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My daughter’s 7th grade science fair project … got a second?
58 Comments
Hi everyone,My daughter is working on her 7th grade science fair project over winter recess. She put together a quick survey using Google Docs to collect data. Here’s her request for help:
Hey – can you help me with my science fair project? A scientist did a study and said that 90% of the people in the world were right-handed – and the dominant side of their brain was opposite to their “handedness”.
Basically, he said: Right-handed = left brained. Left-handed = right-brained. I want to see if he’s right.
The link below is my survey, please fill it out for me, it would really help!! ^_^
She’s trying to get as many responses as she can by 4pm US Eastern time (GMT-5) on January 9th. I’d be forever in your debt if you’d take the survey and pass it along to friends, especially outside the USA.
Thanks!
-kj-
Published on December 28, 2008 · Filed under: Musings;
58 Responses to “My daughter’s 7th grade science fair project … got a second?”
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Did it. What a great use of the web for your daughter. And she’s beautiful!
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Hi Kevin, I responded to your daughter’s survey and retweeted it. Here’s something she may want to consider – I have no innate sense of right or left, although am right-handed. I have always felt it’s been an advantage (read somewhere when you don’t know right from left, neither side of the brain dominates.) I was an art major in college, write a lot (and not just about ed tech) but also make lists and manage multiple projects and budgets at my job.
Best of luck to her on her project!
Take care,
pamela -
Mr Mackenzie said on December 28th, 2008 at 10:19 am
Hi.
I just took your survey after someone retweeted about it. I don’t know how this affects your results but for those questions about listening (phone, eavesdripping, whispering) I am pretty deaf in one ear and so I don’t have much of a choice of ear :-(Good luck with your project!
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Hi Kevin
Wonderful idea! I’ve just responded. I didn’t know you could create a survey with Google Docs. Good to know.
Funny, I actually had to get up and try some of the things before I could answer :-)
Good luck to your daughter with the project!
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Just a thought I had as I responded to the survey… I am the poster child for your daughter’s hypothesis, being very dominantly right-handed but very left-brained. However, I hold a phone up to my LEFT ear, primarily because that allows my right hand to be used as a I multitask (writing, doodling, flipping channels, driving). Probably a point worth making as data comes in.
Will pass your link to foreign friends. Will the results (and her project) be posted here when the science fair is over? Best of luck to her!
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It’s official. Kevin Jarrett is now officially “Forever in my debt.” Hmmmm.
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Pirategirl,
Thanks for helping me and doing my survey! I am SOO thankful for every response. And get this – I uploaded it about two hours ago! And thank you (blushes) not many people say I’m beautiful (except for my mom and dad)!
-Holly
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Sharon & Holly
I took the survey. It’s interesting because my friend and I just had this discussion. He is very analyti cal, a computer tech at work, and admits having obsessive compulsive disorder. Not very creative at all, also right-handed, but claims to be right-brained.
I’m left-handed and fit the description (more creative than analytical, hate math, etc.) though I do have my analytical moments. :) Like telling my friend he’s wrong. :)
Now I have an excuse for saying I’M ALWAYS RIGHT (brained). :)
PS I had to answer “right eye” for the eye question because I’m blind in the left eye.
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Best of luck on this project!
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kmulford,
Thanks for helping me! I agree with you about the phone thing. When I’m only talking, I hold it to my right ear. But when I’m multi-tasking (lol), I hold it to my left ear and do other things.
-Holly
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Nergiz,
Thanks for doing my survey! I’m glad you got up and did some things ^_^ because some people I’m afraid would just click random stuff.
-Holly
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I would really love to see the results of this survey. Would you please share with me when you complete the project?
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Mr. Mackenzie,
I’m sorry about your ear! :( That must stink, not having much choice (lol), but thanks for doing my survey – and best of luck with your hearing!! ^_^
-Holly
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Interesting survey – great work by your daughter. The results will be fun to see.
cheers,
Graeme -
Pirategirl,
Thanks for helping me and doing my survey! I am SOO thankful for every response. And get this – I uploaded it about two hours ago! And thank you (blushes) not many people say I’m beautiful (except for my mom and dad)!
-Holly
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Dear EVERYONE,
THANK YOU SERIOUSLY SO MUCH!!! You do NOT know how important you guys are to me. Thanks for the good luck wish, I hope I get an A like I did last year!
-Holly
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Hi, Holly and Kevin!
You two make quite a team! It was fun to be a part of this project. I look forward to reading Holly’s findings!
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Mary said on December 28th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Hi there! Just enjoyed completing the survey though have to point out re one of the questions: I do NOT, as a matter of course , step on bugs :) But I picked the foot I probably would use if you made me do it.
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Holly – Wishing you good luck on your project. I like your inclusion of an online survey form like G-Form to gather data from near and far. I work with middle school students, and will share your project’s survey as an example of what a student *should do* to gather relevant information quickly. I give you an “A” on effort alone. Share your results when it’s all over. I bet the Twitterverse would love to “read all about it!”
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Meghan Deana said on December 28th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Best of luck on the survey Holly! I’d love to see the results :)
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Maybe a PopSci person would say they are right, a scientist would state it differently.
Link to another take on it http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html
Does your ‘bib’ include “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” and “Broca’s Brain” ?
And, remember 2 wrongs don’t make a right, but 3 rights make a left.
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I have done a similar study in the past and found out I was solidly right sided. This study brought out some left side responses but mostly right side ones.
BTW I was following a retweet by dogtrax as I missed dads’s tweet earlier. -
Also, I would quibble with some of the questions, my response would be contextual, e.g., Don’t stomp that bug, bad karma. You may want to check the reliability and validity of your instrument.
Just nudged the cat out the door with my left foot.
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Idea: asking for people’s age and/or injuries may make it easier to explain anomalous data and results due to physical limitations.
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Very cool idea. My 4th grader has to do a science project for the first time this year; this might be an inspiration for a way to approach research.
BTW – Looks like I’m right-handed and left-eared. Interesting :-)
I can’t wait to hear how it turns out! -
RavenPhoenix said on December 28th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Completed survey and retweeted…awesome idea! Can’t wait to learn the results!
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I just took your survey — what a great idea for a science project! One factor you might want to consider when collating your data is that some teachers/parents attempted to “convert” lefties into righties. This resulted in mixed dominance issues for some, thus the reason I tend to do sports (and use scissors) right-handed/footed, but most other things leftie. Fortunately, this is no longer common practice!
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readerdiane said on December 28th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Good luck with your survey. Another interesting thought is what were your parents-left or right handed. My father was left handed & all his children are right handed but 2 of his grandchildren are left handed.
2 of my sister-in-laws are left handed but none of their children are. -
Jackie H said on December 28th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
As a NJ science teacher, I am glad to help. I would love to see your daughters analysis of the data posted on your blog.
Happy New Year!
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Diane Main said on December 28th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Hi Kevin and Holly,
I strongly recommend the book “The Dominance Factor” by Anne Haddaford. She teaches that we all have a dominant hand, foot, eye, ear, and brain hemisphere, but the brain isn’t strictly right or left the way we think. Any combination of dominance can exist, and these combinations are assigned a profile that can help anticipate certain strengths and difficulties for learners, particularly under stress.
Something to think about. -
Hi everyone, thanks for your responses – I will be publishing my results.
Beth, thanks!
Chris – thanks! I’m glad you’d give me an “A” for my effort.
jcwinnie – I didn’t write my bibliography yet, but I was planning to include those.
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Jenny from the UK said on December 28th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Happy to complete your survey – great idea! And now retweeted.
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STEMschool – that’s a good idea, thanks!
Tami Brass – that’s so funny, I was a mix of both too.
RavenPhoenix – thanks!
Jenn Kettel – thanks for the idea! I’ll probably put that in my research paper.
readerdiane – thanks! Wow, that’s so weird how traits can just skip generations like that. Our whole family is right-handed, actually.
Jackie H – thanks so much!
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I found a link to this on Plurk.
I look forward to reading your results. I thought it was interesting that I do everything with my right hand/foot except putting on a coat. I sent the link to my kids. My son is the only leftie in the family.
Good luck with your project. -
Russ said on December 28th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Some interesting questions! I had to think about the “whisper” question for a while. Will we get to find out the results?
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Interesting project – made me test some of the things I do unconsciously to see what the answer was! You might need to eliminate those of my answers related to hearing, as they will skew your results – I have hydrops and my left ear is totally nuked. However, before my ear self-destructed, I would always use the left for the phone – but the right to listen through a wall!
Good luck with the data analysis!
Vyt -
Beth Wellman said on December 28th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Saw this on twitter and couldn’t resist – great idea Holly! Looking forward to the results.
Question for you Holly:
Do you think 9th graders could put a survey like this together without a lot of help? What would they need to know??
I’m a HS physics and earth science teacher – I might try this with my students this semester..
thanks!
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Hi Beth, this is Kevin, Holly will reply to these latest comments later, but she said she’d be happy to do a Camtasia explaining the process of creating a Google Survey. She said she wants it to be a survey about “Twilight,” but I’m sure it will be clear and easy to follow! More later! -kj-
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Lori Feldman said on December 28th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Great questions….really had to think!
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Pat said on December 29th, 2008 at 8:51 am
I finished the survey but noticed a couple of things though. First I’ve always considered myself right handed but when I actually did the things mentioned, I was suprised to find that I used my left hand more than expected. I remember growing up and using my left hand but then I would get scolded until I used my right hand. I’m interested in seeing the results.
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I just filled in your daughter’s survey and will retweet it.
Thought I would give some additional information.
Until 3rd grade I was Ambidexerous like most of the women in my Mother’s family. The person in charge of my class determined I was left handed. So she would hold my right hand behind my back and force me to use my left.
5 years later I was getting my eyes examined at UH and on of the students noticed some problems. They spoke to my parents and I joined a study about crossovers. They discovered the woman had actually documented what she did to me in my school file.
The exercises they had me do increased my motor control on my right side and on some tasks I’m now right handed. I still write left handed with difficulty and poor penmanship.
1st year in University I turned in an Essay test to a professor. When he couldn’t get me to see what the problem was beyond poor penmanship he sent me to learning styles. It took me holding the paper to a mirror to be able to see it was completely in mirror image. I was diagnosed dysgraphic. I’m also somewhat dyslexic – but in a quirky way that doesn’t hurt my reading skills. (I can read upside down just as easily as right side up for example. That only causes problems when I put things on the document camera because I can’t see that it is upside down.)
It would be interesting to see if there was some connection between crossover and LD’s. On the other hand 4 of the 5 cousins on my Dad’s side have LD’s . The other 3 have dyslexia and are completely and totally right handed.
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I would also love to see a Camtasia of how to do the Google survey.
Thanks!
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Cam said on December 29th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Very cool. I wanted to answer “yours” on the question asking which foot I’d use to step on a bug.
Good luck on the project.
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I did it! Good luck!
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Nancy A. said on December 29th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Hi Holly, I was sent a link to your survey via Facebook. I filled it out, it was very interesting, I had to think about it and try holding my phone…
Just a note, I am right-handed and when I went into the Army they wanted me to sight (through a rifle) with my right eye and I wasn’t able to… I’m right-handed and left eye dominant… they kept insisting that that was not possible but I finally showed them that was the only way I could do things… interesting how the brain works.
It’s a great survey, I wish you luck with it.
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Thank you everyone for responding! it was a great help! Over 400 results, WOW…
Beth Wellman – GOOD QUESTION. I think your 9th graders could do this in a flash, because I did mine in about 15 minutes. They need to know how to ask a question in the right way, and how it needs to make sense to the reader. Make sure to mention that!! ^_^
Kimberly – Wow – that’s pretty interesting. Maybe I could look for relationships in the data. :)
Thanks again everyone!!!
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Hi everyone! Holly recorded a screencast showing how to create a survey in Google Docs, check it out!
http://www.screencast.com/t/CwqGXTbZqvj
Thanks again for all your support – we have over 500 respondents so far – I think we’ll get 1,000 by the time the survey closes – that’s our goal!
-kj-
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Thanks for the screencast on creating the form. You made it look sooo easy. I haven’t read the series but was heads-up enough to give it to my DD for Christmas. Keep up the tremendous work!
Gail -
Mars said on January 8th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Hi Yankee – long time no speak!
Amba posted about your daughter’s survey on the forum so I thought I’d fill it in. It’s really interesting, cos you don’t normally think about things like which arm you’re going to put through your coat first – they just come automatically.
It’ll be good to read the results!
Mars :-)
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Thanks Mars! Good to hear from you! That was awesome of Amba! My daughter is has over 600 responses to the survey so far – waaaaaaay more than she ever imagined she’d get! Hope all is well across the pond! -kj-
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Kali said on January 8th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
I also completed the survey because Amba posted it onto the schome forum.
It is a very interesting subject to study and one that i have never really though about, even though i study psychology at school. Although physiological psychology isn’t my strongest area according to my module results from last year….lol
I hope that your daughter’s project goes ok and that she gets a good mark. I have just finished a project on the Matching Hypothesis as a factor in Interpersonal Attracttion and remember how stressful it can be =) -
Hi Kali!
Thanks for commenting! “Matching Hypothesis as a factor in Interpersonal Attraction” – whoa! That sounds like serious research!
Good luck in school!
-kj-
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megan said on January 8th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
wow put a pic of your dauter on the web…good job mom!
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Holly said on January 10th, 2009 at 7:54 am
Um… he’s not my mom. (coughs) And I think my dad knows what he’s doing. After all, he’s been teaching internet safety for um… six years…
Hi everyone, I’m writing my research paper right now, but here’s a map of where our responses came from!
Thanks again for helping me in my survey! I will be publishing my results, and you can see them here in the comments.
Holly (The Daughter)
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Tracey Sadler said on January 11th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
Holly,
I teach a writing course to teachers in the summer. A part of this requirtes me to recertify every three years. I am working on a project involving handedness and writing. I could not access your survey (I know you are finished collecting data), but would love to take a look at your Google doc. I will stay posted to see your results. -
Holly said on January 11th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Don’t worry, I’ll publish my results for everyone to see!
-Holly
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Holly said on January 18th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Hi everyone! Thanks so much for being a part of my project!! Here are the results and the link to my research-paper – enjoy! -Holly
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haha said on November 24th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
good job.u go girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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