A number of Baker University students have been focusing on polls this semester – not ones concerning government elections, but surveys centered on student research projects for psychology, political science and sociology classes.
Assistant Professor of Psychology Marc Carter teaches one of the classes that has been conducting surveys.
“We have a research class called Research Methods Application in which students conceive, design, execute and report a piece of empirical research, and each one does an individual research project,” Carter said. “That’s why they’ve been collecting so much data.”
Junior Laura Poskochil is in the Research Methods Application class and another class, Testing and Measurement, which has also been collecting data.
“I’ve actually distributed three different questionnaires, and I’m in the process of redistributing one for Testing and Measurement to determine reliability,” Poskochil said.
Senior Maggie Wall has also been gathering data for the Research Methods Application class.
“(My project) covers how the media influences college students,” Wall said.
She said she had a split-session, where women attended first and men attended second. The group was split into three sessions, two experimental and one controlled. Wall said the groups watched media clips that were supposed to represent college students, and then students were tested afterwards.
Another class that has been conducting research is the Methods of Social Research class for the political science and sociology fields taught by Associate Professor of Political Science Bruce Anderson.
“The survey that this class is doing is about Baker media,” Anderson said. “Last year they did a very extensive door-to-door survey about (Baldwin City) land use.”
The class’s current survey, which is being conducted through e-mail, is designed to determine the effectiveness of the student media, including the Baker Orange, KNBU radio, TV stations and the Wildcat yearbook.
Anderson said the results of the survey would be used by the department of mass media and communication in making budget decisions.