HTML Preview School Food Satisfaction Survey page number 1.
No. 8
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PUBLICA~ON FOR CEILD NUTIWION PROFESSIONALS FROM TEE NATIONAL FOOD SFBVICE MANAGEMEW hkmrum
RESEARCH
CNP’s today are much different from those of 1946 when the school lunch program
was first federally funded. The primary customer has shifted from parents and
administrators to students. Students today are more sophisticated and are exposed at
an earlier age to a variety of types of food. They grew up in an environment of fast
food restaurants and food courts. Choices have become the norm rather than the
exception. To keep pace with the changing market, school foodservices must
continuously adjust to the wants and needs of the customer. This involves
continuously asking the students such questions as “How happy are you with the
school foodservice and nutrition program?“, “What one thing do you like best about
your school foodservice and nutrition program that you would never change?” and
“If you could change one thing about your school foodservice and nutrition program,
what would it be?“.
SFS director/supervisors wear many hats in the work environment of today.
The development of continuous improvement tools is very time consuming.
The development of a valid and reliable student foodservice survey is a multi step
process. Many SFS directors/supervisors do not have time in their busy schedules to
develop such an instrument. As a result, the National Food Service Management
Institute (NFSMI), Division of Applied Research has begun a multi phase project
to develop student foodservice surveys. The first to be developed was the high
school survey.
OBJECTIVES
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To determine whether the same survey could be used for high and
middle/junior high school students.
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To determine if student satisfaction is related to participation in high
school foodservices.
METHOD
It is important in applied research and continuous improvement to focus on the
customer. To ensure a student focused survey was developed, the Division of
Applied Research began by asking a group of high school students to discuss
“What characteristics contributed to an ‘ideal’ school cafeteria.” Students ranked
fresh clean food as the most important; second as a clean cafeteria, and tied for
third were: nice staff, no long lines and good variety. The student identified
characteristics were the basis for the development of survey questions. The first
pilot survey was composed of ninety questions. This survey was tested with 150
high school students from selected districts in Wisconsin, Mississippi, and
Massachusetts and 150 middle/junior high students from selected districts in
California, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and Mississippi. Statistical analysis showed
a significant difference in the characteristics important to middle/junior high
students and those important to high school students.
One unique difference in middle/junior high students was the direct relationship
between satisfaction and sitting with their friends. This relationship is probably
because in many middle/junior high schools students frequently sit with a
scheduled class rather than having open seating that allows them to sit with their
friends. As a result, it was decided there was enough difference between
middle/junior high and high school students to develop a separate
middle/junior high school survey. The middle/junior high survey is in the
development stage.