1. Social Studies School Based Assessment
St.Vincent Grammar School
SOCIAL STUDIES SBA
Valdes Pierre – Form 5(I)
Topic: GAMBLING
Task 1: RESEARCH QUESTION
“How prevalent is gambling in the community of Chateaubelair?”

2. Task 2: REASON FOR SELECTING THE AREA OF RESEARCH
Chateaubelair is a small rural town in the North of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Most of the
residents have not completed formal education and the illiteracy rate is hovering approximately
70 to 80 % according to the 2001 Census report. A number of the residents are not gainfully
employed and the majority is living below the poverty line. The situation is so grave that some
are unable to meet their basic needs daily especially in the areas of food, clothing and helping to
pay for the use of essential amenities. Consequently, its residents are constantly devising many
avenues in order to escape the unemployment and poverty traps. Some of these include involving
in the narcoeconomy (the economic activity involving the cultivation and trafficking of
marijuana), some in construction wherever they can find job and others resort to gambling.
Through this project the researcher intends to find out (1) how prevalent is gambling in the
community of Chateaubelair and (2) to suggest alternative solutions to this ever growing
problem.

3. Task 3: METHOD OF INVESTIGATION
Data for this project will be gathered using printed questionnaires as the main method of
investigation.
The reasons for using questionnaires are as follows:
(1) It is very inexpensive;
(2) A large amount of data can be collected in a relative short space of time; and
(3) It guarantees confidentiality and identity of information.

4. Task 4: DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT
Sharpes Village,
Chateaubelair P.O.,
St.Vincent. W.I.
1st
October, 2011
Dear Respondents,
I am, Valdes Pierre, a fifth form student of the St.Vincent Grammar School. I am currently
conducting my Social Studies School Based Assessment Project on the topic: “How prevalent is
gambling in the Community of Chateaubelair?.”
I would be grateful if you can assist me by answering the following items on this questionnaire.
I can assure that the information provided will be treated with the utmost confidentiality and
anonymity.
Additionally, you do not need to write your name on the questionnaire and there is no right or
wrong answers.
Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
……....................
Valdes Pierre

5. Questionnaire
RESEARCH QUESTION: “How prevalent is gambling in the community of Chateaubelair?”
INSTRUCTION: tick the appropriate box where necessary; give your opinion if ask to
1. Sex: Male  Female 
2. Age Group: 15 – 18  19 – 22  23 and over 
3. Education: Primary  Secondary 
other: (specify)__________________________
4. Religion: ________________________________________________
5. Do you have job? Yes  No 
6. If your answer to question #5 is ‘no’, how do you survive?
_________________________________________________________________
7. Have participate in any form of gambling?” Yes  No 
8. If the answer to question #7 is ‘Yes’, how often?
Every morning  Every afternoon  Every night  Twice a day 
Other (specify)____________________

6. 9. What kind of gambling do you participate in?
Lotto  3D  Poker  Bingo  Poke 
other (specify)___________________
10. Have you ever won? Yes  No 
11. What do you do with your winnings, select appropriately?
Buy food  Buy clothing  Pay utility bills 
Pay children school fee  Save for rainy days  Other (specify) ________
12. Would you ever consider stop gambling? Yes  No 
13. Have you ever use the money for bills and/or other purposes for gambling?
Yes  No 
14. If you were to be given a job that would take care of your needs would you still gamble?
Yes No 
15. Do you consider gambling beneficial?
Yes No 
16. How would you feel if gambling is to become illegal?
________________________________________________________________

7. Task 5: PROCEDURES FOR DATA COLLECTION
In an effort to maintain objectivity and to be as scientific as possible the researcher prepared
twenty (20) printed questionnaires for sampling in Chateaubelair. The researcher positioned
himself at four (4) of the main subdivisions of the Chateaubelair Community, namely: Barracks,
Mission Corner, Plan and Sharpes for a period not exceeding one (1) hour at each division. For
each of these hours the researcher stopped the first person to have passed and solicited his or her
co-operation in completing one of the questionnaires. After the first questionnaire was completed
every third person to pass was again solicited to do similarly. At the end of each of these sections
five (5) persons were surveyed. Hence after all four sections were surveyed a total of twenty
persons responded to the questionnaire. Special care was taken in ensuring that none of the
persons sampled were under the age of fifteen (15) years. A quick synopsis of the persons
sampled revealed that approximately nine (9) males and eleven (11) females completed the
questionnaires respectively. This exercise was carried out on Saturday 23rd
October, 2011,
commencing at 10:00 am and concluding at 3:15 pm.