Introduction: Why do students’ views matter?
No one has a bigger stake in teaching effectiveness than students. Nor are there any better experts on how teaching is experienced by its intended beneficiaries. But only recently have many policymakers and practitioners come to recognize that—when asked the right questions, in the right ways—students can be an important source of information on the quality of teaching and the learning environment in individual classrooms.
Asking Students About Teaching
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
What do we mean by ‘students’ views?’
The idea of ‘student voice’ is not something new. Teachers have always spoken to students. School councils and student senates have been around for a while. Many schools now have all sorts of groups, committees and steering groups that contribute to decisions that affect students’ school experiences.
But do we go far enough? Do we get to the heart of students’ perceptions and experiences? Do we find out the right things from the right students to really understand what they need from us? The Met Project research, referred to in the abovequoted article, stresses the need to ‘measure what matters’. This means measuring the things that are most important to students because
they have the most impact on their daily, lived experience of school. For example, we might ask students what they think about behaviour in school. But do we find out their views of why it is as it is? What do teachers do that promotes good behaviour? Why might poor behaviour persist even when the teacher says to stop it?
An often-overlooked factor here is the crucial value of students’ perceptions about teaching. They are the recipients of classroom practice. They experience its quality and its impact in each lesson. They know when they understand the lesson and when they don’t. They know what the teacher has done to help or not done and so hindered their success.
Principles of gathering effective student feedback:
Measure what matters:
It is important that the right students are asked the right questions to get the best insights. Focus on what teachers, school leaders and other staff do that creates the environment that students live and work in at school. This is about quality assurance (not quality control). We want to find out how well our processes are working for the benefit of our students. If there is a flaw in what we are doing, we need to find it and they are best placed to help us do that.
Ensure accuracy:
Student responses should be honest and based on clear understanding of what they are being asked about. Student confidentiality is a must. Students need to trust the safety of giving their views. Thinking about how to create the trust needed for students to feel this security is vital to getting accurate insights. Research suggests that asking students directly, in focus groups for example, can be counterproductive in establishing the conditions that enable them to give honest views. It is important to consider who is best to lead any focus groups or interviews as children’s responses may differ depending upon who is asking the question. Beware the Hawthorne Effect, might students wish to give the ‘right answers’ to please the questioner.
Well-designed surveys are more likely to yield accurate information. When using student surveys use well-thought-out questions. Ask the same question in different ways to ensure answer validity ‘my teacher knows when the class understands’, ‘my teacher checks if the class has understood the learning’. Students need to understand what the question is asking.
Representative Sample Selection:
Establish guidelines for selecting a representative sample of students. For example, you might choose to ensure diversity across classes, subjects, and performance levels to provide a comprehensive view of teaching practices. Alternatively, you might select from a narrower range to focus on a specific line of enquiry, such as the performance of pupils with SEND.
Establish regular gathering of views:
Ensuring that student views are gathered regularly is essential to capture a reliable school wide view. Student views can change often, due to internal changes and factors. Large samples provide more robust data and gathering student views throughout the year allows leaders to see the impact of school strategies and the changing views of the student body.
Consider timing:
The timing of pupil feedback can significantly impact engagement and the quality of responses. Pupils’ sentiments may differ at the start and end of a term. To gain a comprehensive view, consider asking similar questions at different points throughout the year to track the evolution of trends.