Miscellaneous

SENSUS INSTRUCTIONS Grades 6^th thru 10th

Peer

The first few questions are about your friends or the kids you hang out with.

Harter

Next, we have some sentences, and I would like you to tell me how true you think they are of you.  Once again this is not a test and there are no right or wrong answers.

Importance

Next, I'd like to know how important each of the following things are to you as a person and how you feel about yourself.

Contingency

INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: PLACE CARD A IN FRONT OF THE CHILD AND CONTINUE.

We are interested in why you think things happen to other kids. After I read you each of the statements on the next pages, tell me whether you think it is 'not at all true', 'a little true', 'sort of true', or 'very true'.  There are no right or wrong answers.  Everyone is different - we're interested in what you think.

Control

[INTERVIEWER: KEEP CARD A OUT FOR THIS SCALE]

Now I have some sentences about things that happen to kids your age.  I would like to know how true you think these sentences are for you.  There are no right or wrong answers.  After I read you each of the statements, tell me whether you think it is 'not at all true, 'a little true', 'sort of true', or 'very true' of you.

CAPS

[INTERVIEWER: KEEP CARD A OUT FOR THIS SCALE]

This next set of questions will help us get to know boys and girls your age better.   After I read you each of the statements on the next pages, tell me whether you think it is 'not at all true', 'a little true', 'sort of true', or 'very true'.  Remember, there are no right or wrong answers and everyone will have different answers.  Be sure that your answers show how you actually are.

 

Life Events – Self and Family

INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: PLACE CARD B IN FRONT OF THE CHILD AND CONTINUE.

In this section, I will read statements that describe events that can happen in the life of any young person or in any family.  Some of them will apply to you and your family, and many of them will not.  Family means your parents, brothers and sisters, your grandparents, your uncles and aunts, and your cousins.

Life Events – Friends

INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: Leave out Card C.

In the last section we asked you about things that may have happened to you or a member of your family.  Now I'd like to ask you about things that may have happened to your close friends. Friends you really know and like and spend a lot of time with.

Anxiety Sensitivity

[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: PLACE CARD C1 IN FRONT OF THE CHILD AND CONTINUE.]

Now I am going to read you a sentence and then I want you to tell me how well the sentence describes you.

Reward and Inhibition

[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: GO BACK TO CARD A AND PLACE IT IN FRONT OF THE CHILD AND CONTINUE.]

Now I am going to read you some sentences that describe how people behave in certain situations. Then I want you to tell me how true the sentence is for you.

How I Feel

[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: PLACE CARD D IN FRONT OF THE CHILD AND CONTINUE.]

Now I am going to ask about your feelings.  For each sentence I want you to pick out the ending that is true for you.  Answer the way you have been feeling during the past two

weeks.

 

Social Support

Screen 1

Which adults have taken care of you the most in the last year? We want to know about the adults that care for you and live in the same house with you.  Would that be your mom and dad?

[If they name someone other than their mother or father, ask them the name and the relationship of the adult who cared for them the most.  Then simply cross out 'Mother' on the social network card and write above it the appropriate relationship (e.g., grandmother).  Then have the child write in this adult's first name.  If there is a second caregiver, cross out 'Father' on the social support network card and write the correct relationship above it (e.g., Uncle James).

[In the case of more than one set of caregivers (for instance, step-parents), ask the children which of the adults took care of them the most.  Have them write these names into the mother and father slots respectively. Be sure to write in the correct relationship on the social support network card.

Screen 2

All of us talk to different people for different things, like when you are feeling happy or sad, calm, or worried, or when you need help with school.  Now I would like to know who do you talk to about these things. [Place network card in front of child and ask them to write down the name of each of the people they mention] (Check all that apply).

Drug Section – Self Administered

Screen 1

Okay, in the next part of the interview , you get to enter your answers into the computer all by yourself.  That's so you can be sure that no one, even me, will know your answers.  I'll stay in the room with you to help you with any questions or problems you have with the computer.  Let's try some practice questions to get warmed up.  Have you ever used a computer before?

Screen 2

[Turn the computer toward the child so s/he child can operate it.  Position yourself along side of the child, so you can read the screen together and you can assist the child with the practice questions. Have the headphones ready for the child to wear, but don't have him/her put them on until you are through with the practice questions.  There are a total of three sets of practice questions. The last set is used only if you feel the child still needs more practice.]

[Click the next button to proceed to the practice questions for the audio-assisted part of the interview.]

Drug Section – Self Administered (continued)

Tobacco

The next question is about smoking tobacco cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and cigarillos.

Alcohol

The next set of questions are about drinks with alcohol in them.

Marijuana

The next set of questions are about smoking grass or reefer.  Sometimes it's called marijuana, pot, weed, a joint, or a jay.

Crack/Cocaine

Sometimes young people smoke crack.  Other times they inhale cocaine as a powder.

Heroin

Some young people smoke heroin. Others inhale or snort it. And some young people use a needle to inject heroin into their bodies.

Inhalants

Sometimes young people sniff something to get high like glue, gases, paint thinner, spray paint, or household cleaners.  Sometimes this is called huffing.

Ecstasy

Some young people use Ecstasy or X or E.

Problem Questions

Some people have bad effects from using {DRUG}.  The next set of questions are about some problems you might have had with {DRUG}.

Friends Drug Use

The next few questions are about your friends or the kids you hang out with the most.

Deviant Peers

Now I'm going to ask you some more questions about your friends.

Attitudes Towards Drug

INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: PLACE CARD F IN FRONT OF THE CHILD AND CONTINUE.

In this next set of questions, I'd like to know how you feel about kids your own age doing each of the following.

Peer Attitudes Towards Drugs

INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: Leave out Card F.

In this next set of questions I'd like to know how you think your close friends would feel about YOU doing each of the following.

Parent Attitudes Towards Drugs

[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: Leave out Card F.]

For this set of questions, I'd like to know how do you think your parents would feel about YOU doing each of the following.

Peer Pressure

[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: Take out Card F1.]

THE NEXT SET OF QUESTIONS ARE ABOUT HOW YOUR FRIENDS MIGHT TREAT YOU IF THEY OFFERED YOU ALCOHOL OR DRUGS AND YOU SAID NO.

[Interviewer: IF KID SAYS FRIENDS WOULD NOT OFFER ME DRUGS MARK NOT AT ALL.]

Risk and Availability

INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: PLACE CARD G IN FRONT OF THE CHILD AND CONTINUE.

We are interested in your opinion about the effects of using certain drugs, and about whether it's difficult or easy to get drugs.

First we want you to tell us how much you think people risk harming themselves physically or in other ways if they do each of the following things.

 

Parenting

INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: PLACE CARD J IN FRONT OF THE CHILD AND CONTINUE.

The next set of questions are about your life out of school and your parents, or the person(s) who take care of you the most.  I'm just going to use the word parent(s) to refer to the people who care for you the most. Okay?

Activities and Hobbies

The next set of questions are about your hobbies or the sports you like to play.

Praise (Parent & Teachers)

[INTERVIEWER: TAKE CARD J OUT FOR THIS SCALE]

THE NEXT SET OF QUESTIONS ARE ABOUT HOW YOUR PARENTS AND TEACHERS FEEL ABOUT YOUR GRADES AND BEHAVIOR. BY BEHAVIOR WE MEAN OBEYING RULES, LISTENING TO YOUR PARENTS AND TEACHERS AND GETTING ALONG WITH YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, FRIENDS AND CLASSMATES.

Neighborhood

INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: PLACE CARD N IN FRONT OF THE CHILD AND CONTINUE.

The next set of questions are about your neighborhood.

Racism

[INTERVIEWER: TAKE CARD O OUT FOR THIS SCALE]

These questions ask you to think about experiences that you or your family may have had because of their race or racism.  By racism we mean that people are behaving badly to one another just because of skin color, family background or religion.

Interviewer Observations

Okay, before we go on the next section of the interview, I need just a minute to answer a few questions the computer has asked me.

 

Begin of Ktea achievement test

"Okay, now, I am going to ask you to name some letters and words and to solve some problems. Some problems will seem easy, while others will seem hard. Just do your best."

[Interviewer: Begin administration of K-TEA READING Test. Remove the label from upper right hand corner of face sheet and affix to K-TEA READING answer sheet.  Once you've completed the K-TEA READING test, give the student a pencil and the Mathematics Computation Worksheet.  Point to the appropriate starting item (item 16) and say...]

"Okay, now, I am going to ask you to solve some math problems. Some problems will seem easy, while others will seem hard. Just do your best.  Do as many as you can."

[Interviewer: Begin administration of K-TEA Math Achievement Test. Remove the second K-TEA label from the right hand margin of the face sheet and affix to K-TEA comprehensive form answer booklet.  Interviewer, press 'Next' to complete the Sensus portion of the interview and press the 'Quit' button to exit Sensus. Move on to the disc.