Megann Wenger,
Michelle Zmich &
Mary DePauw
UW-Platteville
Appleton West High School DOTS Research Survey Results
As future educators we want to thank you and Appleton West High School for giving us
the opportunity to complete this research project which increased our knowledge on school
culture. We have learned how important it is for students and teachers to have a good
relationship in the classroom. This experience is much more meaningful to us than sitting in a
classroom and learning through lecture and readings. This has been an eye opening experience
for all of us, and we are greatly appreciative of the opportunity you have allowed us to have.
As a team, we held focus groups and presented six questions to each group relating to the
survey the students participated in during their homeroom on Tuesday, March 13th, 2012. The
survey consisted of having the students circle all the names of those people who they thought
cared about them and knew them well, including teachers/staff, coaches, administration,
advisors, custodians, etc. After collecting the surveys, we went through and counted up the total
number of circles each survey had and then tabulated data on gender. We also charted by
ethnicity and socio-economic status (based on whether they were on free or reduced lunch). The
questions and responses are listed below.
** = commonly mentioned/stressed
What would you define as a good relationship with a staff member?
 **We found that the majority of students would like to be able to talk to their teachers on
a more personal level opposed to always discussing school curriculum, grades,
homework, etc.
 **Most of the students agreed that having a mutual respect level helped in forming a
positive relationship between staff and students.
 It was also agreed that gender between students and teachers didn’t make a difference on
forming a relationship.
 Some students felt it was easier to confide in a younger teacher because they are closer in
age.
 **All students agreed that teachers having a sense of humor and being able to joke
around during class time allowed them to form a quick relationship.
 Students also enjoy when teachers bring in their own personal stories from their life to
share with the class. This seemed to lighten the mood for many students and show them
that they can share their own stories as well.
We use the phrase “care about you and know you well.” How do you know if a staff member
cares about you and knows you well?
 The teachers know you on a personal level.
 Teachers who attend extra-curricular activities.
 **Will listen to you.
 If the student is absent, the teacher will take the time to ask if you’re okay, where were
you, how are you doing, etc
 Students enjoy the fact that teachers take/make the time to say hello in the hallways and
outside of school in the public.
 Student love encouragement and having their work being recognized
 Students like that teachers give nicknames
 When teachers get to know everyone, not only athletes (opposed to North HS where
teachers only knew you if you were an athlete- quoted from a student who transferred
from NHS).
 **If the teacher has a positive, playful and /or joking attitude, but also knows. when it’s
time to be serious.
 **When teachers teach by using personal experiences.
 **Teachers make extra time for the students, before/after school, during prep period
and/or lunch period.
What do teachers do to build relationships with students?
 Communication through jokes, advice, encouragement.
 **Personal stories are positive re-enforcers.
 During difficult situations, students prefer more realistic advice opposed to “sugar
coating it.”
 They offer help to students.
 **Being open-minded.
 **Remembering the students’ school functions and interests.
 Teachers relate to students better if they have kids of their own.
 Younger teachers try harder to make a relationship than older teachers; however some
students felt that the more experienced teachers have better classroom management and
have a better hold on things.
 When teachers take the students more seriously and treat them like adults, students have
more respect for the teacher. They really dislike when teachers treat them like five year
olds, especially when they are almost 18!
 **Remember students’ names, recognize who they are, whether or not they had class
with that teacher or not.
What do secretaries, coaches, and/or club advisors do to build relationships with students?
 Coaches are easier to talk to.
 When teachers stand in the hallways they are making themselves more available and
open to starting conversations.
 **Students like the fact that Mr. Hartjes takes the time to look through the yearbook,
students’ grades, and gets to know them.
 Secretaries are good at directing and are friendly.
 Some students think it is easier to build a relationship with a coach when they are a
teacher because then the coach is more aware of their grades and they know when the
student needs to try harder or they need more time/help.
 Some students enjoyed that there is a riddle of the day in the office.
 Students appreciate constructive criticism.
 Students enjoy when coaches can get involved in their life more personally, but they also
know when it’s time to be serious.
 Students agreed that, when you are involved in extra-curricular activities, it allows the
teacher/coach/advisor to get to know you more and respect you more because you are
taking on more responsibilities in more than just school.
What more could West staff members do to build positive relationships?
 **Make rules consistent among all teachers and classrooms.
 Allow students to prove themselves; don’t judge students right off the bat.
 **Take the time to get to know the students on a personal level.
 Students want to see the punishment having a purpose.
 Discipline should be appropriate and fair.
What would you, as a student change at West High School?
 Terror bucks- students feel that this behavior “fix” hasn’t changed anything. They feel
like this is something that would be used in an elementary school setting, not in high
school.
 Change the reward for terror bucks. Maybe put a value to the bucks and allow students to
use them as, for example: free homework pass, “$” towards the commons, student
center, etc.
 Passing time- students feel that five minutes isn’t enough to go all the way across the
school and up the stairs, use the bathroom/fill water bottle, etc. Possibly add one
minute.
 Hallway freeze- students were confused that they were originally told they were given a
10-15 minute grace period but then during a hallway freeze they were punished for
being late.
 Teachers shouldn’t show favoritism.
 Listen to students, ask students for their input. A group of students made us aware that
one teacher teaches only one way, no matter if the class understands the information or
not.
 Students don’t always ask for help because the teacher makes them feel stupid. (quoted
from a student in a focus group)
 Homeroom- students feel this is a waste of time. They said they don’t read
announcements anyway. “We might as well shave some time off our school day.”
Quotes from our focus group participants
These are a few of the comments that we heard from students in our focus groups during our two
days at the school.
PBIS
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“It’s stupid; it’s not helping the behavior in the school.”
“Hallway behavior is not changing.”
“I don’t feel like the behavior before this was started was that bad.”
“Only the ‘bad’ students are getting Terror bucks because the teachers are
noticing them. Students who are labeled as ‘good’ aren’t being rewarded because
they are simply acting like they always have.”
“Terror bucks are a joke! So many students are just gambling away their bucks to
win the senior prize.”
“The movies are funny but they didn’t teach us anything we don’t already know.”
“That poster, public display of affection=public rejection…What a joke!”
“I love when teachers simply say ‘good job’/ ‘good work’; I don’t need a Terror
buck! This means more to me!”
Other
 “The second she saw me, she automatically thought, this kid is going to be a
trouble maker.”
 “She’s like a safety net, she’s easy to be around”
 “She says anytime I need help, she will help me, no matter the circumstances.”
Recommendations:
 Continue the strong efforts to get to know each and every student on a more personal
level.
 Possibly change the idea of Terror bucks. Maybe put a value towards them. For
example: you could allow students to turn in three Terror bucks in exchange for getting
out of a homework assignment, purchase things from the commons, purchase items from
the student store, etc.
 Try to get all the teachers on the same level about how they distribute the terrorTbucks
and discipline.
 Encourage teachers to attend student events! This REALLY means a lot to many of the
students!
 Clarify the hallway freeze policy. Many students seemed to be confused and are misinterpreting the concept of this policy.
 If it’s not done already, make the announcements accessible for teachers to print and post
in the classroom, since it seems as though many of the students miss them when they are
read over the intercom.
 Think about having students complete a teacher evaluation at the end of the semester,
anonymously.
Of the 1,387 students who took the survey, we analyzed data from 541 or 39% of the surveys.
We teased out the following factors based on their gender, ethnicity and socio economic status.
The results we found are as follows:
Gender
Boys averaged 11.48
Girls averaged 10.66
Ethnicity
White 11.47
African-American 11.84
Latino 7.50
American Indian 9.27
Asian/Pacific Islander 8.12
Bi-racial 9.15
Other 7.40
SES
Free 9.28
Reduced 8.61
Paid 11.93
In conclusion, we want to thank you for the opportunity to tabulate the quantitative data and
conduct these focus groups and build our knowledge on student/teacher relationships. We hope
you can take the information we found and use it towards continuing to make a positive
difference in your school.