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In this activity students get a real-life lesson in sociological research as they formulate a hypothesis about the attitudinal differences between generations, design a questionnaire to test their hypothesis, administer the survey, chart their findings, and present the results of their research to the class. On This PageLesson plan information|
School level | | • | High school (14-18 years old) |
| Subjects | | • | History/Social Studies | | • | Language Arts | | • | Mathematics |
| Class time | | • | 5-6 class periods (45-minute periods) spread over 4 weeks |
| Software required | | • | Microsoft Office Word | | • | Microsoft Office Excel | | • | Microsoft Office PowerPoint |
| Materials needed | |
Teacher guideGoals| • | Students will be introduced to the process of creating a hypothesis and testing its validity. | | • | Students will become familiar with spreadsheet fundamentals. | | • | Students will engage in thoughtful discussion about generational differences. |
Objectives| • | Students formulate a hypothesis with dependent and independent variables about generational differences in attitude. | | • | Students design, write, and administer a questionnaire that elicits responses to questions about generational differences. | | • | Students analyze the survey results using Office Excel. | | • | Students present their findings to the class using Office Excel or Office PowerPoint. |
Lesson procedureIntroductionDo you have the same attitudes about issues in life—such as politics, for example—as someone who is age 30? Age 50? Age 80? Do older people and younger people think alike? On what subjects might they have different opinions? Is there really such a thing as a "generation gap"? Or is this a myth or assumption we make? You are going to find out the answer to this question by researching the differences between generations the way social scientists do. Working in teams, you will first develop a hypothesis that you believe reflects the differences between generations. Next, you will design, write, and administer a questionnaire to test your hypothesis. Your survey will compare attitudes and opinions about certain issues, based on different variables, such as age, gender, or geographic region. Finally, you will chart your findings, analyze your results using Office Excel, and report the results to your classmates using Office PowerPoint. Main activity[Teachers: Please download the student activity handout for details on the main activities for this lesson plan: Student handout A (Microsoft Word document, 16 KB) includes Step 1, “Formulate a hypothesis” and Step 2, “Create a survey and test it.” Student handout B (Microsoft Word document, 16 KB) includes Step 3, “Administer the survey,” Step 4, “Analyze your survey data,” and Step 5, “Present your research findings.” ConclusionAssess the students on: | • | Formulation of their hypothesis | | • | Design of survey | | • | Administration of survey | | • | Analysis of survey results | | • | Final Office Excel or Office PowerPoint presentation. |
Materials neededLesson extension activities| • | Have more advanced students design the survey form in Office Excel. For help designing a form using an Office Excel template, click the Microsoft Office Button  , select New, click Installed Templates, click More Categories, and then click Surveys.
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