Full details can be found in the SCRE Centre Report on Pupil Engagement, submitted in January 2009. A summary is provided in section 8 of this report. 2.6.
Interviews
The engagement strategy sought feedback from local authority personnel. 32 local authority officers (and a representative of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools, SCiS) participated in telephone interviews between August and November 2008. One key informant in each local authority was invited to take part in a semi-structured telephone interview. Interviewees were identified and approached by LTS. The interviews ranged from fifteen minutes to forty minutes duration. The interview guide was constructed in close collaboration with colleagues at LTS. The questions made reference to issues emerging from analysis of trialling feedback and addressed the four guiding themes specified by the Steering Group: CPD, exemplification, elaboration and re-write/edit. 2.7.
Other sources of feedback
In addition to the three main sources of data from school managers and teachers – questionnaires, trialling feedback and focus groups – the research team received a high volume of additional written feedback from a variety of sources. This included feedback from launch and CPD events (LTS Area Adviser cluster events and specialist events) organised by LTS to support engagement with the Draft Experiences and Outcomes; and submissions from events arising from inter-authority collaboration. Many organisations and individuals responded to positive encouragement to submit comments and feedback on Curriculum for Excellence. A wide range of interested bodies submitted feedback for consideration following the phased release of each set of Draft Experiences and Outcomes. These included formal submissions from within the profession for example through subject associations and other professional bodies, and submissions on behalf of individuals or small groups of practitioners who elected to respond in forms other than the standard questionnaire. Feedback was also received from health improvement agencies, faith groups, voluntary sector organisations, lobby groups (e.g. sustainable development), a learned society and a trade association (industry). Feedback was submitted in electronic and print forms, including email communication and a variety of non standard proforma. In total, 133 documents were submitted during the feedback period. 2.8.
Data analysis
Focus group discussions and interviews were audio recorded for full transcription with the informed consent of participants. Qualitative data analysis software, NVivo, was used to support analysis. The coding scheme applied to transcripts of the curriculum area focus groups was based on the four themes specified by LTS, which provided a simple structure: CPD requirement, exemplification, elaboration and re-write/edit. Under each of these lead headings, subheadings emerging from the analysis were added. The extracts selected for inclusion in this report are used to illustrate central issues. Care has been taken not to over-emphasise particularly strongly held minority views. Extracts were selected from a review of all segments of data coded at each of the four themes. The views of curriculum area specialists within the Faculty of Education, University of Glasgow were also sought on interpretation of (anonymised) focus group data as a further test of the reliability of the analysis. The involvement of educators with extensive professional experience in each of the curriculum areas, in addition to the research officers, further strengthens the warrant of the findings.
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