GOOD NEWS FOR EDUCATORS AND PARENTS
Students credit Destination Imagination with better grades; Say participation has helped them “do better in school”
For the second year in a row, a random poll of students K-12 suggests that superintendents, teachers and parents seeking a tool to help students improve their grades and “do better in school” should consider Destination Imagination’s (DI) problem solving challenge programs.
The University of Tennessee has just completed analyzing data from a survey of more than 500 youth who participated in Destination Imagination’s Global Finals competition in problem solving on the UT campus in May, and the results are identical to the findings of a similar survey of more than 800 competitors in DI’s Global finals in 2011.
Students responding said they believed participation had helped them improve their grades, a majority said participation in DI had helped them “do better in school,” had improved their self confidence, helped them become better communicators, enhanced their respect for others, and had improved their creativity and problem solving skills.
“Back to back in two consecutive years, these two surveys show kids understand that participation in DI improves their academic performance, which is a key requirement in school accreditation and funding today,” said Chuck Cadle, CEO of Destination Imagination, Inc. “Kids also report they participate more in classroom activities, conduct themselves better, get along with others better, and are focused on learning and achieving. All of this is good news for anyone involved in school administration or teaching.”
Global Finals 2012 Survey Results
In a structured survey administered by the university this year, students filled out forms that asked them to rate their responses to the survey statements as:
- Totally disagree
- Disagree some
- Neutral
- Agree a lot
- A major yes!
- Don’t know
The statements students to which students were asked to respond by checking a box were:
- I learn really useful things from DI that I don’t learn in school
- DI teaches me the creative process
- DI helps me develop valuable critical thinking skills
- DI takes too much time away from school
- My leadership skills have improved since I started doing DI
- I learn valuable communication skills in DI
- DI helps me to do better in school
- I solve problems better because of DI
- Schools should make time for DI programs
- Working on teams helps me develop respect for others
- My grades have improved since taking part in DI
- DI has given me confidence in situations that are new to me
Results were as follows (Agree a lot and a major yes have been combined as yes):
Learn useful things from DI I don’t learn in school
- 92.9% yes
- 6% neutral
- 1.1% disagree
DI teaches the creative process
- 95.6% yes
- 3.3% neutral
- 1.1% disagree
Critical thinking skills enhanced
- 95.1% yes
- 2.4% neutral
- 2.4% disagree
DI takes too much time away from school
- 63% disagree
- 23.7% neutral
- 13.3% yes
DI improves my leadership skills
- 80.8% yes
- 15.1% neutral
- 4.1% disagree
DI teaches valuable communication skills
- 84% yes
- 13.5% neutral
- 2.6% disagree
DI helps me do better in school
- 60% yes
- 30.7% neutral
- 9.4% no
I solve problems better because of DI
- 87.3% yes
- 9.6% neutral
- 3.1% disagree
Schools should make time for DI programs
- 89% yes
- 8.1% neutral
- 3% no
DI helps me develop respect for others
- 84.4% yes
- 13% neutral
- 2.6% no
Grades have improved since taking part in DI
- 42.6% yes
- 42.6% neutral
- 14.8% no
DI builds my confidence in new situations
- 84.9% yes
- 11.9% neutral
- 3.2% no