Name: Taneika Powell Centre #: Candidate #:100088 Territory: Jamaica Subject: Social Studies Acknowledgement

The successful completion of this study would not have been possible without the assistance of my Social Studies teachers. The researcher would like to express sincere gratitude to the residents of Brown’s Hall for their valuable time spent in answering the questionnaires given to them.

Introduction

This is a course work requirement for the Social Studies C.X.C examination. This School Based Assessment (S.B.A) entails the study and results of a Community of the researcher’s choice Brown’s Hall in St. Catherine, Jamaica. It focuses on a specific social problem that the community is currently experiencing, the cause, effects and solutions of a problem. This project is also in the aid of highlighting the problems that face the residents of the community while ensuring confidentiality.

Statement of Problem

To what extent does inadequate water supply affects the residents of my community?

Research Questions 1. What is the level of efficiency of water supply in my community? 2. What is the cause of inadequate water supply in my community? 3. What are some of the effects of inadequate water supply in my community? 4. What are some of the solutions that can be implemented to change the level of water supply in my community?

Reason for Selecting the Area of Research

This area of research was chosen because over the past fifteen (15) years the researcher has been living in the community of Brown’s Hall, we have not had any adequate water supply in the community. During this time water is obtained by other means, such as either buying water, rainfall or piped water. Therefore it would be essential for the researcher to find out how this affects the community.

Presentation and Explanation of Data A total of thirty (30) questionnaires were distributed to the residents of Brown’s Hall and only 29 were returned. Of these respondents 62% were female and 38% were males.

Method of Investigation The method of data collection chosen is the questionnaire. The questionnaire is a document that comprises of questions about a particular topic or subject matter.
Advantages of using questionnaire 1. The questionnaires give the participants the reliability of having the questions to look at and read while they can have the questionnaire for a few days and fill it out a time of their convenience. 2. The questionnaire is also good for the retrieval of information and it can be analyzed and compare the statistics. 3. The questionnaire helps the formation of questions and it can be used again for future references.

Dear Respondent,
This is a survey being carried out in Brown’s Hall to determine the reliability and efficiency of inadequate water supply in air community. This study is being conducted as an assignment for my Social Studies (SBA) School Based Assessment.
This is a permission request for those persons who will be participating in this research. I hereby seek your permission to complete this questionnaire and any other relevant requirement in a prompt and honest manner. Thank You

Questionnaire I hereby seek your permission to complete this questionnaire and any other relevant requirement in a prompt and honest manner. Place a tick beside your response. Thank you.

1. Gender
Male [] Female []

2. Age 15-20 []
21-25 [] 25-30 [] Over 30 []

3. What is your occupation? Employed [] Unemployed [] Self-employed [] Retired [] Student []

4. How long have you lived in the community of Brown’s Hall?
Under one year []
1-5 years []
5-10 years []
10-15 years []
15-20 years []
Over 20 years []

5. Is there an adequate water supply in your community?
Yes []
No []

6. How do you get water? When it rains [] From the pipe [] From water trucks [] From the river or spring [] Other_________________________________________________ Please Specify

7. How do you store your water? In tanks [] In drums [] In buckets [] In jugs [] Other_____________________________________________________ Please Specify

8. How often do you get water? Everyday [] Once per week [] Monthly [] Every other month [] Other_____________________________________________________ Please Specify

9. Have you been experiencing water problem? Yes [] No []

9b. If your answer to #9 is yes how long have you been experiencing this water problem? Under 1 year 1-5 years [] 5-10 years [] 10-15 years [] 15-20 years [] Over 20 years []

10. What is the quality of water you receive? Clean and pure [] Chlorine [] Need to be purified [] Dirty [] Other_____________________________________________________ Please Specify 11.When was the last time complaints were made to the National Water Commission? Never [] 1-5 years [] 5-10 years [] 10-20 years [] Over 20 []

12. When was the last time a representative from the N.W.C visited the community? Never [] 1-5years [] 5-10 years [] 10-20 years [] Over 20 years []

13. What are some of the problems you face when there is no water? Health Risk [] Children cannot go to school [] Psychological problem [] Beautification problem [] Other_____________________________________________________ Please Specify

14. What do you think is the reason for the lack of water in the community? Criminal activity [] Negligence [] Rural area [] Slow Development [] Other_____________________________________________________ Please Specify

15. What do you think can be done to address this water situation? Install pumps [] Install reservoir [] Write to the relevant authorities [] Demonstrate [] Other_______________________________________________________ Please Specify

Procedure Used to Collect Data

Browns Hall has approximately 100 households. It was calculated that a sample of 25% was necessary to ensure accurate conclusion on the survey of inadequate water supply in the community, (25% of 100=25). A total of 30 questionnaires were prepared for distribution to the residents. It was expected that at least 25 of these would be returned. The researcher therefore decided to choose the households by a process of random selection. The numbers of all the houses in the community were written each on a slip of paper. Each slip of paper was folded and placed in a box. The box was closed and shaken to ensure a thorough mixture of the numbers. A total of 30 slips were drawn from the box while shaking the box in the process. The 30 households thus selected were supplied with questionnaires. In instances where residents were not at home the questionnaires were left with a neighbor with the instruction that the researcher would return to collect them in one week’s time. After a week the researcher collected the completed questionnaires.

Presentation of Data

Figure 1 Pie chart showing gender of respondents Figure 1 above shows that 62% of the respondents were females and 38% were males.

Figure 2
Figure 2 above shows the age group of respondents. It can be seen that 48% of the respondent were between the ages of 15-20, 4% were between the age of 21-25, 17% were between the age of 25-30 and 31% were over the age of 30.

Figure 3 Figure 3 above shows that 34% of the respondents have been experiencing water problems for 10-15 years, 27% for over 20 years, 14% for 15-20 years, 14% for 5-10 years and 11% for 1-5 years.

Proportional bar chartshowing the effect of inadequate water supply in the community.

Figure 4 It can be seen from figure 4 above that 32% of the respondents experience health risk when there is no water, 42% states that children cannot go to school, 3% experience psychological problems while the other 3% experience beautification problems.

Cause for the lack of water in the community.

Figure 5 Figure 5 above states that 14% of the respondents think that the reason for the lack of water in the community is because of negligence, 31% thinks it’s because of slow development and no one thinks it is because of criminal activities.

Solution Option | Percentage | Install Pumps | 30% | Install Reservoirs | 21% | Demonstrate | 28% | Write to the relevant authorities | 21% |

Figure 6 Figure 6 above shows that 30% of the residents think that the solution to the lack of water supply in the community should be the installment of pumps, 4% state that they should install reservoirs, 21% states that they should write to the relevant authorities, and 28% thinks that demonstrating can help.

Analysis and Interpretation of Data There was a unanimous agreement by the residents of Brown’s Hall that they were experiencing water problems. Most of the residents agreed that they need to install pumps while others wanted to demonstrate. The residents stated that they store their water in mostly tanks and they got water monthly while for others who store theirs in drums get once per week. In figure 6 it was observed that 30% wanted to install pumps age rang 30 and over while 28% wanted to demonstrate, age ranging from 20-25 years of age. The reason for this is because the older age groups have been residents of the community for a longer period of time and they know that demonstrating won’t help the situation. But the younger generation replied that they wanted to take action because they can’t wait for pumps to be installed. In figure 5, it can be seen that 0% thought that the cause of the lack of water in the community is because of criminal activities, 14% thought that it was because of negligence, 31% thought that it’s because we are living in the rural area and 55% thought that it was because of slow development. In figure 4, it states the effect of inadequate water supply in the community of Brown’s Hall 3% experience psychological problems, another 3% experience beautification problems, 42% states that their children cannot go to school and 52% experience health risks. Figure 3, shows how long residents have been experiencing water problems. 34% have been experiencing this water problem for 10-15 years, 27% for over 20 years, 14% 15-20 years, another 14% 5-10 years and 11% for 1-5 years. Figure 2 states the age group of the respondents. 48% were among the age group of 15-20 years old, 31% over age 30, 17% were among the age group of 25-30 years old and 4% were among the group of 21-25 years old. Figure 1 shows the gender of respondents. 62% of the respondents were female and 38% were males. The persons who have been living there for over 30 years suggested that the younger generation wait until pumps are installed instead of taking action.

Statement of Findings

The survey has shown that the number of persons who think that there is an inadequate supply of water in the community of Brown’s Hall. 1. Majority of the residents believe that the cause for the lack of water supply in the community is because of slow development. 2. Some of the effects that the inadequate supply of water caused in the community of Brown’s Hall are Health Risks; their children cannot go to school, psychological problems and beautification problem. 3. In the researcher’s research she found out that some of the solutions that can be implemented to change the level of water supply are: installing pumps, installing reservoir, demonstrate and writing to the relevant authorities.

Recommendation and Implementation Strategy

The recommendation relate to the residents in the community of Brown’s Hall.
I recommended that the community come together and make a voice to get the relevant personnel for proper representation so that the heads of government and the heads of agencies and companies can be well aware of the situation that exists in the community. By creating this awareness, it will compel the agencies to make a move on the situation.
The government needs to assist the community by filling their request of installing pumps so the community can get a quick response in solving their problems, also when their problems are met they must ensure that the pumps are maintained properly and in time.

Bibliography

Ramsawak, R & Umraw R.R. (2005). Modules in Social Studies for the Caribbean. Trinidad & Tobago: Caribbean Educational Publishers.