Student Survey

We enjoyed talking to many of you in Washington, D.C., and hearing you recite your poems. As part of our evaluation, we’d like to hear more about your Poetry Out Loud experiences—choosing poems, preparing for contests, and competing at the state and national levels. Your feedback will give the Poetry Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts a student’s perspective on the program and ideas for improvement. Your answers will remain confidential, and no names or personally identifying information will be used in our report. Thanks!

 

1. Your grade level this year?

9

10

11

12

Other

2. Your GPA?

3. Your favorite class in school?

4. Your favorite extra-curricular activity?

5. Besides extra-curricular activities, what do you like to do in your spare time?

6.	Have you had any theater, debate, or forensics experience?			Yes		No
	If so, please describe briefly.

7. Have you competed in Poetry Out Loud previously?

Yes

No

If so, in what year(s) and at what level(s)? (Check all that apply.)

	classroom	school contest	regional contest	state contest	national contest
2006
2007

8. Tell us how much you agree with the following statements by checking the appropriate box.
	Strongly Disagree	Somewhat Disagree	Somewhat Agree	Strongly Agree
I enjoyed studying and memorizing the poems.
I enjoyed participating in the contests.
The experience got me excited about poetry recitation.
My enjoyment of poetry has increased as a result of this experience.
Poetry is more important to me now.
I received help from others in understanding and learning to recite the poems.
I helped another student practice outside of class or another student helped me outside of class.
I did not put in much time outside of class practicing poetry recitation.
The potential for winning a scholarship motivated me to work hard.
I read poetry in my spare time.
I write poetry in my spare time.
I am more likely to read poetry for pleasure than before participating in the contest.
I am more likely to write poetry for pleasure than before participating in the contest.
I have memorized poems before participating in Poetry Out Loud.
As a result of Poetry Out Loud, I have found poets and poems that are now favorites of mine.
Listening to others recite poetry at the contests helped me develop my recitation skills.

	Never or almost never	Once or twice in middle or high school	Every year in middle or high school	More than once a year in middle or high school
9. About how often had you studied poetry in school before Poetry Out Loud?
10. About how often had you studied poetry recitation before Poetry Out Loud?
11. About how often had you performed/spoken to an audience before Poetry Out Loud?

12. Did participating in Poetry Out Loud increase your confidence or make you feel more at ease in front of an audience?	Yes	No
Why or why not?
13. Before the National Finals, had you ever been to Washington, D.C.?	Yes	No

14. While in Washington for Poetry Out Loud, did you meet with your Senator or House Representative?

Yes

No

15. Based on your experience at the national contest, would you chose the same 3 poems?

Yes

No

Why or why not?

16. How useful was the web site? Check the appropriate box; if you didn't use a feature or section, select "Not Applicable."
	Strongly disagree	Somewhat disagree	Somewhat agree	Strongly agree	Not applicable
The web site was easy to navigate.
The information on the web site was relevant.
I selected poems from the web-based anthology.
The web site helped me prepare for the contest.

17. Any suggestions for improving the web site?

18. How useful were the Poetry Out Loud online audio clips (or the CD)? Check the appropriate box; if you didn't use a particular feature, check "Not Applicable."
	Strongly disagree	Somewhat disagree	Somewhat agree	Strongly agree	Not applicable
The recitations on the audio clips (or CD) helped me learn the skills of recitation.
The recitations on the audio clips (or CD) helped me appreciate the poems.
The extra material about the poems and poets was helpful and interesting.
The material on how to recite poetry was helpful and interesting.

19. Any suggestions for improving the audio clips?

20. Did you consult the Judge’s Guide?

Yes

No

21. What other resources would be helpful to you in preparing for Poetry Out Loud at the state and/or national level?

22.	Who or what helped you prepare for the national contest? (Check all that apply.)
	English teacher
	Drama or theater teacher
	Local poet or teaching artist(s)
	State poet laureate
	DVD/audio clips of previous years’ contests
	Previous winner
	Other: (please specify)

23. From your experience, how does memorizing and reciting poetry relate to understanding and appreciating it?

24. Did Poetry Out Loud change the way you feel about poetry, or read poetry?	Yes	No
If so, what has changed?

25. For you, what was the greatest benefit to participating in Poetry Out Loud?

26. Any other comments about Poetry Out Loud, or suggestions for improving it?

 

Thank you for your responses! Please click the submit survey button.