How do people feel about surveys?

Discuss the LLORG's and HTLAL forum's past and its future here.

How do you feel about language-learning surveys from new users?

I enjoy filling out surveys! It helps scientists and students learn more about language learners.
10
26%
They're not my thing, but sure, why not?
13
33%
I only like some surveys. For example, ones that are meant for independent learners, advanced learners and/or polyglots. (Feel free to explain below.)
9
23%
We've had more than enough surveys, thank you, and I'd prefer the mods to be a lot more choosy about what they approve.
7
18%
 
Total votes: 39

taryn
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Re: How do people feel about surveys?

Postby taryn » Sat Sep 09, 2017 8:29 pm

I thought about putting that question because a couple of paragraph of my thesis address the theme of eTeaching as well, and I wanted to find out if anybody who takes synchronous or asynchronous online courses that require the guidance of a teacher actually finds their collaboration helpful. Maybe "instructor" would've been a more accurate term. I'm sorry, you can tell I have never written a thesis in English :oops: I'm happy I'm having these responses though, so I can understand some imprecisions that I would have never even noticed! Thank you for trying to do it and for explaining why you couldn't continue :lol:

MorkTheFiddle wrote:
taryn wrote:Then, if you'd like, you can share your opinion on this survey: https://goo.gl/forms/WnPv8m9ExKwRx8TF2 That is, of course, if you've ever taken an online course.
ss by an opportunity of skewing the results of a survey or poll by just making up crazy answers.

One of the questions on this survey forced me to stop immediately. The question is, "Whenever I feel doubtful, I turn to my teacher and ask for guidance. *" This is a starred question that has to be answered, but there is no way for me to answer it honestly, because I have never taken an online course that has a teacher nor have I ever taken an online course at the suggestion of a teacher of a different course.

The only explanation for the question that I can think of is that either the survey pertains to a specific kind of on-line course that I have never taken, but which is not specified, or that the survey does not consider the kind of courses that I would call an on-line course to be a true on-line course. And since the word "teacher" is used, this seems restricted to elementary, middle and high school students, private or public.

For the record, I have taken on-line courses--but not with an instructor--in Old Norse, Old English, and Modern German. All were limited in scope, but allowing for that, excellent.
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Cavesa
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Re: How do people feel about surveys?

Postby Cavesa » Sat Sep 09, 2017 10:25 pm

taryn wrote:The thing is that I hadn't realised the inaccuracy of my description until some of the members made me notice. Especially since I had showed it to an expert and was told it was fine! But that's okay, I can edit it! I'm sorry if I wasted five minutes of someone's time, it was really not my intention.
Anyway, thank you for your kind welcome. I guess I just have to get used to this site. I don't mind being rightly criticised, I only get upset when I read sarcastic comments when I was not even trying to be nasty or anything.
I hope your survey results were more satisfactory !


Yes, that is what were talking about. The discrepancy between language learning as perceived by experts and as perceived by autonomous learners is huge. That leads to the overall bad quality of such surveys, because many of those experts know very little about the opportunities available today. I was not trying to be overly sarcastic, I just dislike being treated like a moron while I am right. Repeating the same wrong definition doesn't make it right :-)
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taryn
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Re: How do people feel about surveys?

Postby taryn » Sat Sep 09, 2017 11:57 pm

I never said you weren't right and, most importantly, I recognised the ambiguity in my description and corrected it.
Also, I didn't repeat the same definition because "online courses" is different from "eLearning"*, that's why I specified it when I was asking someone who enjoys doing surveys to help me if s/he'd like, so there would be no other misunderstandings (also because I had edited the description and some other terms that you users made me notice. So yeah, it's not like I don't find your feedback constructive).

*The reason why I wrote eLearning in the first place was because I was reading Nipper's paper on Distance Education, called "Third generation distance learning and computer conferencing" in which he stated that the third generation - that is eLearning - consists in a two-way communication among learners, instructors and peers, so he believed it prevailed over the first two because of its communicative potential ("the main objectives of the first and second generation systems have been the production and distribution of teaching/learning material to the learners. Communication with the learners has been marginal and communication amongst the learners has been more or less non-existent" Nipper, 1989: 63). I suppose the term is polyvalent.


Cavesa wrote:
taryn wrote:The thing is that I hadn't realised the inaccuracy of my description until some of the members made me notice. Especially since I had showed it to an expert and was told it was fine! But that's okay, I can edit it! I'm sorry if I wasted five minutes of someone's time, it was really not my intention.
Anyway, thank you for your kind welcome. I guess I just have to get used to this site. I don't mind being rightly criticised, I only get upset when I read sarcastic comments when I was not even trying to be nasty or anything.
I hope your survey results were more satisfactory !


I just dislike being treated like a moron while I am right. Repeating the same wrong definition doesn't make it right :-)
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Adrianslont
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Re: How do people feel about surveys?

Postby Adrianslont » Sun Sep 10, 2017 6:35 am

Cavesa wrote:
taryn wrote:The thing is that I hadn't realised the inaccuracy of my description until some of the members made me notice. Especially since I had showed it to an expert and was told it was fine! But that's okay, I can edit it! I'm sorry if I wasted five minutes of someone's time, it was really not my intention.
Anyway, thank you for your kind welcome. I guess I just have to get used to this site. I don't mind being rightly criticised, I only get upset when I read sarcastic comments when I was not even trying to be nasty or anything.
I hope your survey results were more satisfactory !


Yes, that is what were talking about. The discrepancy between language learning as perceived by experts and as perceived by autonomous learners is huge. That leads to the overall bad quality of such surveys, because many of those experts know very little about the opportunities available today. I was not trying to be overly sarcastic, I just dislike being treated like a moron while I am right. Repeating the same wrong definition doesn't make it right :-)

I don't think this is just about the discrepancy between educators and autonomous learners - I think very few people can write a good survey - and most don't realise that you need to trial a survey to see if it works. I have given up doing surveys that appear on this or the reddit forum because they pretty much always have questions that I just can't answer because they are illconceived. Some of those are illconceived because they don't acknowledge/include autonomous learners but there are many other ways they can be illconceived.

Thus I haven't even looked at taryn's survey but I note s/he is willing to engage and learn from feedback. Maybe taryn could use this experience as a trial.

Taryn, I would be very wary of citing a 1989 paper on elearning unless you are really sure it is still relevant and even then you probably need to flag how old it is - things have changed a hell of a lot.

Edit: And when I say most surveys are poor quality, I am not just referring to language learning surveys.
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taryn
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Re: How do people feel about surveys?

Postby taryn » Sun Sep 10, 2017 7:17 am

I understand your point. I quoted Nipper's work because I had found it in more recent studies where he was mentioned because of the innovacy he brought in this field. But maybe I should've put someome else here to strengthen my thesis :lol:
Nonetheless, thank you for your feedback!

Adrianslont wrote:
Cavesa wrote:
taryn wrote:The thing is that I hadn't realised the inaccuracy of my description until some of the members made me notice. Especially since I had showed it to an expert and was told it was fine! But that's okay, I can edit it! I'm sorry if I wasted five minutes of someone's time, it was really not my intention.
Anyway, thank you for your kind welcome. I guess I just have to get used to this site. I don't mind being rightly criticised, I only get upset when I read sarcastic comments when I was not even trying to be nasty or anything.
I hope your survey results were more satisfactory !


Yes, that is what were talking about. The discrepancy between language learning as perceived by experts and as perceived by autonomous learners is huge. That leads to the overall bad quality of such surveys, because many of those experts know very little about the opportunities available today. I was not trying to be overly sarcastic, I just dislike being treated like a moron while I am right. Repeating the same wrong definition doesn't make it right :-)


I don't think this is just about the discrepancy between educators and autonomous learners - I think very few people can write a good survey - and most don't realise that you need to trial a survey to see if it works. I have given up doing surveys that appear on this or the reddit forum because they pretty much always have questions that I just can't answer because they are illconceived. Some of those are illconceived because they don't acknowledge/include autonomous learners but there are many other ways they can be illconceived.

Thus I haven't even looked at taryn's survey but I note s/he is willing to engage and learn from feedback. Maybe taryn could use this experience as a trial.

Taryn, I would be very wary of citing a 1989 paper on elearning unless you are really sure it is still relevant and even then you probably need to flag how old it is - things have changed a hell of a lot.
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smallwhite
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Re: How do people feel about surveys?

Postby smallwhite » Sun Sep 10, 2017 12:54 pm

taryn wrote:I don't mind being rightly criticised, I only get upset when I read sarcastic comments when I was not even trying to be nasty or anything.

We've come across too many surveys that sucked and you're the only survey writer who stood still so.
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reineke
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Re: How do people feel about surveys?

Postby reineke » Sun Sep 10, 2017 1:10 pm

taryn wrote:I never said you weren't right and, most importantly, I recognised the ambiguity in my description and corrected it.

Anyway, thank you for your kind welcome. I guess I just have to get used to this site. I don't mind being rightly criticised, I only get upset when I read sarcastic comments when I was not even trying to be nasty or anything.
I hope your survey results were more satisfactory !


We argue a lot here. Welcome to the club. I didn't mind the survey. I think moderators should be more selective about certain surveys but I also don't care to deconstruct student surveys. I also don't think we needed to have this survey about surveys so close to your survey. Survey, survey, survey.
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taryn
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Re: How do people feel about surveys?

Postby taryn » Sun Sep 10, 2017 2:19 pm

"Sticks and stones may break my bones..." :lol: Jokes aside, I am glad I was able to read different kinds of feedback.

smallwhite wrote:
taryn wrote:I don't mind being rightly criticised, I only get upset when I read sarcastic comments when I was not even trying to be nasty or anything.

We've come across too many surveys that sucked and you're the only survey writer who stood still so.
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taryn
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Re: How do people feel about surveys?

Postby taryn » Sun Sep 10, 2017 2:23 pm

Thanks!
Is it just me or the word "survey" is starting to sound weird? :lol:

We argue a lot here. Welcome to the club. I didn't mind the survey. I think moderators should be more selective about certain surveys but I also don't care to deconstruct student surveys. I also don't think we needed to have this survey about surveys so close to your survey. Survey, survey, survey.
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Ani
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Re: How do people feel about surveys?

Postby Ani » Sun Sep 17, 2017 10:03 am

I picked choosy, probably beside I am feeling grumpy. They don't objectively bother me, but I am not interested I filling out any more surveys. I don't like giving people my data for free, and most are lousy.
Also, we need to stop calling this thread a survey. It's a poll. Forum polls are the greatest things since velcro. I would fill them out every day. I'd fill out several a day if the poll options were suitably snarky.
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But there's no sense crying over every mistake. You just keep on trying till you run out of cake.


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