Data Collections
Principal Survey. The high school experience constructs in the conceptual framework shown
in Figure 1 were used to develop Principal Survey items. In addition, the STEM school survey
Journal of Research in Science Teaching
714 MEANS ET AL.
used in Means et al. (2008) and interviews with principals of six North Carolina schools that
participated in piloting student surveys informed item development. Principal Survey items
addressed the school’s mission, student recruiting and enrollment processes, perceptions of
teacher quality, curriculum and extracurricular offerings, facilities, and student support practices.
The reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) of the Principal Survey scales ranged from 0.72 to 0.92, as
shown inTable 1.
Grade 12 Student Survey. The Grade 12 Student Survey was designed to collect data on
students’ reports of high school experiences in their STEM courses and extracurricular activities
related to STEM; overall academic and STEM orientation; academic and personal supports
received through their high school; plans for the year following graduation; and interest in STEM
majors and careers. Sources of items and scales for the Grade 12 Student Survey included the
Consortium on Chicago School Research’s Biennial Chicago Public School Student Survey, the
National Center for Education Statistics’ High School Longitudinal Study, SRI’s Program
Evaluation of the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST)
Program, and Young et al.’s (2011) student survey for the Evaluation of the Texas High School
Project. When asking students questions about their experiences in math and science classes, the
survey asked them to think specifically about the math (or science) class they took in grade 11 to
avoid having them try to perform the cognitively difficult task of averaging their impressions
across multiple classes. The survey asked about grade 11 math and science classes rather than
grade 12 classes because not all 12th graders take math and science classes. Finally, the Grade 12