PAF 101—MODULE 2 GRADE SHEET
BASED ON CHAPTERS 2, 3, & 4
Name: Societal Category:
Group #:
MAXIMUM YOUR
EXERCISE POINTS SCORE COMMENTS
2.1 6
2.2 8
2.3 6 ______
2.4 6 ______
2.5 12 ______
2.6 15 ______
2.7 5
3.1 30 ______
4.1 16 ______
4.2 8 ______
4.3 15 ______
4.4 6 ______
4.5 6 ______
4.6 16 ______
Subtotal for Paper 155 ______
Points Deducted:
Late Paper _____
Writing _____
Organization _____
Participation _____
Total Points Deducted ______
Extra Credit Points:
Competition _____
Speakers _____
Total Extra Credit Points ______
TOTAL GRADE
MODULE TWO 155 ______#____
PAF 101 EXERCISES – MODULE 2
BASED ON CHAPTERS 2, 3, & 4
** Whenever you use a source in your answer, including all quotes, you must provide an APA-style internal citation and a full APA-style reference in the References page exercise, except in the case of personal communications. HINT: Most of these exercises require citations.
** Whenever you attach an article, it must be directly behind the exercise in which it appears, and it must be clearly labeled with the exercise number and letter to which it pertains. Attach only the first page of the article unless otherwise stated.
** Whenever searching for articles or other sources, do not use any information pertaining to other countries than the United States.
Exercise 2.1: Locating Quantitative Data
Your Total Score: _____ (Maximum: 6 points)
You must use the LexisNexis Statistical Datasets to find a trend line graph and accompanying data table with at least three pieces of data, relevant to your societal category. The data must represent information within the last five years. Use the database’s ‘print’ feature to print out that graph and data table. Attach the print out directly behind the page on which this exercise appears. (6 points)
· Write one sentence describing one data point from your trend line graph and include an internal citation here:
Between the years of 2005 and 2006, transferring rates hit an all time high, and continued to increase over 2,000 students National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) (2008). “Students Transferring Out”, Graduation Rates, All Students (Post-Secondary)[data file]. WebCEO, LexisNexis Statistical Datasets (09/28/2010).
· Identify the Source Organization for this data and indicate that here:
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
Exercise 2.2: Finding Periodical Articles
Your Total Score:_____ (Maximum: 8 points)
Using the ProQuest Research Library database, locate a news or magazine article relevant to your societal category at any geographic level. Do not use an article from an academic journal. Attach a photocopy or printout of the first page of the article directly behind this exercise. Make sure the article was published within the last six months.
· Quote one relevant sentence from the article that is related to your societal category here:
The AFL-CIO’s
“The AFL- CIO’s largest member union, the American Federation of State,County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), at less than half the size of NEA, spent about $21 million and ranked 11th.”
http://educationnext.org/files/ednext_20104_24.pdf
Antonucci, M (2010). The long reach of teachers unions Retrieved From http://educationnext.org/the-long-reach-of-teachers-unions/ On 09/28/10
Exercise 2.3: Locating Books
Your Total Score:_____ (Maximum: 6 points)
Using the library catalog, find a book on your societal category at any geographic level. The publication date of the book must be within the last fifteen years. Books published by the government may not be used for this exercise. Attach a photocopy of the title page directly behind the page on which this exercise appears.
· Directly quote a full sentence from the book that is related to your societal category here:
“Content is seldom the decisive factor in whether or not our interest is maintained.”
Willingham, Daniel T. Why Don’t Students like School?: a Cognitive Scientist Answers
Questions about How the Mind Works and What It Means for Your Classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2009. Print.
Exercise 2.4: Using United States Government Publications
Your Total Score:_____ (Maximum: 6 points)
Using http://catalog.gpo.gov, locate one United States government publication relevant to your societal category at any geographic level.
· The publication should include a clearly identified "title page" and the names of individual or organizational authors, such as those found within formal government agency reports, newsletters, online journals/magazines, etc. These government publications are often posted in "PDF”. Their pages frequently are numbered.
· The publication you locate should not merely consist of a brief news
announcement or other informal online information summary. These types of publications are often posted on the web in "HTML" format only.
· Do not use U.S. Census information.
· Attach a photocopy or printout of the cover or title page of the document directly behind the page on which this exercise appears.
· No citation is needed for this exercise.
· In one sentence, explain briefly why this publication will provide you with useful information about your societal category here:
This study is useful because it displays what students are doing in their spare time instead of homework, as well as how they spend that time affects the homework which the students complete.
Exercise 2.5: Using Policy Publications
Your Total Score:_____ (Maximum 12 points)
A. Using CQ Researcher, find a publication that contains information relevant to your societal category at any geographic level. (6 points)
Part A Score: ____
· Using full sentences, quote no more than three sentences from the article that gives you a better understanding of your societal category here:
“Today, bullying is widely regarded as a serious problem in the United States. Ron Stephens, executive director of the National School Safety Center, calls bullying “one of the most enduring problems” in schools. Up to 75 percent of American children have been victims of bullying, according to the National Crime Prevention Council. On an average school day, three out of 10 American youngsters in grades six through 10 are involved in bullying — as perpetrators, victims or both — according to a National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) study.”
Greenya, J. (2005, February 4). Bullying. CQ Researcher, 15, 101-124. Retrieved October 26, 2010, from CQ Researcher Online, http://library.cqpress.com.libezproxy2.syr.edu/cqresearcher/cqresrre2005020400
B. Using the “Contacts” section of the CQ Researcher article, find one of the organizations from the list (preferably a public policy institute), and retrieve a policy paper, working paper, policy brief, or online report from the past five years on your societal category. The “Contacts” section appears once you have opened an article. It is one of the links in the gray column at the left margin of each CQ Researcher publication. (6 points)
Part B Score: _____
· Quote one sentence from the publication that gives evidence of a societal problem that exists within your societal category here:
“The mission of the American Association of School Administrators is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to the highest quality public education for all children.”
(2010) About AASA, Retrieved October 26, 2010, from AASA online http://www.aasa.org.libezproxy2.syr.edu/About.aspx
Exercise 2.6: Using United States Census Data
Your Total Score:_____ (Maximum: 15 points)
Use the “American FactFinder” on the 2000 online census report (http://www.census.gov) to locate the information for your home census area, a comparable census area, and the United States, and fill out the chart below with the required information from the 2000 online census report.
· Fill in the top row of the table with the name of a county and the county that is comparable to the original county. Be sure to indicate the state.
· The comparable county must be similar to your census area, which is a county, in population size. A comparable population is within 20% of the population size of the original county.
· If you do not use the 2000 online census report, you will lose all points on this exercise.
· Do not cite or reference this exercise.
[County] / [Comparable County] / United StatesPopulation / 95,745 / 98,726 / 310,356,485
Median Age (years) / 37.4 / 38.2 / 35.3
% White / 93.9% / 96.4% / 75.1%
% Male / 49.9% / 49.0% / 49.1%
Per Capita Income ($) / $30,127 / $18,197 / $21,587
% Individuals Below Poverty Level / 4.4% / 13.2% / 12.4%
% Vacant Housing Units / 6.6% / 15.3% / 9.0%
% High School Graduate or Higher / 90.2% / 82.8% / 80.4%
Exercise 2.7: Narrowing your societal category
Your Total Score: _____ (Maximum: 5 points)
Based on the research you have done in this chapter, narrow your societal category to a specific societal problem within it. Be sure to state it as a problem.
· Write your specific societal problem, indicating a specific geographic location suffering from the problem here:
Teen suicide in the United States
Exercise 3.1: Researching Your Players
Your Total Score: _____ (Maximum: 30 points)
List three individuals, either a player or a staff person of the player, who deal with your narrowed societal problem, keeping in mind the geographic location you specified. Be sure to follow the prompts listed below.
1.) Write the name and position of an elected government official who serves at the local, state or national level here. State the geographic location that they represent.:
Michael Bloomberg Mayor of New York City (local)
· Write the player’s phone number and email address here (If instead of an email address you find a site that allows you to send a message to the individual, indicate this and provide a link to the site. This applies to all of 3.1):
PHONE 311 (or 212-NEW-YORK outside NYC)
FAX (212) 312-0700
E-MAIL:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mayor.html
· Write why he/she will provide you with useful information by describing one policy he/she had worked on previously:
The mayor is a source which can provide useful information on Teen Suicide because his office is also a part of the Office of Chief Medical Examiner which investigates deaths that result from suicide as well as other manners of death.
· Write three questions related to your specific societal problem that you could ask the player here:
- While in office has there been any statistics that indicate a rise or fall in number of teen suicides?
- Do you sponsor any programs which can be used to help prevent teen suicide?
-Is there any way in which the government can get more information to the public about this issue?
2.) Write the name and position of a non-elected player from a governmental department here. Specify where they work by providing their geographic location.
Kathleen Sebelius Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services in Washington D.C.
· Write the player’s phone number and email address here:
Phone: (202) 715-2923
Fax: (202) 638-1045
www.ksgovernor.org
· Write why he/she will provide you with useful information by describing one policy he/she had worked on previously:
As head of the Department of Health and Human Services part of her job entails preventing suicide in order for people to lead healthy lives. Also, one cause of suicide is depression, which is a decease and deceases also fall under the Department of Health and Human Services.
· Write three questions related to your specific societal problem that you could ask the player here:
- Is there any correlation between teens who commit suicide and the relationship between parents? (i.e. divorced, married, or single parent)
- What percentage of teen suicides in the United States have been treated for mental or physical illnesses (such as depression or bipolar disorder) vs. those who prior to their suicide were untreated?
- Is teen suicide more common in urban or rural areas?
3.) Write the name, their position, and the non-profit organization or public interest/lobby group they work for here. The non-profit organization or public interest/lobby group may be local, state or national.
Kevin Caruso Executive Director of Suicide.org (national)
· Write the player’s phone number and email address here:
mailto:
No phone number available only hotline numbers
· Write why he/she will provide you with useful information by describing one policy he/she had worked on or one service the organization has provided previously:
He would be useful in finding information because his site offers the symptoms of people who are likely to commit suicide, links to several different hotlines that one could contact if they are having suicidal thoughts, different treatments that are offered as well as methods on how to talk to others that are facing suicidal thoughts.
· Write three questions related to your specific societal problem that you could ask the player here:
-Which methods work the best when trying to get someone to talk about why they are having suicidal thoughts?
-Which hotlines are the best for individuals to contact if they believe they are going to harm themselves or another individual?
- At what point of time during the year are teens most likely to try to commit suicide?
Exercise 4.2: Choosing a Sample and Method of Contact
Your Total Score:_____ (Maximum: 8 points)
A. Indicate and discuss which of the three methods of contact from the Maxwell Manual you will use to contact your sample. (4 points)
Part A score:_____
· State the method here:
Cluster sampling
· Justify why you have chosen to use this method here using information from the Maxwell Manual:
I have chosen to employ this method because it would be difficult to contact every teen to compare the statistics about whether or not they have ever had suicidal thoughts. therefore, by contacting groups of teenagers that are spread throughout the country a diverse sample will be collected without having to contact too many people.
B. Identify one variable you will use to assess the degree to which your sample accurately reflects your target population. (4 points)
Part B score:_____
· Identify the variable here:
The family and social background of the different teenagers which are surveyed.
· Explain why the variable you have chosen matters, and why it is important that the distribution of the variable should be similar to the target population:
The variable that I have chosen is important because the family background of the teenager can affect the mindset that the individual has, therefore it may cause them to have a greater susceptibility towards suicidal thoughts. Having a range of teenagers from different family backgrounds will provide a better view on how this variable affects teen suicide.