Learning tracks

A broad census everything after it is read against — provided the sample clears its floor

Surveys: the first instrument of delivery

6 lessons 25 minutes In a higher plan

Surveys run first for a methodological reason, not an administrative one: the instruments after them interpret what they surface, and an interview is held partly to explain what the others revealed. This track covers the three surveys and their scale, the minimum sample sizes, the application rules, the known limitations, and the recurring problems with their remedies.

By the end of this track you will be able to…

  • Explain why surveys run before the other instruments
  • Work out the minimum sample for each survey from the population size
  • Apply the five rules that protect the honesty of a response
  • Head off low participation and unclear wording before they spoil the result
1

Lesson 1

What a survey measures

Surveys supply a body of evidence tied to the indicators. Their purpose is to gather as much information as possible on what beneficiaries — teachers, learners and families — think of the quality of education at the school, specifically across school management, teaching and learning, and learning outcomes.

  • They give quantitative ratings for indicators no other instrument reaches as cheaply
  • They let a large number of people state a view on the school's performance
  • They run first because the later instruments interpret what they surface, not the other way round
  • They are the least costly instrument and the lightest on the respondent's time
Build the survey, distribute it and read its results

The rest of the track comes with a subscription

You have read the first lesson in full. The remaining lessons are included in the paid packages, and these are their titles.

  1. 2 The three surveys and their scale
  2. 3 The minimum sample size
  3. 4 The rules of application
  4. 5 The limitations of a survey
  5. 6 The recurring problems and their remedies
See the packages

The next track

The field instruments: documents, observation and interview Three instruments that go down to the ground once the survey has sketched it
In a higher plan