Survey and data gathering tools
This section of the website provides practical examples of survey and data gathering instruments that teachers may use to evaluate the effectiveness of values education programmes and the approaches schools adopt.
NEW ACSSO Values Audit - How is My School Doing?
The Australian Council of State School Organisations has developed a values audit tool to ‘facilitate a process of honest self-examination, with a view to prompting a practical development of policies and procedures at a school level.’
Case Writing: using evidence-based research in values education
Some of the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project clusters have started to explore Case Writing as a means of identifying improvements in the teaching and learning of values. They are also experimenting with using it as a form of ‘evidence-based’ research into quality teaching of values. Professor Ron Toomey explains the methodology of Case Writing with examples to illustrate how Case Writing can be used to yield rich results in values education.
A revised version of ‘Case Writing as Evidence of Good Practice in the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project - Stage 2’ by Professor Ron Toomey is now available. The original version was written as part of the Research Resource Kit for the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project – Stage 2
For examples of teacher case writing visit Case Studies: Good Practice Schools on this website.
Configurative Mapping Tool
Action research is a practical strategy intended to help teachers and schools improve their practice. Configurative mapping is an approach to program evaluation. It is designed to detect advancements in improving values education programmes that schools are achieving over relatively short periods of time.
This Configurative Mapping Tool was designed by the University Associates Network (UAN) for use by clusters in the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project – Stage 1. It has been constructed to accommodate differences in approaches to values education and can be used by any school in planning for effective values education.
Research Resource Kit for the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project
A full version of the Research Resource Kit for the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project – Stage 1 which was distributed to all clusters at the Initial Briefing Session on June 3rd 2005. This kit includes the Configurative Mapping Tool and background information for the cluster schools.
A new version of the above values education toolkit has been written for Stage 2 and may be downloaded as a Word version Research Resource Kit for the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project – Stage 2 (774kb) or a PDF version Research Resource Kit for the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project – Stage 2 (635kb).
Survey tools from Values Education Good Practice Project Schools
The Manningham Catholic Primary Schools cluster in Victoria is part of the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project. Their project is student-focused and concentrates on Student Action Teams where students will take an active role implementing the nine values through their schools curriculum, organisation, ethos and environment whilst forming partnerships with their local, State and national community. The cluster has begun to survey students' responses to the nine values in the National Framework and is yielding interesting and rich results. There are three survey forms: care and compassion; friendship and acceptance; and a fair go.
Merrylands Cluster Surveys – Stage 1
Merrylands Cluster in New South Wales, one of the clusters in the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project - Stage 1, conducted three surveys to obtain information about values in the school community: one for students; one for teachers; and one for parents.
Merrylands/Guildford Cluster Surveys – Stage 2
For the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project - Stage 2, the Merrylands/Guildford cluster delivered a values survey to staff and students across all seven schools. They were asked to scale statements in relation to the question, ‘In my classroom/school, how evident is each of the following?’ They were given another almost identical survey which asked, ‘In my classroom/school how important is each of the following?’ The cluster then conducted workshops comparing both surveys. Expert groups then worked on the following areas: analysis of teacher results; analysis of student results; primary school versus high school student results; and teacher versus student comparison. Feedback was given to the whole cluster via a PMI chart (plus, minus, interesting comments).
The survey was designed by Belinda Giudice, the cluster coordinator. They have found it useful, not only for values education but for whole-school climate analysis and also for transition (Years 6–7).
For further examples of surveys visit Case Studies: Good Practice Schools.
Character Education
Character education quality standards self-assessment tool
CEP (Character Education Partnership) is an American organisation ‘dedicated to developing young people of good character who become responsible and caring citizens’. On their website is a PDF document, Character Education Quality Standards, which is a self-assessment tool that ‘outlines key components of effective character education and allows schools and districts to evaluate their efforts in relation to these criteria. This instrument provides a means for educators, administrators, and community members to reflect on current practices, identify short and long-term objectives, and develop or improve a strategic plan’. School communities might find it useful as a basis for tailoring a self-assessment tool using the ‘Guiding principles’ and ‘Key elements and approaches that inform good practice’ from the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools.
Character Education assessment tools
The Heart of the Matter: Character and Citizenship Education in Alberta Schools (Alberta Education, 2005)
‘The process of developing character and citizenship projects begins with assessment in mind. Detailing what will be assessed defines the purpose of initiatives.’ The following chapters and tools from The Heart of the Matter may be useful in moving beyond anecdotal evidence in assessing the progress of projects and auditing school climate: Chapter 4: Assessing Character and Citizenship Education Initiatives; Chapter 5: Creating a Safe and Caring School Culture; Appendix B: Assessment Tools; Appendix D: Using Action Research to Initiate School Change; Appendix F: Sample Evaluation Tools and Strategies.