Problem Identification

14 Grade 10 Community Service Learning questions on Problem Identification, with worked marking schemes. 14 questions are available on this topic in full.

1. Question 1

   1 mark

   To find out why traders at a local market dump waste behind the stalls, a group interviews only three traders out of more than eighty. What is the main weakness of this approach?

   A. The findings obtained will be difficult to write down and organise.

   B. The views collected may not represent those of the traders as a whole.

   C. Three interviews will take up too much of the time set aside for the work.

   D. Interviews cannot be used to collect information from traders in a market.

   (1 mark)

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2. Question 2

   1 mark

   A Grade 10 class has been asked to begin an action research project in the community around their school in Machakos. What should be their first step?

   A. Buy the materials that they expect to use during the project.

   B. Choose a problem that they have read about in a newspaper.

   C. Decide on the project that their teacher will find easiest to supervise.

   D. Hold discussions with the residents to find out which problems affect them most.

   (1 mark)

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3. Question 3

   1 mark

   Which of the following is stated best as the problem for an action research project?

   A. Households draw drinking water from an open stream 2 km away, and diarrhoea cases rise each rainy season.

   B. Is dirty water bad for the health of the people living in the village?

   C. The county government should sink a borehole for the village so that the problem ends.

   D. Water is a very big problem in Kenya today and something should be done about it.

   (1 mark)

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4. Question 4

   4 marks

   Outline four steps a Grade 10 class should follow when identifying a problem to address in their community.

   (4 marks)

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5. Question 5

   6 marks

   Explain three challenges learners may face while identifying a community problem, and suggest how each challenge can be overcome.

   (6 marks)

   Marking scheme

   Any THREE pairs; 1 mark for the challenge and 1 mark for a matching remedy (2 marks each): - Residents are suspicious and unwilling to give information / Get an introduction through the chief or the school, explain the purpose clearly and assure them of confidentiality. - Residents give conflicting views on what the real problem is / Check the information against other sources such as records and observation, then hold a feedback meeting to agree on the main problem. - Limited time because of the school timetable / Set aside specific days for data collection and share the tasks among small groups. - Language barrier with elderly residents / Use the local language or involve a member of the community as an interpreter. - The community expects money or handouts / Be honest from the first meeting about what the learners can and cannot do. - Long distances or bad weather / Cluster the visits by village and make use of existing records instead of travelling. Max 6 marks. A remedy that does not match the challenge stated earns no mark.

6. Question 6

   5 marks

   Outline five criteria a class should use when deciding which of several identified problems to take up as their project.

   (5 marks)

   Marking scheme

   Any FIVE, 1 mark each: 1. Seriousness: how much harm the problem causes if it is left unattended. 2. Number of people affected: a problem affecting many households deserves priority over one affecting a few. 3. Feasibility: whether it can be handled within the time, skills, materials and funds the class has. 4. Community interest: whether residents rank it as urgent and are willing to take part. 5. Safety: whether learners can work on it without risk to themselves. 6. Availability of support: whether the school, the chief's office or a local organisation is willing to assist. 7. Sustainability: whether the community can keep the results going after the class leaves. Max 5 marks.

7. Question 7

   1 mark

   A group's questionnaire results show that most households boil their drinking water, but during home visits the learners see very few homes doing so. What is the most appropriate next step for the group?

   A. Rely on what they saw during the visits because they observed it for themselves.

   B. Check the two findings against another source, such as the dispensary's records, to establish which picture is accurate.

   C. Abandon the topic altogether and look for a different problem to investigate.

   D. Rely on the questionnaire results because a larger number of households answered them.

   (1 mark)

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8. Question 8

   1 mark

   Learners find that pupils at a nearby primary school are frequently absent during the rainy season. Which of the following is the root cause of the problem rather than a symptom of it?

   A. Pupils in the school score low marks in the end-of-term examinations.

   B. Pupils arrive at school late and too tired to concentrate in class.

   C. The path to the school crosses a seasonal river that floods and has no footbridge.

   D. Many of the pupils repeat the same class at the end of the year.

   (1 mark)

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9. Question 9

   1 mark

   What is the main purpose of carrying out a needs assessment before settling on a community project?

   A. To raise all the funds that the project is going to require.

   B. To establish the gap between the community's present situation and the one it desires.

   C. To prepare a list of the names of all the people living in the community.

   D. To prove that the solution the learners have already chosen is the right one.

   (1 mark)

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10. Question 10

    4 marks

    Distinguish between a community need and a community want, giving one example of each from a rural Kenyan village.

    (4 marks)

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11. Question 11

    6 marks

    Describe three methods a class could use to collect first-hand information about a problem in their community.

    (6 marks)

    Marking scheme

    Any THREE methods, 2 marks each: 1 mark for naming the method and 1 mark for describing how it would be used. - Observation: visiting the site and recording what is seen, using an observation checklist. - Interview: asking selected residents or leaders prepared questions face to face and writing down their answers. - Questionnaire: giving written questions to many respondents to fill in, so that a large number is covered quickly. - Focus group discussion: guiding a small group of residents to discuss the issue together and noting the points raised. Max 6 marks. Naming a method with no description earns 1 mark only.

12. Question 12

    3 marks

    In a village in Kilifi, learners observe that many households store their drinking water in uncovered containers. Suggest three questions they could ask the households in order to establish the cause of this practice.

    (3 marks)

    Marking scheme

    Any THREE questions that seek a cause rather than confirming the learners' own opinion; 1 mark each: - Where do you fetch your drinking water from and how far is the source? - What containers do you use for storing water, and do they have lids or covers? - Why is the water left uncovered: is it easier to scoop, or are covers unavailable or broken? - Has anyone ever taught you about safe storage and treatment of drinking water? - What would a covered container cost you, and would you be able to buy one? Max 3 marks. Leading questions such as "Don't you know that dirty water is dangerous?" earn no mark.

13. Question 13

    2 marks

    State two sources of secondary data a class could use while investigating the high number of malaria cases in their village.

    (2 marks)

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14. Question 14

    1 mark

    When presenting their findings on households that have no latrines to a community meeting, how should learners best protect the people who gave them the information?

    A. Give the findings as totals and percentages, without naming any household.

    B. Name only the adults who were interviewed and leave out the children.

    C. Read out the names so that the community can confirm that the information is true.

    D. Give the names of the households but leave out the photographs taken.

    (1 mark)

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