Scottish Government

CHAPTER TWO RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This section outlines the quantitative methodology used in the research, including an explanation of how the schools were chosen to take part, and a breakdown of the final sample.

Self-completion questionnaires were designed by TRBI and agreed with the Scottish Executive. These were then distributed to, and completed by, pupils in years P7 (11-12 year olds) and S4 (15-16 year olds) in a number of pre-selected schools. These schools were selected from all of the primary and secondary schools in Scotland to ensure a good mix of different types of school according to:

• Geography
• Wealth (based on Free Mail Entitlement)
• Academic ability (based on Scottish Qualification Authority results)
• School size
• Level of enterprise

Directors of Education in each of the areas where a school was selected were sent a letter explaining the background and objectives of the study and asked to support the initiative. A letter was then issued to the selected schools (head teacher) asking them to take part in the study. TRBI then telephoned all of the schools individually to brief them on the background and purpose of the study and how to administer the self-completion questionnaire - to ensure consistency of approach across all of the schools that participated.

Schools were asked to administer the questionnaire during registration when it would cause the least disruption to class and to the teacher involved. Schools were asked to select a mix of pupils to take part, to ensure a range of academic abilities was represented in the data. Once the pupils had completed the questionnaire, they handed it back to their teacher who put them in a reply-paid, self-addressed envelope and sent them to TRBI for analysis.

Letters were sent out to the S4 schools from the 23 ^rd April 2004 and pupils filled them out by 7 ^th May 2004 at the latest. Pupils completed the S4 questionnaires in the two weeks before sitting exams. Letters were sent out to the P7 schools from the 28 ^th April and we filled out over the next three weeks until May 21 ^st 2004.

Copies of the self-completion questionnaires used for this project can be found in Appendix A and B.

2.1 PROFILE OF PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS

Over 600 (604) pupils completed the questionnaire: 284 P7 pupils and 320 S4 pupils.

T

^{*One school could not be classified
Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding}

In designing the sample, it was important to include schools which are considered 'enterprising', as well as those which are 'less enterprising'*. As Table 2.1 shows, the P7 sample included 14 primary schools; five were 'less enterprising' schools and the remaining nine were 'enterprising' schools. The S4 sample was drawn from 14 secondary schools; seven were 'less enterprising' schools and seven were 'enterprising' schools.

2.2 DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF PUPILS

A demographic breakdown of the sample in each year is shown in Table 2.2. A majority of pupils live with their mother and/or father and the vast majority had at least one brother or sister living at home with them.

* Based on the numbers of teachers trained, and a school's engagement, in enterprise in education.

^{Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding}

^{* Percentages add up to more than 100 due to multiple responses}

Most of the S4 pupils interviewed were studying at least one of the key subjects at credit or general level. Relatively few (20%) were studying any of these subjects at foundation level (Table 2.3).