The parent/caregiver and student surveys cover a range of important aspects of schooling. Likewise, the staff survey covers a range of important aspects of the school as a workplace. The surveys cannot cover, and does not attempt to cover, all aspects of the school. The questions have been selected to provide information relating to the organisational goals of Education Queensland. The questions are designed to be relevant to a wide range of parents/caregivers, students and staff in schools throughout Queensland. Issues that are specific to only some school settings and situations could not be included in the surveys.
While some questions may appear similar, they have been designed to provide information on different components of important topics.
The parent/caregiver and student surveys provide information about different aspects of two of the Department of Education and Training's objectives "Learning and Schools.
The staff survey provides information on aspects of the school as a workplace.
The questionnaires have to be general in nature because they need to be answered by people from all over Queensland in a wide range of school contexts.
The generality of the questions means that the survey results are a useful starting point for understanding the perceptions of parents/caregivers, students and staff in the school. Other methods and conversations would be needed to understand the factors contributing to these perceptions.
One of the main purposes of the School Opinion Surveys is to provide information to schools that can assist in monitoring progress over time. Since the inception of the School Opinion Surveys in 1998, much has changed in education policy and the school environment. These changes in circumstance need to be reflected in the design of survey questions. However, the majority of questions have been retained from the previous surveys to provide comparisons over time.
The statements that you are asked to respond to are all written positively to minimise confusion. If some statements were written positively and some were written negatively, this could lead to confusion amongst some respondents. On the parent/caregiver and student survey forms, negative opinions can be expressed by marking 'Very dissatisfied' or 'Dissatisfied'. On the staff survey form, negative opinions can be expressed by marking 'Strongly disagree' or 'Disagree'.
While no single format or language will apply to all students at any particular year level, the primary student survey has been extensively trialled and developed for Year 5 students. Primary students also complete other papers in this format, such as the Year 3 and Year 5 tests. Care has been taken to use relatively simple language and to enable them to seek assistance from the survey administrator and the person sitting next to them if necessary.
Experience from previous years has shown that Year 5 students can complete the survey and make differential judgements. These students hold opinions about their school, and it is important that through the survey they can voice those opinions. The use of surveys is a common practice in western culture, and as such, early exposure to this particular genre is appropriate in Queensland State Schools.
The School Opinion Survey is one input into the school community's considerations about the school. Judgments about what the School Opinion Survey data is saying must be moderated by knowledge of the school context. The school context includes local events, cultural factors and the age of the students providing their opinions.
Parents of prep students are a part of the school community. As such, their opinions of the school are as important as those of other parents. Moreover, Prep Year to Year 1 is a time when parents will be making choices about their child's future schooling " the opinions of the school formed while their child is in Prep will influence those choices.
If parents of prep children feel that particular questions are not at all relevant, the questionnaire advises not to answer those questions but to complete the rest of the questionnaire and return it to the school.
The School Opinion Survey is one input into the school community's considerations about the school. Judgments about what the School Opinion Survey data is saying must be moderated by knowledge of the school context. The school context includes local events, cultural factors and the age of the students providing their opinions.
While no single format or language will apply to all students at any particular year level, the questionnaires have been extensively trialled and developed for students in the target year levels. Primary students also complete other papers in this format. Care has been taken to use relatively simple language and to enable them to seek assistance from the survey administrator and the person sitting next to them.
Experience from previous years has shown that students can complete the questionnaire and make differential judgements. These students do hold opinions about their school, and it is important that through the survey they can voice those opinions. The use of surveys is a common practice in western culture, and as such, early exposure to this particular genre is appropriate in Queensland State Schools.
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© The State of Queensland (Department of Education, Training and Employment) 2002.