« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
ANNEX 2: TOPIC GUIDES
HEI TOPIC GUIDES
Background Info
Name of institution
Name and title of person interviewed
ESOL courses
Why and when did you initiate ESOL classes?
How many courses do you offer?
What are these courses?
Names of courses
What are the levels? Pre-Elementary, Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper Intermediate, Advanced, Proficiency, Cambridge? IELTS?
How are the courses delivered?
How are the courses structured in terms of length of course? Roll on, roll off, term time, summer, etc.
Who are your courses pitched at? Is it a certain type of student or level of ESOL?
Are your ESOL courses accredited? If so, by whom? If not, why not?
What is your entry? Requirements for ESOL learners?
Is a certain level of ESOL required of your students to enrol in other programmes? Have you started offering different courses over the past few years?
What is the average size of your classes?
Do you have sufficient courses to meet the numbers of students that need them? If not, why not and what can be done to improve that?
Do you partner with other organisations/universities in delivery of these courses?
Do you market your courses? If so, how?
Waiting Lists
Do your ESOL courses currently have waiting lists? If so which ones have waiting lists now? How long are they?
Have your ESOL courses had waiting lists in the past? How long have they been?
Do students usually gain places on waiting lists? How long does it take? Do you ever run extra courses to accommodate waiting lists?
Do you have any hard data on waiting lists you could share with us?
Learners
Who do you offer ESOL classes to? Is it to students enrolled in other courses or are they offered generally?
How many students do you currently have enrolled in ESOL courses?
Can you provide specific data about these from the most recent academic year?
- Numbers enrolled
- Numbers completing
- Levels of achievement? This could be qualifications, progression into other programmes, employment, etc.
What is their ethnic/cultural background? Can you offer percentages from the most recent academic year?
Are your learners in employment? Are they working part time or full-time?
Are they in part time or full-time provision?
Do they have barriers to learning?
Are learners grouped or put into particular classes based on:
- Primary language
- Age
- Educational level
- Gender-women only
Do most students live nearby or do sense that many of them travel from other areas?
What are the main motivating factors for participants in your ESOL courses?
Has the number of students needing/wanting ESOL courses increased over the past few years?
Why do your students decide to take ESOL classes? What do they aim to get out of the classes?
Do you think the classes meet their needs?
Have students' needs for ESOL changed recently? If so, how? Why?
Do you offer additional support for ESOL learners?
- Counselling/referrals
- Advice and guidance
- Post course support
If not, why?
Impact of citizenship test
Do you offer citizenship courses with ESOL? If so, is it a separate course or embedded into ESOL courses? How many are taking it?
- If it is embedded, in which courses/levels is it?
- If not, do you make referrals for students who want to study this subject?
Do learners who want to take the citizenship test have specific needs?
Impact of EU enlargement
Are there more A8 national students now than before accession? If so has this changed the way you deliver your courses?
Do these learners have specific needs or different reasons from other students for learning ESOL?
Are there specific barriers for them? (for certain groups?)
Are employers involved in delivering any courses for this group of students?
Do these learners work in certain industries?
Funding
Do you charge a fee for your courses? If so, do students usually pay for the courses themselves? How much are your courses?
What does the fee cover?
How much is in your ESOL budget?
- Compared to last year?
- In the last few years has funding increased or decreased?
Is it sufficient to meet the number of courses you deliver? Is it sufficient to meet student demand?
What are your main sources of funding overall?
What does the funding cover?
Is there anything you are not able to do due to lack of funding? If so, could you charge an additional fee to students to cover costs and would they pay?
Does availability of funding impact on course delivery? If so, how?
Is the cost of ESOL courses relatively similar to other courses you offer? If not, is it higher or lower? Why?
PROVIDER TOPIC GUIDES PHONE INTERVIEWS
Name of institution/organisation
Type of institution/organisation
Contact info
ESOL courses
What levels are these courses at ESOL Literacy, Pre-Elementary, Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper Intermediate, Advanced, Proficiency? Are these mapped against SQA, SCQF or other formal qualification levels? If so, which?
Do you offer ESOL and citizenship courses? If so, which ones?
How are the courses structured in terms of length? When do they meet, term time, summer?
What is the average size of your classes? Are some classes always full to capacity and others not? If so, which classes are full and which are not?
Are your courses accredited? If so, by which institution(s). o you have entry requirements to ESOL? If so, what are they?
Waiting Lists
Do your ESOL courses currently have waiting lists? If so which ones have waiting lists now? How long are they?
Have your ESOL courses had waiting lists in the past? How long have they been?
Do students usually gain places on waiting lists? How long does it take? Do you ever run extra courses to accommodate waiting lists?
Do you have any hard data on waiting lists you could share with us?
Learners
Who are your courses pitched at? Is it a certain type of student or level of ESOL? Why? Probe re: market in their catchments.
Are learners grouped or put into particular classes based on:
- Primary language
- Literate in their first language
- Age
- Educational level
- Gender-women only
Do most students live nearby or do you sense that many of them travel from other areas?
Why do your students decide to take ESOL classes? What do they aim to get out of the classes? Is it for employment purposes, the UK citizenship test, other?
Is a certain level of ESOL required of your students to enrol in other programmes?
Funding
Do you charge a fee for any of your courses? If not, are there fees associated with your courses for exams?
If you do charge a fee, do students usually pay for the courses themselves? If not, who pays for them?
How much are your courses?
What does the fee cover?
How much is in your ESOL budget?
- Compared to last year?
- In the last few years has funding increased or decreased?
Is it sufficient to meet the number of courses you deliver? Is it sufficient to meet student demand?
What are your main sources of funding overall?
Partnerships
Do you partner with any organisations/training providers in delivering with ESOL? If so, which ones.
Do you refer learners on? If so, who to? Prompt for any collaboration, either external or internal to other departments.
STAKEHOLDER TOPIC GUIDE
Background Info
Name of organisation
Name/title of person interviewed
Year established
Core objectives/activities
What services do you provide? What is your main role in the community?
Who are the main community groups you serve? (Probe status-refugee, asylum seekers, new immigrants, age, ethnicity, gender, any other characteristics)
Where do the main community groups you serve live in Scotland?
What are the other agencies or organisations you refer them to and work with in meeting their English language/adult literacies needs?
What are the ESOL needs of your community? What levels generally do your members need ESOL for?
Do you provide any Continued Professional Development/Training for ESOL teachers and/or your staff that works with learners? If so, please explain.
Accessing ESOL
What are the main barriers your community faces in accessing ESOL provision? Are you working with any other organisations to address these barriers?
Which groups do you think have the most language barriers? Is there a difference between more skilled/professional and traditionally unskilled?
Do any groups find it relatively easy to access ESOL and some groups find it more difficult? Which, how? Explore gender/age/ethnic sub-group as well as skills differences
To what extent does literacy in own language impact on the ability to effectively undertake ESOL? Which groups does this affect most? Are ESOL courses structured to meet this need?
How easily can your community access appropriate courses to help them address their ESOL needs?
How frequently is language identified as a barrier to employment amongst your community and others?
Do you feel there are issues related to the quality of provision? Is it tailored to the needs of different groups? Has quality changed over the last few years?
Are disability issues encountered? Is this an issue that ESOL learners face? If so how is this barrier to their ESOL learning
Do the learners in your community usually pay for ESOL classes? If not, how are the courses funded? Would any group pay?
Are their sufficient ESOL courses available in Scotland? What are the specific gaps in provision? Probe… age, gender, where from… etc
Impact of EU enlargement and Citizenship Test
Have you seen a change in the need for ESOL over the past few years? Has there been an increase or decrease in demand?
If there has been a change, why do you think that is?
Do members of your community want to take the UK Citizenship Test? If so do they need ESOL to be able to do so?
PROVIDER TOPIC GUIDES FACE-TO-FACE INTERVIEWS
Background Info
Name of institution/organisation
Type of institution/organisation
Contact Info
ESOL courses
What ESOL courses are you currently offering?
How long have you offered these courses?
Has demand for courses changed over the past few years? If so, how?
Have you started offering different courses over the past few years?
Do you anticipate demand changing in the next few years? If so, how?
Do you feel equipped to deal with the changes in demand both in the present and in the future?
Do you partner with other organisations/universities in delivery of these courses?
Do you market your courses? If so, how?
Do you offer additional classes or support to learners wishing to take the UK citizenship exam? Has the exam changed the delivery of your courses?
Waiting Lists
Do your ESOL courses currently have waiting lists? If so which ones have waiting lists now? How long are they?
Have your ESOL courses had waiting lists in the past? How long have they been?
Do students usually gain places on waiting lists? How long does it take? Do you ever run extra courses to accommodate waiting lists?
Do you have any hard data on waiting lists you could share with us?
Learners
Who do you offer ESOL classes to? Is it to students enrolled in other courses or are they offered generally?
What are the main motivating factors for participants in your ESOL courses do you think? Do you think the classes meet their needs? What do students tend to do after completion of ESOL courses?
Has there been a change in your student population in the past few years? If so, how?
Has this impacted on courses on offer and learner access to provision? Have any learners been disadvantaged because of this? (Tease out if some groups, e.g. settled minorities might be disadvantaged if many new students from A8 countries with other needs.)
Have students' needs for ESOL changed recently? If so, how? Why?
Are your students enrolled in part-time or full-time classes? Are certain groups of learners more likely to take/attend certain classes at certain times? (Tease out if this differs by gender, age, ethnic background, education qualifications, etc.)
Are there learners who are harder to engage with/who face series barriers to completing ESOL courses? If so, what kinds of barriers do they face? (gender, disability, literacy, etc.)
Do you have facilities for disabled students?
Do you offer additional support for ESOL learners?
- Counselling/referrals
- Advice and guidance (course, progression, careers)
- Post course support
Are there certain students or groups that tend to take up this support?
If you do not offer additional support, why not?
Overall do you feel Accession has impacted the demand for ESOL?
Funding
What are the key issues surrounding funding? (Prompt for)
- High set up costs of provision
- Investment in staff
- Sustainability of funding streams
- Consistency of funding streams
- Lack of knowledge of funding streams
Is the cost of ESOL courses relatively similar to other courses you offer? If not, is it higher or lower? Why?
Do you have any recommendations or any suggestions you would like to offer?
Collaboration
Do you refer learners on to other organisations? If so, who to? Are these internal or external? Prompt for if they are referred to other departments or other organisations that are more readily able to meet their needs.
Do you collaborate with other organisations in provision?
Teacher training
Do you offer qualifications or CPD to your teachers? If so, what type?
LEARNER TOPIC GUIDES
Background
Name
Age
Ethnicity/Country of Origin
Educational/Academic qualifications
How long have you lived in Scotland?
What is your mother tongue?
Do you speak any other languages and if so, which ones?
Do you have any basic skills needs?
Are you currently employed? What type of employment (sector, full/part-time)
Are you currently doing any other training or course?
ESOL course and funding
Why are you taking this course? Probe for key motivational factors and goals such as for their employment, to better integrate into Scottish society, for the citizenship exam, etc.
What was your knowledge of English before beginning these courses?
Will you receive a qualification from this course? If so, which one?
Is this the first ESOL course you have taken? If not, which others have you taken?
When will you finish this course? Will you take another afterwards? If yes, will that be another ESOL course at a higher level or a course in another subject?
How often do you attend this course? Is it full-time/part-time, evenings/days?
Are you confident that this course will help you to meet your goals?
Who referred you to this college/organisation? Did you apply to others?
Were you on a waiting list to get into this course? If so, for how long and how long was it? What did you think of your experience on the waiting list?
Who is paying for your course? Did you have to pay for any part?
Is there anything you had to pay for yourself outside of the course such as books or travel?
Overall satisfaction
How do you find the classes? Are they easy, at your level, difficult?
Have you had the same teacher throughout the course? If not, what has that been like?
Does your teacher speak any of the languages you speak? How do you experience/ what do you think of that?
What are you learning in your class? Probe for whether they are learning topics for the citizenship test.
How do you feel about the way the class is taught?
Do you feel you are learning what you wanted to when you signed up for the course?
Do you feel you are learning the (appropriate) vocabulary to communicate? At work (if work)? In your community?
Have you had any exams? How did you do? Are you happy with your results?
If they are unhappy with their results probe as to what influenced their performance such as need more support, no space to study, issues at home, poor teaching, can't keep up, etc.
Will you have any exams in the future? If so, what are they for?
Are you able to study at home? If not, probe for why not such as childcare/caring responsibilities, time, and other issues.
Is there anything that could be affecting how you do on this course? Probe… Housing, debts, employment, psychological issues/legal issues,?
Have you asked the teacher for help in other areas (such as… examples?)? If so, what happened?
Are there any (other) areas where you feel you could need help/ support from the organisation?
What are the good parts of this course?
What do you think could be improved?
Any other comments?
Impact of EU enlargement
If the learner is a member from an A8 accession state, ask has accession changed your life? If so, how? Do you feel you need more ESOL skills now?
« Previous | Contents | Next »