http://www.edsurvey.org.uk

Centre for Educational Sociology University of Edinburgh Holyrood Road EDINBURGH  EH8 8AQ Web: http://www.ces.ed.ac.uk/research/FabQ/index.htm

*  What defines quality in education?                     *  Has quality assurance improved the quality of education in your school?                     *  Does performance management influence your enjoyment of your work?

These are some of the questions we are asking in this survey of primary and secondary teachers in Denmark, England, Finland, Scotland and Sweden. The findings of the survey will be reported to policy makers throughout Britain and Europe to inform future education policies. Your response is needed to help us form an accurate picture of teachers’ views about quality in education - please tell us about your experience, your use of performance data, and how quality assurance processes affect your work. All responses are confidential. This study is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the European Science Foundation as part of a European research study on Quality Assurance and Evaluation in education (for more information see http://www.ces.ed.ac.uk/research/FabQ/index.htm)

Click NEXT to complete the on-line survey. It will take about 15 minutes to complete.

Technical Note: Please note that the survey software may time you out if left idle for more that 10 minutes. Some computer systems have firewalls etc which may interfere with the survey software. If you have difficulties with the software, please phone us or email the error message to: Linda Croxford: 0131 651 6283, L.Croxford@ed.ac.uk Sotiria Grek: 0131 651 6276, Sotiria.Grek@ed.ac.uk or Carolyn Newton: 0131 651 6243, C.Newton@ed.ac.uk

Alternatively, if you would prefer to complete a paper or e-mail version of the questionnaire please contact: Carolyn Newton: 0131 651 6243, C.Newton@ed.ac.uk

If you have received a paper questionnaire but are completing it online instead please insert the reference number from the back page of the questionnaire

Section 1. Your Views on Teaching and Quality in Education

How do you feel about your experience of teaching (or school management) during the past year? Has it been a good year? (Please tick one box)
	Mostly good		Good in some ways		Mostly difficult

Do you think that public respect for the teaching profession has changed in the last 20 years? (Please choose one of the alternatives that best describes your views)
	About the same, respect has not changed		Less respect now than 20 years ago
	Greater respect now than 20 years ago		I have no experience or opinion

In your view, what defines high quality in education? (Please pick 5 most important of the following options and rank them by putting 1 against the answer you consider most important, 2 against the next most important, and so on to 5 meaning 5th most important) A high quality education system ensures that pupils ...
... are actively involved in their learning
... have equality of opportunity
... reach their full potential
... achieve high levels of attainment
... are capable of creative and independent thinking
... have good literacy, communication and numeracy skills
... become responsible citizens who participate in political, economic, social and cultural life
... have knowledge and understanding of the world and their place in it
... are confident and independent individuals
... other

Please specify

Do you think the quality of education has improved or declined compared with 20 years ago? (Please tick one box)
	The quality of education has mostly improved		About the same, quality has neither improved nor declined
	The quality of education has mostly declined		I have no experience or opinion

Please add any other comments on Quality in Education

Section 2. Your views on Quality Assurance & Evaluation (QAE)

By QAE we mean processes of evaluation or assessment of performance (your own performance and/or that of your pupils or your school) that produce evidence of how you or your pupils are doing, and that are used as evidence to inform improvement.

To what extent do you think the following forms of QAE contribute to high quality in education? (Please tick one box in each row)
	Reduce quality		No effect		Improve quality
National Testing of attainment
Analysis/tracking of pupils' progress
Parent or pupil satisfaction surveys
Teacher self-evaluation
School self-evaluation
Targets set by the school
Quality management models at school level
Use of performance indicators and data
Evaluation organised by local authority
Targets set by local authority
Publication of school performance data (eg "League Tables")
Comparison of performance with schools of similar socio-economic characteristics
Inspection by HMIE or Ofsted
International comparisons (eg PISA, PIRLS)
Other

Please specify

What are your views about the performance indicators and targets currently defined by government, HMIE or Ofsted to evaluate the education system? (Please tick one box in each row)
	Strongly disagree		Disagree		Neither agree nor disagree		Agree		Strongly agree
Current performance indicators are appropriate for evaluating the quality of education
Setting targets leads to school improvement
School targets give an accurate indication of the school's efforts to improve performance
Target setting is not an important issue for schools
A focus on quantifiable targets distorts the purposes of education

What are your views about publishing school performance data (eg "League Tables")? (Please tick one box in each row)
	Strongly disagree		Disagree		Neither agree nor disagree		Agree		Strongly agree
It is necessary to publish school-specific performance indicators to enable parents to exercise choice
Competition between schools is needed to drive improvement
Publishing school performance tables is harmful to staff morale
Publishing school performance tables does not improve teaching
Public ranking of schools leads to "teaching to the test"
There is a real danger that the public ranking of schools may lead to manipulation of the data

What are your views about external QAE processes (eg Inspection by HMIE or Ofsted)? (Please tick one box in each row)
	Strongly disagree		Disagree		Neither agree nor disagree		Agree		Strongly agree
External evaluation is necessary to monitor the performance of the education system
External evaluation improves the quality of teaching
Inspection is a tool of external control
The problems caused by inspection outweigh the possible benefits
Self-evaluation by schools is more beneficial than external evaluation
HMIE or Ofsted do not understand the range of social factors that influence performance in my school

What are your views about internal QAE processes within the school (eg self-evaluation, peer observation) (Please tick one box in each row)
	Strongly disagree		Disagree		Neither agree nor disagree		Agree		Strongly agree
Evaluation by schools can be used to address some real problems, such as bullying or social-exclusion of pupils
In general evaluation is beneficial for teaching
There is no need for formal evaluation by schools because teachers are aware of what is happening in the class or the school
School self-evaluation is just a bureaucratic exercise

Section 3. Quality Assurance in Your School

In this section we would like you to tell us about current practices in your school

To what extent are the following statements accurate descriptions of the actual QAE practices in your school? (Please tick one box in each row)
	Strongly disagree		Disagree		Neither agree nor disagree		Agree		Strongly Agree		Don't know
Our school is good at self-evaluation
In our school the judgement of teachers is given greater weight than performance measures
Teachers are provided with helpful feedback from QAE processes
Our school uses evaluation data actively in our communications with parents
Our local education authority provides support and guidance for QAE
The school's evaluation practice is determined by educational considerations
The school's evaluation practice is defined by managerial regulation
QAE in my school is only of interest to management

How much is your work influenced by the following aspects of QAE? (Please tick one box in each row - in Section 2 we asked you if these influenced the quality of education)
	Not at all		A little - not much		Quite a bit		Very much
National Testing of Attainment
Analysis/Tracking of pupils' progress
Parent or pupil satisfation surveys
Teacher self-evaluation
School self-evaluation
Targets set by the school
Quality management models at school level
Use of performance indicators and data
Evaluation organised by local authority
Publication of school performance data
Comparison of performance with schools of similar socio-economic characteristics
Inspection by HMIE or Ofsted
International comparisons (eg PISA, PIRLS)
Other

Please specify

Roughly, how many hours per week do you currently spend working on aspects that relate to Quality Assurance and Evaluation? And, how much time would be beneficial to spend?
The hours per week I currently spend are (approx)
The hours that would be beneficial to spend on QAE are

Section 4. Your use of assessment and performance data

In this section we focus on your use of performance data. Please tell us about your own current practice and your views about the use of performance data

What are your views about assessment? (Please tick one box in each row)
	Strongly disagree		Disagree		Neither agree nor disagree		Agree		Strongly Agree
Summative assessment provides an important indication of each pupil's progress and attainment
I have enough experience to judge how well pupils are progressing without formal assessments
Formative assessment approaches are too individual to provide valid evidence of progress
Too much assessment can be harmful to pupils' motivation

What are your views about data on individual pupils (ie pupil-level data)? (Please tick one box in each row)
	Strongly disagree		Disagree		Neither agree nor disagree		Agree		Strongly Agree
Pupil-level data help me to evaluate my teaching
Pupil-level data help me to make decisions about next steps in learning
Pupil-level data help me to identify problems of potential under-achievement
Pupil-level data come too late to target additional help to underperforming pupils

What types of analysis do you use with assessment and performance data? (Please tick all that apply)
	None		Predictions from standardised tests
	Visual comparison of results per class		Self-evaluation by pupils
	Statistical analysis using spreadsheet or statistical software		Analysis carried out externally (eg by local education authority)
	Analysis of value-added (ie progress of pupils after taking account of prior attainment)		Other
	Pupil tracking

What are your views about issues in your use of data? (Please tick one box in each row)
	Strongly disagree		Disagree		Neither agree nor disagree		Agree		Strongly Agree
The data I use in making decisions are valid and reliable
I have received appropriate training in analysis of assessment data
I am confident about using the appropriate software to analyse data
I am happy to share data on performance in my classes with other teachers
Collecting data to track pupils' progress gives rise to confidentiality and data-protection issues

What are your views about the sharing of data by your school or local authority? (Please tick one box in each row)
	Strongly disagree		Disagree		Neither agree nor disagree		Agree		Strongly agree
Sharing & comparing data on schools  encourages school improvement
Sharing data on differences between classes encourages teachers to seek out and emulate good practice
School management use class-level data to compare teachers' performance
Data are sometimes used for inappropriate purposes
I feel more pressurised now than before because of the use of performance data by senior management

What are your views about the use of data by national government and inter-governmental organisations? (Please tick one box in each row)
	Strongly disagree		Disagree		Neither agree nor disagree		Agree		Strongly agree
I am happy for data to be passed to local and national government departments
I am happy for data to be passed to the European Union and OECD
I do not like the way national governments use data on performance for political purposes
Use of performance data makes inspections by HMIE/Ofsted more fair, comprehensive and accurate

Please add other comments about assessment and use of performance data

Section 5. Your views about the impact of Quality Assurance and Evaluation on the teaching profession

What are your views on the impact of QAE on the teaching profession? (Please tick one box in each row)
	Strongly disagree		Disagree		Neither agree nor disagree		Agree		Strongly agree
My professional autonomy has been reduced by QAE procedures
Continuous evaluation increases competition among teachers
QAE has made it less attractive to be a teacher
Continuous evaluation is a tool for controlling teachers' everyday work
Continuous evaluation shows distrust of teachers' work
Teachers' creativity and spontaneity have been eroded by QAE

What are the overall effects of the emphasis on QAE? (Please tick one box in each row) In general, the emphasis on QAE has...
	Strongly disagree		Disagree		Neither agree nor disagree		Agree		Strongly agree
... increased the awareness about quality in the school
... inspired the development of better teaching
... increased trust in the school among the local community
... consisted primarily of international surveys or tests
... resulted in more gains than losses

Please add other comments about the impact of QAE on the teaching profession

Section 6. Background information

Finally, we would like to ask a few personal details about you and your school, so that we can analyse whether views about Quality and experiences of QAE are different among different groups of teachers and school sectors

What is your current (or most recent) post? (Please tick all that apply)
	Headteacher (or College principal)		Class teacher
	Deputy Headteacher (or equivalent)		Nursery teacher
	Principal teacher, head of department (or equivalent)		Probationer
	Learning support		Supply teacher
	Pupil support		Other, please specify
	Subject specialist

How many years have you been working in...
...the teaching profession?
...your current post?

What qualifications do you have? (Please tick all that apply)
	None		Masters degree
	Teaching diploma		PhD
	B.Ed.		Qualification for headship
	Postgraduate teaching qualification		Other, please specify

Are you male or female?
	male		female

Are you working full-time or part-time?
	full-time		part-time

Is your position permanent or temporary?
	permanent		temporary

How many pupils are there in your school (approximately)?

Which age groups do you work with? (Please tick all that apply)
	Pre-school or nursery pupils		Secondary to age 16		Other
	Primary, infant or junior		17 upwards

Are you working with children who have additional support needs?
	Yes - this is the main focus of my work		Yes - but this is not the main focus of my work		No

If you are working with children who have additional support needs, what is your main focus? (Please tick all that apply)
	Learning difficulties		Gifted children		Recent immigrants
	Emotional and behavioural difficulties		English as an additional language		Other, please specify

What type of school  do you work in? (Please tick all that apply)
	State-funded school under local authority control		School for children with special needs
	State-funded school independent of local authority		Faith school
	Independent fee-paying school		6th Form College
	School with subject specialism		Other, please specify

How would you describe your school's catchment? (Please tick all that apply)
	A mix of upper, middle and working class		A mix of ethnicities
	Mostly upper or middle class		Mostly English or Scottish
	Mostly working class		Other, please specify

In what kind of area is your school located? (Please tick one box)
	Large urban area		Rural area within 30 minutes drive of towns
	Middle-sized urban area		Rural area more than 30 minutes drive of towns
	Small town

Do you work in...
	... England?
	... Scotland?

Which local education authority do you work in?

Thank you for your answers

Please use this space to tell us more about the issues raised in the questionnaire, or to comment on other aspects of quality in education

Please press the SUBMIT button to complete the questionnaire.