Tekijät

• University of Vaasa. Department of Public Management

Asiasanat

decision making, educational administrators, educational guidance, educational institutions, educational reform, educational resources, local education authorities, primary schools, schools, teaching

Sisällön kuvaus

Similar surveys were also carried out in 1995 and 1998. In the 2002 survey, primary schools and lower secondary schools received a questionnaire that was different from the one sent to post-lower secondary schools and institutions, unlike in the two earlier surveys. This survey deals mainly with three topics: the contents of primary and lower secondary education services, and the municipal administration and development policies of educational institutions.

First, the respondents were asked questions about the administrator of the school, the number of teaching groups, whether the school organises preschool education for 6-year-olds, and whether the school provides specialised teaching (e.g. music-oriented or language-oriented teaching). The respondents estimated their satisfaction with different supplementary and support services organised by their schools, including student lunch, cleaning, and maintaining the school library. In addition, they were asked how the provision of those services was organised in the institution. Changes in the educational activities (e.g. size of teaching groups, remedial teaching, independence of the school) since 1998 were queried, as well as their state at the time of the survey.

In relation to management and decision-making, the respondents were asked which elected body was mainly in charge of the central issues connected to their school. They also assessed the significance of that elected body in various matters (e.g. the acquisition of resources). Views on which elected body was in charge of different issues related to schools, such as deciding on the distribution of work, the selection of personnel, the expulsion of students, and allocating funds within the institution. Some questions pertained to the effect that various bodies (e.g. the EU, local government, teachers) have on the activity of the school. The respondents were also presented with a set of attitudinal statements covering the importance of various roles in their work as well as changes in their importance over the past few years. Views on future development goals were also probed.

Background variables included the respondent's year of birth, title, work experience in the field, and level of education. In addition, the data include external background variables.