The Lunchroom Project Case Study

Conducting a strong and accurate survey, though it may sound simple at first, gets complicated fairly quickly. There are many factors that begin to surface that require thinking on a much deeper level. When presented with a problem involving student lunch options, the children from Patricia Manchester’s third grade class decided to conduct a survey which they named The Lunchroom Project. As we filter through their ideas and methods, certain steps are apparent in their process.

The Overall Problem The students had a long list of complaints about the schools lunch offerings. They decided they would like to write letters to the director of food services, however they needed data to support their claims. The teacher suggested developing and conducting a survey that would provide them with accurate information. When they started breaking down the logistics of the study, the students quickly figured out that is, of course, much easier said than done. Their lunchroom not only offers the main dish, but has a variety of side items, soups, salads, and more, that give the students a variety of options for lunch. With so many available options, they had to put an extreme amount of care into the development of their study to ensure results could be accurately measured.

They decided to pose the question “What do third graders eat for lunch?” With teacher guidance, the students developed a list of questions that they wanted their survey to answer. To create an accurate study, they began eliminating and narrowing down their questions. They decided that if they already knew the answers, then they needed to ask different questions. They eventually narrowed it down to 4 questions that they wanted their study to