
fracking should be banned because
(This question is mandatory)
4. Fracking has not caused any major disasters in the Taranaki for the past 20 years; therefore it is completely safe to continue fracking in New Zealand. This statement is
(This question is mandatory)
5. When deciding whether fracking is safe, it is best to consider the evidence provided by
Part Two
Some children have become ill with measles in New Zealand. 1 in 1000 children who get measles will die from it. Doctors strongly advise vaccination for all children, as it prevents them catching the disease. In New Zealand, 93% of 2-year olds have been vaccinated against measles. Vaccination also makes it harder for measles to spread. Some parents are against the vaccine because of the risk of major side effects. Research in the US shows that 1 in 5 children will experience swelling and 1 in 10 will have a mild fever. But a mum from Wellington reported that her son had seizures (or fits) and became disabled after being vaccinated. Vaccines are tested for their safety before being sold. However, some children cannot be vaccinated due to certain health conditions.
(This question is mandatory)
6. Vaccines can be considered safe because
(This question is mandatory)
7. Based on the information above, which of the following statements is true?
(This question is mandatory)

8. Figure 1 shows the World Health Organization’s (WHO) information on the number of people with measles and the percentage of people who have been vaccinated against measles around the world. Notice that from 1980 to 2010 the vaccination rate has gone up and the rate of getting measles has gone down. Based on the infomation above, which of the following statements is true?
(This question is mandatory)
9. Based on Figure 1, we know that
(This question is mandatory)
10. Imagine a group of 90 people were exposed to a dangerous disease. 80 had been vaccinated and 20 of them became ill with the disease. 10 people were not vaccinated and all of them became ill with the disease. Which of the following statements is true?
Part Three

The following story is from the School Journal which goes to all schools in New Zealand. Read it closely and complete the questions below by selecting the best possible answer. The story has been divided into segments. The best answer should be selected from what you have read to that point.

Begin reading here:

(This question is mandatory)

Sam shut his eyes and slumped in his seat, cringing. The kids in the front of the bus were laughing, and he had a hunch who they were laughing at. “Look at that old lady’s umbrella!” someone said. Sam jerked upright. Oh, no. She hasn’t! He looked. She had. This was worse than he'd thought. There at the bus stop was his grandmother with her new umbrella. The jumbo-sized one that was neon pink; the one she’d bought from the shop up the road, exclaiming “Oka, lima tala!” over the bargain price. Sam shook his head in misery. The other kids jostled and shoved to get off. But Sam took his time, dragging each foot.

11. What is the most likely cause of Sam's misery?
(This question is mandatory)

It had been three weeks since she’d come to live with them, and in that time, he’d learnt a lot. She insisted on calling him by his Samoan name – all the time. She said it was time her grandchildren spoke Samoan and decided the best way for them to learn was reading the Samoan Bible together – every night. “Samuelu, tapē le TV.” Sam never got to watch his favourite programmes any more… And now with her big pink umbrella! “She’s ruining my life,” Sam finally blurted to his sister. Mele rolled her eyes. “Don’t be a brat. Mama’s fine."

12. If Sam's mother heard him telling Mele his grandmother was 'ruining his life', what would his mother think?
(This question is mandatory)

At the end of the story: Sam deliberately misses the bus and walks home with his friend Hunter, to avoid his grandmother. But some older boys who had bullied them before start bullying them again. Grandmother arrives and looks for Sam. She waves her big, pink umbrella. The bullies leave immediately. Hunter tells Sam his grandmother is “awesome”. Sam, looks at his Mama, beginning to see her differently and agrees “she is one of a kind”. They all walk home together.

13. What message does the author want us to take from this story?
(This question is mandatory)
14. The publishers probably included the story of Sam and his grandmother's 'Big Pink Umbrella' in the New Zealand School Journal to:
 
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