Best questions for elementary school student survey about technology use

Here are some of the best questions for an elementary school student survey about technology use, plus tips on how to create effective questions. If you want to build a conversation-driven survey quickly, you can generate your own with Specific in seconds.

Best open-ended questions for student surveys on technology use

Open-ended survey questions are great for digging deeper into students’ thoughts, feelings, and personal experiences. They’re ideal when we want richer context or surprises that we didn’t anticipate—especially useful with digital experiences that vary from student to student. In fact, research shows that collaborative technology use can lead to measurable improvements in student achievement and digital literacy. For example, one study found that kindergarteners who shared iPads scored 28% higher on literacy tests than those who used them individually or not at all [2]. Let’s set up questions that let students share their unique perspectives:

1. What is your favorite way to use technology at school?

2. Can you describe a time when technology helped you learn something new?

3. How do you feel when you use technology in the classroom?

4. If you could change one thing about how technology is used at your school, what would it be?

5. Describe a problem you’ve had when using technology for schoolwork.

6. What do you wish your teachers knew about how you use technology?

7. Are there apps or websites you use outside of school that help with your learning? Tell us about them.

8. How do you decide which technology tools to use for your homework?

9. When do you prefer paper over technology? Why?

10. Who helps you most when you get stuck with technology, and what do they do?

Best single-select multiple-choice questions for student surveys on technology use

Single-select multiple-choice questions make it easy to quantify student experiences or preferences. They’re especially useful when there’s a specific set of likely answers, or when younger students might find open-ended writing a chore. Providing options helps keep students engaged and can serve as an easy launchpad for deeper follow-up questions that get richer detail (like why they chose something).

Here are some useful examples:

Question: Which device do you use most often for schoolwork?

• Laptop or Chromebook

• Tablet (like iPad)

• Phone

• Desktop computer

• Other

Question: How often do you use technology to do your homework?

• Every day

• A few times a week

• Rarely

• Never

Question: What subjects do you use technology for most?

• Math

• Reading/Writing

• Science

• Social Studies

• Other

When to followup with "why?" Sometimes, once a student selects a choice, it pays to ask “why?” right after. For example, after choosing “Tablet” as the device they use most, the AI could ask, “Why do you prefer using a tablet for your schoolwork?” This can reveal practical or emotional drivers (like ease of use or fun features) that the initial question can’t capture alone.

When and why to add the "Other" choice? Adding “Other” lets students share answers you hadn’t predicted. This is crucial for uncovering trends or insights you’d otherwise miss—maybe a student is using a new educational tool or device their peers haven’t adopted yet. Follow-up questions here can surface fresh, valuable context.

Should you use the NPS question for a student technology use survey?

NPS stands for Net Promoter Score—a widely used metric in business and education that measures how likely someone is to recommend a service, product, or experience to a friend. For elementary school students, adapting this concept works surprisingly well. We can ask: “On a scale from 0–10, how likely are you to recommend using technology at school to your friends?” It’s a simple, easy-to-understand metric. Thanks to real-time AI, follow-up questions can be tailored based on whether students are promoters (rating 9–10), passives (7–8), or detractors (0–6). This quickly uncovers what’s working or what’s not.

If you want to see or use an NPS template for this audience and topic, check out the NPS survey for elementary school students about technology use.

The power of follow-up questions

Follow-up questions are where conversational surveys shine. With platforms like Specific, AI can automatically ask smart follow-ups, creating a more dynamic and human-like chat that’s both insightful and time-saving. For teachers or researchers, this means no more chasing down unclear survey answers via email later. The conversation feels natural, meets students where they are, and provides much richer context. Learn more about this with our feature overview on automated follow-up questions.

• Student: “I use my tablet because it’s easier.”

• AI follow-up: “Can you tell me what makes your tablet easier to use? Is it the apps, the touchscreen, or something else?”

Without this prompt, we’d be left guessing at what “easier” means.

How many followups to ask? In practice, 2–3 follow-ups are usually enough to get detailed, specific context without fatiguing students. Specific lets you configure this, including enabling an ‘early stop’ if the answer is already clear.

This makes it a conversational survey: the experience flows like a chat conversation, not a static form, making students more likely to share and stay engaged.

Easy AI analysis: platforms like Specific let you analyze a survey’s responses with AI. Even with lots of open-ended text, AI unpacks and summarizes responses for you—making reporting much easier.

These automated followups are a newer concept, but open new doors: try generating your own survey and experience a more conversational, insightful process firsthand.

How to compose an AI prompt for generating survey questions

Getting great questions from ChatGPT or similar models boils down to the right prompt. Here’s a starter:

Suggest 10 open-ended questions for elementary school student survey about technology use.

But if you give AI more context—like details about your school, students’ tech exposure, or what you want to learn—the suggestions get even better:

I’m a 4th grade teacher creating a survey to understand how students feel about using iPads and Chromebooks in class, and want to know which tools support their learning best. Suggest 10 open-ended questions for elementary school student survey about technology use.

Once the AI generates some questions, you can prompt it to organize them by category:

Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.

Then, pick the categories you most want to explore in depth. Instruct the AI to drill down:

Generate 10 questions for categories “challenges with technology” and “favorite technology activities”.

This workflow customizes the set to your needs and saves you time iterating on question lists.

What is a conversational survey?

Conversational surveys use AI-powered chat interfaces that feel natural—like texting a friend. Instead of dumping a long list of questions as a static form, the survey unfolds as a responsive conversation. This method is fundamentally different from the traditional approach, and it drives deeper insights and engagement from students. Here’s a quick comparison:

Why use AI for elementary school student surveys? The biggest reasons: speed, quality, and ease. AI survey generation means you can move from idea to actionable survey in minutes—no expertise needed. The result is a more engaging, insightful, and adaptive experience for students, plus less manual work analyzing results. If you want to see how to create these, here’s a quick how-to guide on survey creation.

Specific offers arguably the most advanced user experience for conversational surveys. Students and educators both benefit from a smoother, friendlier process, with dynamic AI follow-ups and AI-powered analysis built in.

See this technology use survey example now

Ready to learn what your students really think? Generate your conversational survey now, discover new insights, and capture feedback that traditional forms just miss—faster and with less work, thanks to automated AI followups and easy analysis. See for yourself why this approach is changing how we listen to students.