Methods for Studying Learners
Knowing that you must study learners is one thing; knowing how is another. There is a toolkit of methods for gathering data on learners, and each one is good at finding a different kind of information. A thorough study uses several together.
The toolkit of methods
| Method | What it is good for |
|---|---|
| Observation by the teacher | Facts about activities, social relations, and school habits |
| Student interview | How learners feel, their attitudes, interests, philosophy of life |
| Parent interview | Health practices and social relations at home |
| Questionnaire | Gathering student information at scale |
| Interest questionnaire | Recreation, reading, health habits, work, personal problems |
| Test | Present status in skills, knowledge, attitudes, problem solving |
| Community records | Health data such as illness rates, and other social data |
| School records | The learner’s documented history at school |
| Teacher participation | Staff contributing to the study of needs and interests |
| Student participation | Learners gathering data, for example by house survey |
A few of these deserve a closer look.
Observation by the teacher is fact-finding about learners: their activities in school, their social relations, and their habits. It is always available, because the teacher is already there.
Interviews come in two forms. A student interview is time-consuming and usually done with a sample of learners, but it gives informal data about how they feel, their attitudes, their interests, and their philosophy of life. A parent interview adds information about learners’ health practices and social relations at home, which the school cannot see directly.
Questionnaires gather information at scale, and an interest questionnaire in particular can cover recreational activities, social and personal problems, reading and health habits, and work experience.
Tests measure present status in skills such as reading, writing, and computation, and in knowledge, attitudes, and problem solving.
Records are a quiet, rich source. Community records can show child mortality, the frequency of particular diseases, and other social data; school records hold the learner’s documented history.
Observation, interviews, questionnaires, and tests
The fuller toolkit adds community records, school records, and the participation of teachers and learners. Each method answers a different kind of question, so a thorough study uses several.
A test
Tests show present status in skills like reading, writing, and computation, and in knowledge, attitudes, and problem solving. For feelings and interests, interviews and questionnaires work better.
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