Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS) 2015: Online Feasibility Study

9 Annex - Topic guides and questionnaires

INTERVIEW WITH LOCAL AUTHORITY IT REPRESENTATIVES

Introduction

Introduce self, Ipsos MORI

Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. We have been commissioned by the Scottish Government to assess the feasibility of running SALSUS online in 2015 or in future waves.

The interview should take around 30 minutes depending on your answers.

Obtain permission to audio record, explain how it will be used.

Background

To start off, can you give me a brief description of your role and responsibilities?

I'm now going to ask you some questions about aspects of the IT infrastructure within your Local Authority.

Overall reactions

As we outlined in the email we sent to you, the Scottish Government has asked us to assess the feasibility of running the survey in online, on tablets or PCs, ahead of the next wave of the survey in 2015. What is your reaction to this?

How many schools in your Local Authority area would be able to participate in an online version of SALSUS?

What do you think would be the main issues or problems?

How could they be overcome?

Would they be overcome?

Details on tablets

Roughly what proportion of S2 and S4 pupils in your Authority's schools have access to a tablet device?

S1:
S2:
S5:
S3:
S4:
S6:

In which schools are these devices available to pupils? (We will have a list of schools in the Authority to hand here)

[Probe on specific numbers if possible]

Are these devices linked to individual pupils or are they pooled? Linked/Pooled

How is the decision taken in terms of where tablets are used and who receives them?

What are your Authority's plans for the future in terms of provision of tablets for pupils? [Probe: Will this happen across all schools; when is it likely to happen; who will be responsible for making the decision?]

[If don't know]: Who would be the best person for us to speak to about this?

ICT suites

Moving on, in terms of ICT suites across your Authority's secondary schools, how many suites are there per school and what is the average capacity of these suites?

How much variation is there in terms of ICT suite provision and size across the Authority?

And what are the Authority's plans for the future of ICT suites in secondary schools? [Probe: Will this happen across all schools; when is it likely to happen; who will be responsible for making the decision?]

[If don't know]: Who would be the best person for us to speak to about this?

Security issues

Pupils participating in an online version of SALSUS would be provided with a link to an external website and a unique access code. Are there likely to be any issues in terms of online questionnaires being blocked by firewalls in your Authority's secondary schools? Yes/No

[Issues]:

How could these issues be resolved?

What anti-virus software does your Authority use?

What bandwidth is available on your Authority's school networks?

What would be the maximum number of participants at any one time?

Would there be any other issues raised by a large number of pupils participating in an online survey at the same time? Yes/No

[Issues]

Previous experience of online surveys in the Authority

Have schools in your Authority taken part in any online research projects before? Yes/No/Don't know

[If yes]: When did this happen most recently?

What problems, if any, were encountered?

How were these problems resolved?

Are there any other types of problems which you could foresee if we conducted SALSUS online in the Authority?

And are there any other issues which you feel would be important to take into account from an IT perspective?

How would you feel about your Authority's secondary schools participating in an online version of SALSUS in 2015?

Finally, is there anything you would like to add that we have not already discussed in terms of IT provision in your Authority and any potential implications that this may have on conducting online research in school?

[If it's not feasible in 2015]: When do you think it would be feasible?

Can I just check that it is OK to name your Local Authority in the report to the Scottish Government? Yes/No

INTERVIEW WITH LIAISON TEACHERS

Introduction

Introduce self, Ipsos MORI

Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. We have been commissioned by the Scottish Government to assess the feasibility of running SALSUS online in 2015 or in future waves.

The interview should take around 30 minutes depending on your answers.

Obtain permission to audio record, explain how it will be used.

Background

To start off, can you tell me how many times you have helped out with the running of SALSUS?

General reactions

Overall, what's your reaction to SALSUS potentially being run online?

IT Infrastructure and provision

I'm now going to ask you some questions about aspects of the IT arrangements in your school.

Tablets

Does your school have tablet devices for pupils? Yes/No

[If yes]: Which pupils have these devices?

[Probe for year group; whether the devices are for individual pupils or pooled]

How is the decision taken in terms of where tablets are used and who receives them?

Would it be feasible for the school to participate in SALSUS in 2015 using tablets? Yes/No

… in PSE classes? Yes/No
… under exam conditions?

[If not feasible in 2015]: What are the school's plans for future provision of these devices for pupils?

ICT suites

How many ICT suites are there in your school?

How many pupils can be accommodated in each one?

What is the average size of a PSE class in S2 and S4?

S2:
S4:

How easy would it be to book an ICT suite for a PSE class?

How would you deal with the issue of not having enough PCs for the whole class?

Are PSE classes in each year group timetabled together? Yes/No

If there are problems with the size of PSE classes are there any other ways of getting a mixed-ability sample with smaller groups of pupils?

Previous experience of online surveys in the school

Now I'd like to ask you a few questions about online research in schools.

Has the school ever participated in online research with pupils before? Yes/No/Don't know

[If yes]: Was it easy or difficult for the school to participate? Easy/Difficult

[If yes]: How did pupils react to taking part?

What are your thoughts on the school's experience of having taken part?

How would the school go about ensuring absent pupils were able to participate when they return to school?

How do you think your head teacher would react to a request to undertake SALSUS online in 2015?

Do you expect that there would be an impact on parental consent of the survey were online?

What do you think would be the likely impact on pupil reaction at the school if the survey were to be online?

[Probe: Willingness to take part and way they may complete the survey]

From a school perspective, what advantages and disadvantages do you think there would be in moving the survey to an online method rather than a paper-based one?

Advantages:

Disadvantages:

Do you expect that there would be any particular concerns over confidentiality?

Other than the issues we have discussed, are there any other potential issues which you feel would need to be considered if SALSUS were to move online?

[Probe: What would help overcome any problems?]

We are doing depth interviews with ten liaison teachers and then sending a short survey to other liaison teachers. Are there any other issues which you think are important which you think we should ask your colleagues in other schools but which we have not discussed today?

Could you supply us with the name and contact details of the person responsible for IT provision in your school, in case we need to check any technical details?

Finally, is there anything further that you would like to add?

LIAISON TEACHERS' SURVEY

Introduction

Ipsos MORI has been commissioned by the Scottish Government to conduct the Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS) 2015. This wave will trial the move from the traditional, paper-administration to an online methodology.

This current survey is part of the wider SALSUS project assessing the feasibility of running part of SALSUS online in the autumn term of 2015. The survey, as well as a survey of headteachers and telephone interviews with local authority IT specialists, will inform whether or not the trial will continue to the piloting stage, and subsequently the main survey.

Please note that this is simply a feasibility study and does not constitute an agreement for your school to participate in the 2015 wave of SALSUS.

The survey should take around x minutes to complete.

Please be assured that all of the information you provide will be confidential and anonymous. It will not be possible to identify any particular individual or school in the results.

Thank you very much in advance for taking part. We appreciate your views greatly.

If you have any queries about the survey, or about how to complete the questionnaire, please contact David Myers at Ipsos MORI Scotland on 0131 240 3260 or david.myers@ipsos.com.

ICT suites

Q1. How many ICT suites are there in your school?

Write in:

Q2. How many pupils can be accommodated in each one?

Please give details if they vary in size
Write in:

Q3. How many PSE classes are there in S2 and S4?

Write in:
S2
S4

Q4. What is the average size of a PSE class in S2 and S4?

Write in:
S2
S4

Q5. Are PSE classes in each year group timetabled together?

Yes - the whole year group at one time
Yes - around half of the year group at one time, around half at another time
Yes - other (write in):
No
Don't know

Q6. How easy or difficult would it be to book an ICT suite for a PSE class?

Very easy
Fairly easy
Neither easy nor difficult
Fairly difficult
Very difficult
Don't know

Q7. How much notice would be required in order to timetable a PSE class into an ICT suite?

Less than a week
1-2 weeks
3-4 weeks
5-6 weeks
7-8 weeks
Longer (please write in)
Don't know

Q8. Evidence from local authorities and head teachers suggests that often there are more pupils in a PSE class than computers in an ICT suite. Do you have any suggestions on the best way to address this?

Write in:
Don't know

Q9. Are there any other mixed-ability classes that are small enough to be accommodated within an ICT suite?

Write in:

Previous experience of online surveys in the school

This section looks at the school's previous experience of having taken part in online research.

Q10. Has the school ever participated in a survey that pupils completed online?

Yes
No
Don't know

Q11. [If yes]: Thinking of the most recent survey, how was the questionnaire completed?

On PCs in an ICT suite
On tablet devices
On laptops/netbooks
Don't know

Q12. [If yes]: How easy or difficult was it for the school to administer the survey online?

Very easy
Fairly easy
Neither easy nor difficult
Fairly difficult
Very difficult
Don't know

Q13. [If difficult]: Why was it difficult?

Write in:

Q14. When the survey took place, did the school encounter any of the following issues?

There were not enough computers
There were problems with computers not working
There were problems with software compatibility
The survey site was blocked by a filter or firewall
Audio or video elements made the survey run slowly
The number of pupils taking part took up too much bandwidth and made the survey run slowly
There were difficulties timetabling classes into ICT suites
It was more difficult to manage the survey under exam conditions
There were accessibility issues for pupils with additional support needs

Yes - this was a major issue
Yes - it was an issue but it was overcome/fixed
No

Q15. [If yes]: In general, how did pupils react to completing the survey online?

Along the top of the grid
More than they would have with a paper survey
The same as they would have with a paper survey
Less than they would have with a paper survey

They enjoyed the experience
They rushed through their answers without much thought
They took it seriously
They conferred over answers
They were concerned about confidentiality

Q16. Do you have any other comments on the experience of administering an online survey of pupils?

Write in:

Feasibility of running SALSUS online

This section looks at whether or not it would be feasible to run SALSUS online in your school in the Autumn Term in 2015, or in a future wave of the survey.

Q17. Do you think that your school would be more or less likely to participate in an online version of SALSUS?

Much more likely
A little more likely
It would make no difference
A little less likely
Much less likely

Q18. On balance, do you think it would be feasible for your school to administer SALSUS in autumn 2015 online in PSE classes under exam conditions using…?

Down side of grid
… ICT suites
… tablet devices
… netbooks or laptops

Across top of grid
Yes - definitely
Yes - probably
No - probably not
No - definitely not
Don't know

Q19. [If yes to two or more options]: Which would be your preferred method?

ICT suites
Tablet devices
Laptops or netbooks

Q20. [If no]: When do you think that the school would be in a position to be able to administer SALSUS online?

By 2017
By 2019
After 2019
Don't know

Q21. If the survey were to move online, what effect, if any, do you think that this may have on pupils answers to the questions?

Write in:
No effect
Don't know

Q22. Do you think that an online methodology would have a positive or negative effect on pupils' willingness to participate in the survey?

Very positive
Fairly positive
Neither positive nor negative
Fairly negative
Very negative
Don't know

Q23. What effect, if any, do you think conducting SALSUS online would have on parental consent?

Parents would be more likely to give consent
There would be no difference
Parents would be less likely to give consent
Don't know

Q24. How easy or difficult would it be to follow up with pupils who were absent on the day of the survey if SALSUS was online?

Very easy
Fairly easy
Neither easy nor difficult
Fairly difficult
Very difficult
Don't know

Q25. Other than the issues raised above, are there any other potential issues which you feel would need to be considered if SALSUS were to move online?

Write in:

As previously noted, this survey is part of a wider study looking at the feasibility of moving to an online methodology for SALSUS 2015. As part of this wider study, we would like to get the views of someone in your school who works in IT provision. The aim of this will be to get more details on the practical IT issues that could be associated with the survey such as firewalls and software compatibility. If this is dealt with at a local authority level please let us know.

We would be grateful if you could provide the contact details for someone in your school who would be able to provide this information. We would then send them a link to a similar survey to this. The survey is voluntary, so it would, of course, be entirely up to them whether or not they wanted to participate

All information provided would be strictly confidential and the survey responses would be anonymous.

Q26. Could you please provide us with the name and email address of the person responsible for IT provision in your school?

Name (write in):

Email address (write in):

This is dealt with at a local authority level and not a school level

Thank you very much for taking the time to give us your views. Please be assured that the information you have provided is confidential and anonymous. We will not disclose the identity of any participating teachers or schools to the Scottish Government.

HEADTEACHERS' SURVEY

SALSUS Online Feasibility Study

Q1	Would you be more or less likely to participate in SALSUS in 2015 if the survey moved from paper delivery to online delivery? PLEASE TICK ONE BOX ONLY
	Much more likely	A little more likely	It would make no difference	A little less likely	Much less likely
Q2	Do you think that your school would have the technical capability and capacity to administer SALSUS online in 2015? PLEASE TICK ONE BOX ONLY
	Yes	No	Don't know
Q3	Please use this box to add any further comments or information, or to give reasons for any of the answers that you have provided above. PLEASE WRITE IN BELOW

How to access background or source data

The data collected for this social research publication:

☒ may be made available on request, subject to consideration of legal and ethical factors. Please contact salsus@scotland.gsi.gov.uk for further information.