Children, Access & Learning: Resource-based Learning

and the Impacts of Environment and Learning Cultures

bySarah McNicolTilusha GhelaniClare Nankivell

Michael Shoolbred

Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries 2001

AbstractThis project funded by Resource: the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries investigated children's access to and support in using learning resources and the effect of these elements on children's learning.

The project grew out of concerns that the more the school curriculum moves towards independent study and research-based investigation, the more likely it is that some children will be disadvantaged in their learning. If some children have access to a good selection of books in the home, are taken to the local library and museum, have a home computer with CD ROMs and internet access and have parents or other carers who talk to them about learning topics, then these children are more likely to do well at school.

The main aims of the project were: to investigate the experiences of children in the support they receive and

resources they use in their current learning to identify the material and cultural factors affecting these experiences,

such as geographical location, family income, study space available in the home, library membership, use of ICT and families' life experiences.

to suggest ways in which local agencies can work together to ensure all children can access and use learning resources.

The research methodology adopted a case study approach supported by a literature review. Four case study schools were chosen to represent a variety of geographical locations. In each school, one class of Year 7 pupils was chosen to participate in the project. In addition to recording the resources they used whilst they are completing a short resource-based learning assignment, all the pupils were interviewed to explore their experiences of conducting this work and their access to and use of resources more generally. The parents of each pupil completed a questionnaire and were interviewed by the research team to explore the access to and availability of learning resources and support for each child in relation to learning outside the school environment. The research team also interviewed teachers and school librarians and investigated various local and national agencies that have an interest in children's learning.

Two key factors were identified in terms of children’s experiences of resource-based learning. Firstly, the geographical location where they live and go to school and secondly, the exact requirements of their project.

In school, pupils enjoyed activities that were slightly different from the usual pattern of teaching and learning, for example, using the library, using ICT resources and talking to other people. The aspects of project work they disliked were the more familiar activities of writing, reading and worksheets. For some, there was tension between the need to research in depth and the wish to complete the project before boredom set in.

The home was found to have a strong influence on children’s learning. The ‘learning environment’ created by the home and family was vital to children developing successful learning skills. The key resources children felt they require to help them to learn at home were: books; a computer; help from a person; a desk or table; space; and an appropriate aural environment.Parents played a vital role in their children’s learning and most were actively involved, although they perceived a difference between their contribution at

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primary and secondary levels. However, for a variety of reasons, some parents were more able to help their children than others.

Parents generally viewed resource-based learning as a worthwhile activity, but some had reservations about the amount of support and access to resources required. Many were unsure what their role should be or what was the best way for them to help their child.

Both children and parents had mixed views of ICT. Parents felt that ICT skills were important especially for future employment; however, they worried that currently children could use it to ‘cut corners’. Although some children found the Internet difficult to use effectively, ICT was seen by many as a powerful tool and one that presented information in an interesting format, making learning more enjoyable.

Although the majority of children were members of a public library, relatively few were regular users. There was little evidence of formal partnership working between public libraries and other agencies at a practical level.

The authorsSarah McNicol, a researcher in the Centre for Information Research at the University of Central England in Birmingham, was primarily responsible for the project fieldwork, data analysis and report writing. Before becoming involved in research and evaluation work, she was employed as a school librarian. She has a degree in Library and Information Studies.

Tilusha Ghelani is a Research Assistant at the Centre for Information Research at the University of Central England. She was mainly engaged in the report fieldwork and data analysis. She has been involved in numerous research and evaluation projects within the fields of reader development, children’s literacy and librarianship. She has a degree in Cultural Studies and is currently studying for a Masters.

Clare Nankivell, the project head, has been the Director of the Centre for Information Research in the Faculty of Computing, Information and English at the University of Central England in Birmingham for five years. She is an experienced researcher and project manager who has been involved in research into libraries, learning, education and ICT since 1989 within the Centre for Information Research. She has qualifications in Philosophy and Library and Information Studies

Michael Shoolbred, the project academic adviser, is a Senior Academic in the School of Information Studies at the University of Central England. He has qualifications in librarianship, teaching and training. Before lecturing, he worked as a chartered librarian in government and academic libraries. Michael runs a postgraduate module on research methods and has advised the Centre for Information Research on a number of projects.

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Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries 2001

The opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries

Library and Information Commission Research Report 119

RE/111

ISBN 0904354369ISSN 1466-2949

This Library and Information Commission Research Report can be obtained from Trish Ellis, Centre for Information Research (CIRT), Faculty of Computing, Information and English, University of Central England, Perry Barr, Birmingham, B42 2SU. Telephone 0121 331 5619. Email: trish.ellis@uce.ac.uk.

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Contents

Abstract........................................................................................................................ ii

The authors................................................................................................................. iii

Contents.......................................................................................................................v

Abbreviations...............................................................................................................x

Acknowledgements....................................................................................................xii

1. Introduction..........................................................................................................1

1.1 Aims and Objectives.........................................................................................11.2 Background and timeliness...............................................................................31.2.1 Background to government policy.................................................................31.2.2 The study.......................................................................................................41.2.3 Resource-based learning – four research premises......................................41.2.4 Project partners.............................................................................................5

2. Literature Review................................................................................................7

2.1 Definitions.........................................................................................................72.2 Lifelong Learning...............................................................................................82.3 Factors influencing resource-based learning....................................................92.4 Home-school relations....................................................................................122.5 The impact of resource provision....................................................................142.6 Barriers to learning..........................................................................................152.6.1 Parental support..........................................................................................152.6.2 Library use...................................................................................................152.7 Solutions.........................................................................................................162.8 Conclusion......................................................................................................18

3. Methodology......................................................................................................19

3.1 Introduction.....................................................................................................193.2 Project monitoring and review.........................................................................193.3 Literature Review............................................................................................213.4 Case studies...................................................................................................233.4.1 Selection of case studies.............................................................................233.4.2 Quantitative data.........................................................................................263.4.3 Qualitative data............................................................................................273.4.4 Response rates...........................................................................................283.4.5 Teacher assessments.................................................................................293.5 Community research.......................................................................................293.5.1 Document analysis......................................................................................293.5.2 Interviews with key school and community personnel.................................293.6 Data analysis and presentation.......................................................................29

4. The Case Studies..............................................................................................31

4.1 Selection of the schools..................................................................................314.2 St Ivo School, St Ives, Cambridgeshire...........................................................314.2.1 The school...................................................................................................314.2.2 School agencies..........................................................................................334.2.3 Pupil agencies.............................................................................................33

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4.2.4 Local partnerships.......................................................................................364.3 Dixons City Technology College, Bradford......................................................374.3.1 The school...................................................................................................374.3.2 School agencies..........................................................................................394.3.3 Pupil agencies.............................................................................................414.4 Woolston Community High School, Warrington..............................................454.4.1 The school...................................................................................................454.4.2 School agencies..........................................................................................464.4.3 Pupil agencies.............................................................................................474.5 Looe Community School, Looe, Cornwall.......................................................494.5.1 The school...................................................................................................494.5.2 School agencies..........................................................................................524.5.3 Pupil agencies.............................................................................................53

5. Project Story......................................................................................................56

5.1 Project work....................................................................................................565.1.1 Enjoyable aspects of project work...............................................................575.1.2 Unenjoyable aspects of project work...........................................................585.2 Parents’ views.................................................................................................595.2.1 Resource-based learning............................................................................595.3 Resources children used for their projects......................................................605.3.1 ICT...............................................................................................................615.3.2 Libraries.......................................................................................................635.3.3 Printed resources........................................................................................645.3.4 People.........................................................................................................645.4 Experiences in the case study schools...........................................................645.4.1 St Ivo...........................................................................................................655.4.2 Dixons.........................................................................................................715.4.3 Woolston.....................................................................................................765.4.4 Looe............................................................................................................805.5 Reflection........................................................................................................85

6. Home Story.......................................................................................................87

6.1 Parental Profiles..............................................................................................876.2 Resources in the home...................................................................................946.2.1 Computer resources in the home................................................................956.2.2 Printed resources in the home.....................................................................966.2.3 Other resources in the home.......................................................................976.3 What resources do children use at home?......................................................986.4 Who helps with homework?..........................................................................1006.4.1 How do other people help with learning?..................................................1026.5 Computers and Internet use..........................................................................1036.6 Places to work...............................................................................................1066.7 Difficulties experienced.................................................................................1076.8 Hopes and ambitions....................................................................................1086.9 Parents’ views of learning.............................................................................1116.9.1 Parents’ views of learning resources.........................................................1126.10 Home-school relations..................................................................................1136.11 Conclusion....................................................................................................116

7. Community Story.............................................................................................117

7.1 School library................................................................................................117

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7.2 Homework and breakfast clubs.....................................................................1187.3 Public libraries...............................................................................................1187.3.1 St Ivo.........................................................................................................1217.3.2 Dixons.......................................................................................................1227.3.3 Woolston...................................................................................................1247.3.4 Looe..........................................................................................................1257.3.5 Libraries - the national picture...................................................................1267.4 Workplaces...................................................................................................1287.5 Museums......................................................................................................1287.5.1 Museums – the national picture.................................................................1287.6 Hobbies.........................................................................................................1297.7 Family activities.............................................................................................1337.7.1 Barriers to family activities.........................................................................136

8. Case Studies...................................................................................................139

8.1 Pupil A – Dixons – Female – Indian..............................................................1398.2 Pupil B – Looe – Female – White..................................................................1418.3 Pupil C – Woolston – Male – White...............................................................1448.4 Pupil D – St Ivo – Male – White....................................................................1458.5 Pupil E – St Ivo – Female, Mixed race..........................................................1488.6 Pupil F – Woolston – Female – White...........................................................1508.7 Pupil G – Dixons – Female – Indian..............................................................1518.8 Pupil H – Looe – Female – White.................................................................153

9. Conclusions.....................................................................................................156

9.1 The project....................................................................................................1569.1.1 Enjoyable aspects of resource-based learning..........................................1569.1.2 Difficulties of resource-based learning......................................................1579.2 The home......................................................................................................1579.2.1 Parents’ roles.............................................................................................1579.2.2 ICT.............................................................................................................1589.3 The community..............................................................................................1589.3.1 Activities that contribute to learning...........................................................1589.3.2 People who help with learning...................................................................1589.3.3 Public libraries...........................................................................................1589.4 Local variations.............................................................................................1599.4.1 St Ivo.........................................................................................................1599.4.2 Dixons.......................................................................................................1599.4.3 Woolston...................................................................................................1599.4.4 Looe..........................................................................................................1609.5 Barriers and enablers to learning..................................................................1609.5.1 Barriers to learning....................................................................................1609.5.2 Enablers to learning...................................................................................161

10. Recommendations..........................................................................................162

10.1 Help for children............................................................................................16210.2 Help for parents.............................................................................................16410.3 Community facilities......................................................................................16410.4 The current policy agenda.............................................................................166

Bibliography.............................................................................................................167

References..............................................................................................................170

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Appendix 1...............................................................................................................178

Appendix 2...............................................................................................................180

Appendix 3...............................................................................................................182

List of Tables and figuresFig. 1: Map of the school locations........................................................................................24

Table 1: Variables showing differences between schools selected and their localities.........25

Table 2: Parent’s Questionnaire and interview responses....................................................28

Figure 2: Resources used, as mentioned in interviews.........................................................60

Table 3: Percentage of children at St Ivo using resources in each location..........................66

Table 4: Percentage of children at Dixons using resources in each location........................71

Table 5: Percentage of children at Woolston using resources in each location....................76

Table 6: Percentage of children at Looe using resources in each location...........................81

Table 7: Number of adults per household..............................................................................87

Figure 3: The age of adults in each household......................................................................88

Table 8: Ethnic origin of parents............................................................................................89

Figure 4: Qualifications of parents by school.........................................................................90

Table 9: Parents with a vocational qualification.....................................................................91

Table 10: Parents engaged in current study..........................................................................92

Table 11: Occupation of parents............................................................................................93

Table 12: Percentage of families in each income bracket.....................................................93

Figure 5: Percentage of parents buying books and other resources.....................................94

Figure 6: Percentage of homes with ICT resources..............................................................96

Figure 7: Percentage of homes with printed resources.........................................................97

Figure 8: Resources used at home........................................................................................98

Figure 9: Favourite resource mentioned in children’s interviews.........................................100

Figure10: People helping Year 7 child with work at home...................................................101

Table 13: Are there any ways in which the school could improve its links with the home?..115

Figure 11: Percentage of children using the school library..................................................117

Figure 12: Adult library membership....................................................................................119

Figure 13: Children’s library membership............................................................................120

Figure 14: Frequency of library use from pupil interviews (St Ivo).......................................121

Figure 15: Frequency of library use from pupil interviews (Dixons)......................................122

Figure 16: Frequency of library use from pupil interviews (Woolston)..................................124

Figure 17: Frequency of library use from pupil interviews (Looe).........................................125

Figure 18: Percentages of children taking part in clubs and other activities........................129

Table14: Parents’ perceived benefits of children’s hobbies.................................................132

Table 15: Percentages of families taking part in activities...................................................133

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Figure 19: Most commonly mentioned family activities.......................................................134

Figure 20: Number of cars owned........................................................................................137

Table 16: Usual form of transport used...............................................................................137

Table 17: Percentage of families with good access to buses and trains.............................138

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Abbreviations

The following abbreviations are used in the report.

Becta British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (the Government's lead agency on the use of ICT in education)

BIDS Bath Information and Data Services

CFL Campaign for Learning (a national charity, working to create an appetite for learning in individuals that will sustain them throughout their lives)

DoE Department of Environment

DCMS Department for Culture, Media and Sport

DETR Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (from June 2001, this became the Department for Transport, Local Government and Regions)

DfES Department for Education and Skills (prior to June 2001, this was the Department for Education and Employment – DfEE)

Eric Educational Resources Information Center

ICT Information and Communications Technology

INSET In service training for teachers

LEA Local Education Authority

LIC Library and Information Commission (On 31st March 2000, the LIC was replaced by Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries)

LISA Library and information science abstracts

NAGCELL The National Advisory Group for Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning (established by the Secretary of State for Education and Employment in June, 1997 to advise on the preparation of a White Paper on Lifelong Learning)

NOF New Opportunities Fund

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NGfL National Grid for Learning

OfSTED The Office for Standards in Education. OfSTED is a non-ministerial Government department set up in 1992 to carry out regular inspection of schools. Its remit is to improve standards of achievement and enhance quality of education.

OPAC Open Public Access Catalogue

PGCE Post Graduate Certificate of Education

Resource The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries (launched in April 2000 in order to work with and for museums, archives and libraries within the UK, tapping the potential for collaboration between the sectors)

SLS Schools Library Service (known as ELS or Education Library Service in some authorities)

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Acknowledgements

Many individuals have contributed to the work of this project. The project team are particularly grateful to the teachers, headteachers and library staff at St Ivo School, Dixons CTC, Woolston Community High School and Looe Community School. The contact person at each of each of the schools: Maggie Ashcroft, Lynn Barrett, Alicia Baran and Bryan Bradbeer, deserve a special mention.

The members of the Advisory Panel named in Appendix 1, were extremely helpful in giving their time and valuable expertise. The project team are particularly grateful to Professor Judith Elkin, Dean of the Faculty of Computing, Information and English at UCE who chaired the meetings.

Dr. Graham Matthews, Director of Research for the Faculty of Computing, Information and English and Pete Dalton, CIRT Research Development Manager both deserve thanks for their for their involvement in early stages of the project.

Finally, the project team would like to thank Steve Dalton, lecturer in the School of Computing at UCE for his invaluable contribution on data analysis.

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1. Introduction

1.1 Aims and Objectives

The “sustainable models of learning cultures and resource-based learning for the 21st century” research project emerged from work conducted at St Ivo School in Cambridgeshire into developing community learning and life long learning. As a result of the concerns expressed by teachers and librarians, the Centre for Information and Research at the University of Central England in Birmingham (CIRT) carried out a research project funded by Resource (the Council for Libraries, Museums and Archives). The title of the project was later changed to: “Children, access and learning: resource-based learning and the impacts of environment and learning cultures”. The aim of the project was to investigate the relationship between different learning cultures and resource-based learning in children. The research focused on the delivery of the National Curriculum in secondary schools.

The project aimed to lead to a greater understanding of learning cultures in resource-based learning. It planned to present cross-sectoral models for supporting children from different learning cultures in order to help them become resourceful lifelong learners. Practical benefits include recommendations of ways in which families and local agencies involved in children’s learning can co-operate to ensure better provision for children.

The research addressed the competences and value and impact research themes of the former Library and Information Commission (LIC)1, by investigating the impact of different learning cultures within a context of social exclusion and by identifying ways in which libraries can co-operate with other agencies to accommodate different learning cultures.

The research was instigated to investigate the relationship between different learning cultures and children’s resource-based learning. It sought to develop cross-sectoral models to support children from different learning cultures in becoming resourceful lifelong learners.

The key focus of the project, therefore, was to provide a series of models of children’s learning cultures that can be used to inform provision of services to support children’s learning within a locality.

1 On 31 March 2000 the LIC was replaced by Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries

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The project aim was supported by the following objectives:

to identify the material and cultural factors of different learning cultures

to establish how these learning cultures affect children’s learning skills and educational experiences

to develop a means of profiling learning cultures for children

to suggest ways in which all the agencies involved in the learning and development of children can co-operate to address these different learning cultures to help all children to learn and achieve.

The project was perceived as being of benefit to managers and decision-makers in local authorities, school libraries, teachers and children and their parents. It was intended that the findings of the project could benefit:

1. local authorities, by providing models for ‘joined-up’2 planning of services across a number of sectors, including education, museums, libraries and archives, heritage organisations and other local authority services

2. school libraries, school library services and public libraries, as their importance in resource-based learning within a multi-agency approach and the opportunities for working with agencies in other sectors will be more fully explored

3. teachers, as they will be able to target their teaching more accurately to different learning cultures

4. parents, who will gain information on how to change the learning culture within the home and the effect of learning cultures on their children

5. children, as their learning cultures and needs will be more fully recognised6. other agencies, such as those involved in culture, heritage and entertainment, as their

role in the education and learning culture of children is fully recognised7. strategic policy makers, by demonstrating how agencies in many sectors

can work together in order to meet specific learning needs.

The research, which was funded by Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, also examined wider cross-sectoral issues in children’s learning. This addressed areas of key importance in the synergistic work of Resource, which aims to identify “ways in which the museums, archives and libraries could work together so that their invaluable contribution can be developed and sustained” (Resource, 2000).

2 http://www.modernisinggovernment.co.uk/joined.html

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1.2 Background and timeliness

1.2.1 Background to government policy

The notion of a ‘learning society’ is key to Government thinking on education and employment. Within such a society, lifelong learning will be an important tool to impart the knowledge and skills individuals need to respond imaginatively to change and uncertainty. In this way, it is hoped that lifelong learning can help to overcome social exclusion and contribute to economic success (Edwards et al., 1998).

In addition, lifelong learning can play a vital role in contributing to the broad aims of both the Department for Culture Media and Sport and Resource, by promoting access, pursuing excellence and innovation, encouraging educational opportunities and contributing to the nation’s economy (DCMS, 1999).

Integrated Government policy is crucial to the delivery and support of lifelong learning. The library and education sectors, in particular, need to work closely at policy, strategic and operational levels for successful local delivery of lifelong learning initiatives. One of Resource’s core values is, “partnership and co-operation”, which are held to be “essential components of success” (Resource, 2000).

While the term ‘lifelong learning’ is often used to refer to post-school and adult learning alone, the national concern with out-of-school learning and homework underlines the fact that the concept is really much wider. It refers to independent, resource-based learning throughout life (Burgess et al., 1998). Lifelong learning, as interpreted in this project, is just that, a lifelong process. It ranges from Bookstart programmes (http://www.booktrust.org.uk/bookstart/bookstart.htm) and early years provision, via the acquisition of learning skills and habits and the increasingly more resource-based learning in schools to the whole range of learning opportunities for adults and continued learning during retirement.

The current emphasis on individualised learning also fits well with the resource-based learning model. Measures such as individual pupil-level target-setting; learning mentors who provide assistance to individual pupils and data systems which track pupils’ progress are just some of the ways schools are attempting to, “tailor education to the talents and potential of individual pupils” (Department for Education and Employment, 2001c). Resource-based learning is a further way in which pupils can take greater control of their own learning.

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1.2.2 The study

The CIRT study aimed to contribute to an understanding of resource-based learning by focusing on Year 7 children in four schools. The case studies investigated the relationship between the different material and cultural experiences of children, looking particularly at the role of the child in developing the learning culture of the family and also children’s access to and use of resources to help in their learning. Material factors investigated included geographical location, family income and study space available in the home. Cultural factors included library membership, use of information and communications technology, families’ educational experiences and expectations and use of cultural centres, such as museums.

The research placed these experiences within the context of developing learning communities, examining how organisations, such as local education authorities, libraries and museums services, community centres and individual schools, currently meet the learning needs of children within their communities.

1.2.3 Resource-based learning – four research premises

The research was based on four premises:

Independent, research work is increasingly part of the school curriculum.

Resource-based learning provides a valuable means of achieving continuity between children’s school learning and their experience in the home and the community.

The material and cultural factors determining particular learning cultures within which children and parents exist will have an impact on the way in which children can benefit from resource-based learning. Indeed, the project emerged from concerns that some children would be unacceptably disadvantaged in developing learning skills and in conducting school-based work involving research. Circumstances within and outside of the school environment influence the availability of resources to support learning. In addition, access to resources and the ease with which children can become familiar with them impact on formal and informal learning opportunities. By offering different learning opportunities and by valuing the experiences of all social groups, not just the dominant one, resource-based curricula can help students from all learning cultures to become resourceful lifelong learners. However, such resource-based curricula require “collaboration across professions and institutions [... to] extend the learning opportunities of the individual” (Burgess et al., 1998)

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Successful resource-based learning does not, however, depend solely on the provision of a range of appropriate print, non-print and human resources alone. In principle, access to learning opportunities in schools, libraries, museums, art galleries and other cultural institutions is equal. In practice, however, this access can be limited by a range of material and cultural factors. These factors are likely to include income, geographical location of the home and the availability of transport, along with parents’ involvement with their children’s education, their life experiences and their attitudes to learning opportunities. Following on from Douglas’ classic longitudinal survey The home and the school (1967), the inequalities resulting from these factors have been well researched.

Children’s differing experiences affect their ability to learn through resource-based learning. The research team has specifically looked at ways in which the school and other agencies in the wider area can combat social exclusion to create greater equality of access and opportunity.

1.2.4 Project partners

A great deal of research has been carried out by CIRT within schools, with children. However, it was important to consolidate this through the involvement of experts from the academic fields of education and information studies, and experts from the field of school libraries, children and youth services. This involvement was deemed necessary to build on educational research experience of the project team based within information studies. By involving practitioners and educational experts it also ensured an inclusive approach to research practice.

Initial discussions took place between a member of the research team and Maggie Ashcroft, who is based at St Ivo School, Cambridgeshire, approximately a year before the start of the project. As Project Manager, responsible for Resource-based Learning Development, Maggie has a special remit to inform educational research and other agencies’ policy making on resource-based learning. In response to the Hillage Report (1998), which expressed concern about the lack of impact of educational research upon relevant policy and practical concerns, one of the long-term objectives of St Ivo School is to become a “research school”. St Ivo School is one of a pilot group of six schools which have entered into a research partnership (SUPER – Schools-University Partnership for Educational Research) with the University of Cambridge’s School of Education.

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The four schools that participated in this research all have in common the experience of resource-based learning strategies and delivery. They were also selected because of the variety of geographical locations, social need and educational provision that they represent. They have been actively involved throughout the project by advising on issues such as: community agencies’ resource provision, assisting the CIRT team in liaison with schools, and with students’ families as research participants. These practitioners are well-placed to translate the research in terms of their own practice, as well as to anticipate possible policy and practice development in wider community settings. (For details of the project partners, see Chapter 4).

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2. Literature Review

Literature monitoring began in March 2000. The strategy adopted included searches using the following abstracting services: LISA, Uncover, BIDS, OCLC, Ovid, Eric, as well as identifying relevant government reports and general web searching. Current media interest in learning and resource provision suggested a number of interesting avenues to explore. It is clear that there is no shortage of research concerned with methods of learning within the school, as well as a vast array of material exploring family influences on children’s learning.

2.1 Definitions

Learning has been defined by the Campaign for Learning as: “a process of active engagement with experience. It is what people do when they want to make sense of the world. It may involve an increase in skills, knowledge, understanding, values and the capacity to reflect. Effective learning leads to change, development and a desire to learn more” (Campaign for Learning, 2000).

Resource-based learning is the generic term to describe differing approaches to learning, which requires children to carry out a degree of research. Through using a range of resources, it fosters involvement of the child in his or her own learning. It is vitally important as “the tool for the complex job of preparing students for tomorrow’s information-dependent society” (Cohen, 1995).

This student-centred approach encourages pupils to learn by doing, enabling them to become creative problem solvers and promoting autonomy. It has been argued that “information literacy is a means of personal empowerment” (Queen’s University Library, 2000). Resource-based learning is a method that allows flexibility in terms of learning styles and subject areas, giving pupils a sense of ownership of their learning, which leads to increased self-confidence. It requires children to use a range of resources both in school and in other locations such as their homes or community venues.

Whilst resource-based learning can help build a child’s capacity to learn, this capacity will, in turn, be influenced by the tools they have available. ‘Personal resources’ is foremost among the key areas identified as essential to stimulate learning by the Campaign for Learning (Campaign for Learning, 2000). It is clearly recognised among those promoting learning that availability of resources is a key factor in encouraging learning; the Campaign for Learning’s approach is to stimulate people to use the resources they have at hand and to employ them in learning.

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This concept of a ‘learning culture’ owes something to Bourdieu’s notion of ‘habitus’, i.e. “the everyday habitual practices and assumptions of a particular cultural environment” (Bilton et al., 1996). However, learning cultures are a wider concept and include material as well as cultural factors.

The term ‘learning culture’ is less clearly defined by the literature. Even NAGCELL (the National Advisory Group for Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning), which was commissioned specifically to investigate the creation of the type of learning cultures that would stimulate demand for learning, admitted: “the idea of ‘culture’ is notoriously difficult to pin down”. Additionally, it also claimed that,

“cultures are usually especially resistant to attempts to change them from outside or to impose unwanted modifications upon them” (NAGCELL, 1999).

To achieve a “shift in cultures”, requires “cultural change at many levels” and this will take time (NAGCELL, 1999). Although a short resource-based learning project might not change the culture of a child’s fundamental attitude towards learning, it might, nevertheless, make an initial contribution to the process known as lifelong learning.

2.2 Lifelong Learning

Creating Learning Cultures – Next Steps in Achieving the Learning Age, the second NAGCELL report, was pivotal in moving the Government towards creating a national strategy for learning. The Campaign for Learning believed that, since its publication, “we have an inclusive learning society for the first time” (Campaign for Learning, 2000). The report identified the need for cultural changes in how learning is viewed, but also recognised the difficulty in achieving that change. As the report explained, “Far too many people are still locked in a culture, which regards lifelong learning as either unnecessary, unappealing, uninteresting or unavailable”. In order to achieve the desired changes, broad and popular support needs to be built up and “motivation and commitment to learning need to be increased” (NAGCELL, 1999).

This enthusiasm is best activated at an early age. NAGCELL recognised that it is not just adults who need to be inspired to take up lifelong learning opportunities.

“Among schoolchildren, fostering a love of learning, the skill of ‘learning to learn’ and a practical understanding of the ways in which educational achievement connects with their future lives will also help instil a commitment to lifelong learning.“

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The Group’s second report advocated that:

“The school curriculum itself, and its method of delivery…should be so designed as to stimulate a love of learning, develop children’s skills of learning to learn and be aimed at securing a commitment to learning throughout life from everyone.” (NAGCELL, 1999)

Resource-based learning is a method appropriate to these aims because it gives children responsibility for their own project and requires them to use their own information and research skills. In doing so, it challenges children and engages them in their own schoolwork. UNESCO (1996) advocated that:

“School should impart both the desire for, and pleasure in learning, the ability to learn how to learn, and intellectual curiosity…education should enable everyone to gather information and to select, arrange, manage and use it.”

This approach may help to combine the unstructured, open-ended, learner-centred learning of the home with the ordered, directed, teacher-led learning of the school. There is a growing awareness that resource-based learning may be an effective way to “help pupils develop the skills they will need in the ‘knowledge economy’” (Henry, 2000).

The eleven and twelve year old children taking part in this research are at a key point in their lives in terms of developing their own learning styles, which will be shaped by the learning culture of the school. Irving argues, “the development of a lifelong learning culture and ethos within secondary education is an essential pre-requisite to the formation of a learning society”. Until the age of fourteen, children are at the foundation stage of lifelong learning, when they are forming the habits of learning. Schools are, therefore, “key sites for the establishment of a lifelong learning ethos” (Irving, 1999).

2.3 Factors influencing resource-based learning

Kinnell and Heeks reported in their study that 87% of teachers believe, “the new curriculum has brought an increased need for information skills” (Kinnell and Heeks, 1996, 457).

Greater emphasis on project-based work in schools increasingly requires children to learn through searching for and using resources. Through independent work, children can develop a sense of ownership of their learning, which can instil a greater desire for knowledge. As NAGCELL pointed out, this sense of responsibility is especially important if

“social inclusion and lifelong learning are to become self-sustaining and locally embedded” (NAGCELL, 1999).

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In order for resource-based learning to have its desired effect, certain preconditions need to be in place. Children need to have the resources available and accessible to them, as well as knowledge of how to handle the resources with appropriate guidance. The project team defined resources as any printed or electronic materials, artefacts and people which children use to help them to learn.

Williams and Wavell examined factors impacting on learning experiences in the school library. Among those they identified were: variety of resources, whole school attitude, planning or use and physical location. They identified independence as one of the learning themes, along with motivation, progression and interaction, evident in school libraries. They report that:

“Teachers recognised the role the SLRC (school library resource centre) has to play in encouraging independent learning, encouraging an awareness of learning as an activity outside the classroom and the confidence needed to pursue learning outside the confines of the school environment.” (Williams & Wavell, 2001, 24)

Interviews with librarians indicated that use of the school library:

“Encourages pupils to take responsibility for their own learning, to use initiative and encourage creative thinking and to see the SLRC as a means of getting ahead.” (Williams & Wavell 2001, 29)

Cowen and Hallam (1999) found a wide range of factors affected school performance including: political and economic conditions, school ethos, teaching styles, home-school communication, the provision of homework clubs, resources at home, physical environment at home, distractions and competing activities out of school, the involvement of parents or other family members and student characteristics such as, prior knowledge and expertise, gender, self esteem, attitudes, mood and motivation.

Between birth and the age of sixteen, children spend less than 15% of their waking life in school (Alexander and Clyne, 1995, 15), so it can reasonably be stated that, “the influence of the home and family background on a child’s ability and achievement is at least as great as that of the school” (Wellington, 2001). According to the Local Government Association, “families are children’s first and most important educators” (Local Government Association, 2000).

Child development research has shown that parents are centrally involved in their children’s learning from birth, but:

“researchers and educators have come to realise that the influence of the home and community does not end at age 5 when most children enter formal schooling” (Cairney, 2000).

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A recent MORI survey found that just over two-thirds of twelve to sixteen year olds rate their parents as “the strongest learning influence in their lives” (Hammond and Gough, 2000). However, as “the range and extent of learning within families varies greatly, depending on family traditions, opportunities and encouragement” (Alexander and Clyne, 1995, p.7), children’s opportunities for successful resource-based learning vary, depending on the material and cultural factors affecting their family circumstances. As the home is central to a child’s learning experience, when school and the family have similar emphases on learning and motivation, children are more likely to do well (Marjoribanks, 1994).

Martini acknowledged that parental IQ, family size, the child’s position in the family, parents’ occupations, stability of work and ethnic background may all influence a child’s success at school. She found that the most successful children tend to be the eldest or only child in smaller, nuclear, two-parent, high income families, with high levels of parental education and higher parental IQ (Martini, 1995, 52). However, she suggests that parenting practices are an even more important factor. Even if parents have a low income, limited education and numerous children, their children can still have a high educational success rate if the family adopts middle class parenting practices, such as being highly involved, authoritative rather than authoritarian, establishing household rules and allowing individual expression (Martini, 1995, 52-3). A family climate that is co-operative, warm, responsive and egalitarian is more likely to indicate success and encourage self-directed learning. This climate is principally determined by the frequency and duration of parent-child interactions and time spent discussing and solving problems (Martini, 1995, 56).

Marjoribanks quoted the work of Coleman, who places emphasis on: the presence of both parents, the number of siblings, the effect of a mother working before her child is at school, parents’ attitude towards their child attending college, and the readiness to talk about personal matters at home in determining a child’s success at school (Marjoribanks, 1994). West et al focused on the level of a mother’s education, claiming that, as mothers are generally more involved in education than fathers, this is a better indicator of parental involvement in schooling than social class (West et al, 1998, 481-2).

Coleman developed the concepts of social and human capital to describe the two components for a learning environment in the home: human capital, which measures by parents’ education, and social capital, which refers to the strength of the relationship between parents and children.

Coleman also claimed that educational output reflects the interaction of qualities gained in the home with those of the school. He states that:

“As the social capital in the home and neighbourhood shrinks, school achievement and other growth will not be increased by replacing these with more school-like resources…but by replacing them with resources…that interact with the ones provided by the school.” (Marjoribanks, 1994, 38)

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This seems to suggest that the school cannot necessarily make up for any lack in terms of resources or support at home. Therefore, it is necessary to examine what other provisions are available in the wider area.

2.4 Home-school relations

In the political realm, there has been a growing awareness of the relationship between the home and the school since the 1967 Plowden Report (Cairney, 2000). In the early twenty-first century,

“parental influences on children’s learning are being linked to intellectual and social skills perceived to be essential for the twenty-first century” (National Literacy Trust, 2001).

According to The Learning Age (1998), “along with community and adult learning, family learning is essential in the learning age”.

This has been put into practice by central government with a variety of national programmes emerging to encourage parental involvement. These schemes range from National Curriculum packs for parents to family learning programmes, for example, ‘Keeping up with the Kids’, ‘A Little Reading Goes a Long Way’ and ‘Reaching Parents’. There has also been a good deal of activity at a local level, for example parents’ workshops and paired reading schemes.

Parental involvement in their child’s education has been formalised in the School Standards and Framework Act, under which, parents are asked to abide by a set of principles agreed between them and the school. Home-school agreements can “strengthen the role of parents in the learning process”, but they may equally have a negative impact on those children whose parents do not wish to participate (National Literacy Trust, 2001). Fears have been expressed that this emphasis on the home can appear to be a process of blaming the parents, what Cairney has termed the “family deficit explanation” (Cairney, 2000, 165).

However, despite the good intent of these measures, Hannon argued that:

“There are still relatively few schools where genuine reciprocal partnerships have been developed between home, school and communities” (Hannon, 1995, 170).

Elsewhere, Cairney et al have shown that:

“relationships between home and school are still very much centred on marshalling parents and community members to support school agendas” (Cairney et al, 1995, 170).

There is undoubtedly scope for a fresh examination of how mutually co-operative partnerships between schools and parents can be brought about. The Department for Education and Employment suggests free transport to school events, a parents’ room,

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home visits and parents’ days as possible ways to encourage more parents to become involved with their child’s school.The Second NAGCELL report recommends that parents should have the chance to participate in learning alongside their own children.

“Providing that opportunity will entail more than adult learning constituting a useful but largely fortunate by-product of one dimension of the determination to raise standards at school.“ (NAGCELL, 1999)

It suggested that involving parents in learning would encourage them to take a greater interest in the learning progress and their children’s educational achievements. This implies that parental involvement in learning may be a key factor in a child’s educational performance.

A number of researchers (e.g. Tizard et al 1988, Rogoff, 1989, Delpit, 1995, Cuckle 1996) have suggested that good communication between home and school is a crucial element enabling parents to help their children, especially for those who lack confidence in their own abilities. Deslandes et al (1999) asserted that better school attendance, behaviour, grades and homework result when families become involved in learning activities at home and as audiences at school events. However, at secondary school, parents may find it harder to establish a relationship with more than one teacher (Alexander, 1995).

International research also indicates that more parental interest often leads to better grades. Rabusicova (1995) reported a strong correlation between parents’ education and occupation and school trajectory in Czechoslovakia. This research found that those pupils who did best at school came from two-parent, first marriage homes and those who do worst from one-parent families. However, it should be remembered that, in some ways, the situation in Britain differs significantly from that in other countries. For example, only 13% of British parents considered it important to set up a specific home study environment compared with 95% of Japanese families (McVeigh, 2001).

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2.5 The impact of resource provision

The material factors identified as being influential on learning include: crowding, distractions, the availability of age-appropriate educational resources and the variety of experiences open to the child (Martini, 1995). The availability of resources in the home has obvious implications for learning opportunities. Weinburger found that the presence of books and computers in the home show a causal relationship with educational achievement and Becta research claims that children who use a computer at home are likely to do better at school (National Literacy Trust, 2001). In March 1999, one survey found that, overall, 53% of children had access to a personal computer (PC) in their home and 16% of boys and 8% of girls had a PC in their bedroom. However, while 46% of middle class children had access to a multi-media computer only 19% of those from working class families said the same. The pattern of Internet access was similar: 14% of middle class children had access at home compared with only 2% of children from working class families (Broadcasting Standards Commission, 1999).

This is substantiated by the fact that the wealthiest 20% of households account for 60% of PC sales (Cole, 1999). However, even those children from higher income families may not use computers at home because of parents’ reluctance or lack of knowledge or poor communication between home and school (Giacquinta et al, 1993, 6). Therefore, while in some schools, sufficient pupils have on-line access outside school to justify putting homework and extension work on the Internet, overall, approximately twice as many children have access to the Internet at school as at home (Cole, 1999).

In a survey conducted in May 2000, 9% of children claimed to use electronic media sources exclusively (Ezard, 2000). This is despite some of the problems of multimedia, for example, a non-linear arrangement and the lack of a search facility on some CD ROMs (McFarlane, 1997) and uncertainty about the quality of information available on the Internet (Broadcasting Standards Commission, 1999). By the age of five, 15% of children were using the Internet or CD ROMs. By the time they were 15, this figure was 58%, compared with 60% who used non-fiction books. Children with PC access were twice as likely to use a computer as a source of information than a book (Ezard, 2000). However, the importance of books cannot be dismissed; research commissioned by the Publishers’ Association found that “there is a clear and positive relationship between the amount spent on books and schools’ Key Stage 2 success” (Publishers’ Association, 2001).

In contrast, there was only marginal evidence of a correlation between good ICT resources and Key Stage 2 results. Books were viewed positively when children were interested in their content, but they generally had a poor image, being seen as boring, frustrating, old-fashioned and requiring too much effort (Broadcasting Standards Commission, 1999).

Surprisingly, although 72% of working class children had a television in their bedroom, this was true of only 54% of children from middle class families. Similarly, the percentage of working class children with games machines was greater than the

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percentage of middle class children. The same survey found that young people used the media for around five hours each day, television accounting for around half this time and two-fifths of homes had cable or satellite television. By the time their children are in their early teens, many parents believe it is impractical to attempt to restrict the use of media in the home (Broadcasting Standards Commission, 1999). However, according to Howe’s research, much more basic factors can contribute to an environment conducive to effective study, including: a desk, a comfortable chair, an adjustable lamp and controllable temperature (McVeigh, 2001).

2.6 Barriers to learning

It is evident from the literature that there is no single factor that holds sway over a child’s learning. The performance of individuals depends on a complex combination of material and cultural factors. Various barriers need to be overcome if all children are to be allowed the same opportunities in terms of their learning. Appelbee (1998) distinguished several forms of poverty: poverty of environment, poverty of choice, poverty of opportunity and poverty of power, pointing out that the affects of poverty can be physical, psychological and social.

2.6.1 Parental support

Parents may not spend time helping their children with their learning for a variety of reasons. Some have heavy work or family commitments, while others fear they may confuse children, worry their child is too tired, involve their children in other activities after school or view homework as a burden (Cuckle, 1996). Some parents may lack the knowledge or skills to help their children as much as they would like to. For example, Becta (2000) identified being informed about computers as a new parental responsibility. Applebee criticises the fact that:

“parents are measured by these new, and often unrealistic, expectations, which are predicated on the assumption that people have easy access to the information available and the means to act on what they read.” (Applebee, 1998)

A lack of confidence in their own ability may prevent parents helping their children, as may negative attitudes towards the education system (McCormick, 1999, 5). Some parents may be in need of clear advice on how best to help their children with homework (Alexander, 1995). However, the National Literacy Trust stresses that:

“It is imperative that unrealistic expectations are not placed on carers that may cause guilt about their parenting skills”. (National Literacy Trust, 2001)

2.6.2 Library use

Various barriers discouraging access to libraries have been identified, including: restricted opening hours, charges, lack of basic skills, low income, poverty, discrimination, disabilities, rural isolation, poor transport, lack of information retrieval skills and fear of the unknown (Library and Information Commission, 2000). The Library and Information Commission identified school children as an excluded group because

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they are restricted by school hours, limited weekend opening, patchy school library services and uneven study support provision. This would be especially true where school library opening hours are restricted.

Low-achieving households were similarly excluded (Library and Information Commission, 2000). Alexander (1995) identified specific groups needing support including: ethnic minorities, refugees, carers, people with learning difficulties and those families involved in crime.

2.7 Solutions

As Mortimore and Blackstock point out, “the population is not divided cleanly into deprived and non-deprived. Many people are deprived in some respects, but not in others” (Mortimore and Blackstock, 1992, 25). However, the literature does suggest some ways in which pupils with plentiful access to resources might be catered for without disadvantaging the others.

This problem is particularly important because, as Michael Wills, Under-Secretary of State for Learning and Technology wrote:

“If the digital divide is not tackled, it will entrench existing exclusion for generations. Familiarity with information and communications technology is the indispensable grammar of modern life. Those not empowered by it are disenfranchised.” (Department for Education and Employment, 2000)

Libraries, Museums, Galleries and Archives for All argued that,

“Libraries, museums and archives should be a local learning place and champion of the independent learner [by being] a major vehicle for providing affordable (or preferably free) access to ICT at local level” (Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2001).

Libraries are not the only provider of ICT opportunities however. UKOnline is an initiative to ensure widening access to the Internet through partnership between the government, private and voluntary sector. Its centres are another type of facility designed to bridge the digital divide and provide access to ICT for all members of the community.

Several other solutions are suggested by the literature. One is study support, which aims to cater for all children, “whatever their background, abilities or needs” (Department for Education and Employment, 1998, 5).

97% of schools currently provide some form of Study Support (Department for Education and Employment, 2001b). Education Extra claims that after-school clubs give children motivation to learn, allow them to pursue individual interests and extend their learning beyond the curriculum and develop as independent, confident learners with improved social skills (Education Extra, 1997). Research by the National Youth Agency

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has demonstrated that study support boosts GCSE grades and improves attitude and attendance (Department for Education and Employment, 2001b).

New developments in technology may help to create a more flexible education system, in particular, by conquering the barriers of distance and rurality. To provide greater equality of learning resources within the home, digital TV may offer a lower cost route to Internet access for some families (Cole, 1999). An alternative approach is demonstrated by the Anytime Anywhere Learning laptop scheme, which creates “a learning network that transcends home and school” (Marjoribanks, 1994).

In the Docklands Learning Acceleration Project, six hundred children each take home and use an Acorn Pocketbook. Involving parents has been a key element, with even those parents with little English taking part and fathers as well as mothers becoming interested because of the emphasis on computers. This project has helped children from different genders, ethnic minorities and with various levels of educational ability and from families with a range of income levels. It has resulted in increased library membership (ACE, 1997). The Computers Within Reach scheme performs a similar role, providing recycled computers for low-income families. Wired Up Communities is yet another initiative to install computers, alongside appropriate training and support, in homes and schools in pockets of high social deprivation (Department for Education and Employment, 2001a).

Libraries, Museums, Galleries and Archives for All advocates partnership approaches to resources provision, arguing that:

“Libraries, museums, galleries and archives are likely to be more effective in tackling social exclusion by working in co-operation with each other than in acting alone” (Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2001).

Despite the recommendations of co-operative arrangements and access maps put forward in Empowering the Learning Community (Library and Information Commission, 2000) and the learning networks envisaged as a way forward by the Local Government Association (2000), the literature provides relatively few practical examples of cross-sectoral approaches to supporting children from different learning cultures in becoming resourceful lifelong learners.

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One of the aims of this research is to begin to address this shortcoming, by building on existing research from a range of disciplines to suggest ways in which partnership approaches can be successfully developed.

2.8 Conclusion

NAGCELL claims that:

“a variety of learning cultures will need to be created. There is no one ‘best way’ or universally acceptable type of learning culture, irrespective of people’s circumstances or the organisational or institutional settings they find themselves in. Learning cultures will work effectively when they properly reflect the circumstances and needs of the people involved and their various organisations and institutions, and suit their own practical priorities and desires.” (NAGCELL, 1999)

If understanding of variations in children’s learning is to be enhanced, it is important that we increase our understanding of the intricate nature of the relationships between learning environments and individual children’s learning outcomes (Marjoribanks, 1994). This research will contribute to the ongoing debate about what affects children’s learning and suggest ways in which all those involved in children’s learning development can work together to support all children in their experience of resource-based learning.

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3. Methodology

3.1 Introduction

This chapter details the methodology used in the research project and outlines some of the factors that shaped its direction. To ensure the methodology met all of the research objectives, both primary and secondary data were collected. The primary data, used to investigate the factors affecting resource-based learning, were collected through research conducted at four case study schools. The secondary data consisted of a literature review, outlined in the previous chapter, and the collection and analysis of documents from LEAs and other agencies in the case study areas.

The research was carried out in three phases, which are outlined below and detailed later within the chapter.

Literature Review and monitoring (Section 3.3)

Case studies (Section 3.4)

Selection of case studies (Section 3.4.1)

Quantitative data (Section 3.4.2)

Qualitative data (Section 3.4.3)

Response rates (Section 3.4.4)

Teacher assessments (Section 3.4.5)

Data analysis (Section 3.4.6)

Community research (Section 3.5)

Document analysis (Section 3.5.1)

Interviews with key school and community personnel (Section 3.5.2)

3.2 Project monitoring and review

Two groups were established to monitor the progress of the project. The Advisory Panel consisted of professionals and academics from within the library, information and education fields who brought a wide range of expertise of school libraries, children’s education, literacy, and policy concerning children’s learning (see Appendix 1 for a list of Advisory Panel members).

The Project Management Group consisted of the research team, an academic advisor from the School of Information Studies in the University of Central England, and a representative from each of the four case study schools. The Project Management Group was established to give regular input to the methodology of the project and to ensure that the research methods remained

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applicable within the school setting (see Appendix 2 for a list of Project Management Group members).

Both groups contributed to the development of the project methodology so that it remained consistent with the research aims and within the scope of the project. Changes to the original methodology contained in the project proposal were made after discussion with and on the advice of the project Advisory Panel at its first meeting in November 2000.

Most of the research methodology detailed below has remained consistent with that outlined in the initial proposal. However, a stated deliverable from the proposal was the production of a ‘Learning culture matrix’:

“A matrix of three to five different learning cultures will present a systematic overview of the main elements of different learning cultures and their impact on resource-based learning.” (Proposal)

It was envisioned that this matrix would be produced, by plotting all of the variables that affect a child’s learning against each child, to identify patterns. However, it became clear in discussion with the experts on the Advisory Panel and in studying the literature that this deliverable was not tenable within the project. Firstly, to produce a matrix, it would be necessary to take into account all of the factors that affect learning. This was not possible to do as learning can be affected by an infinite number of variables and the project needed to focus on the most important demographic factors and on those relating specifically to resource based learning. A precise and scientific deliverable such as a matrix would be impossible to produce from the kinds of data considered logical and pertinent to the project’s key aims and would not necessarily be possible to construct, given the complex nature of learning and the very different ways in which individuals experience it.

Secondly, it was not possible to gauge in advance that ‘three to five’ learning cultures would emerge from the data collected. On the advice of the Advisory Panel, a learning matrix has not been produced, therefore. However, profiles of eight individual children and their learning patterns have been extracted and written up as illustrative examples of how different factors affect individual children’s learning. These children were selected as examples of interesting cases, representing a variety of different home environments and learning experiences. They are not representative in the sense that they reflect particular groupings of children or learning cultures as would have been defined by a matrix; nor are they a statistically valid sample (see Chapter 4).

The research team chose to concentrate on certain factors and to exclude others because to measure all the variables likely to contribute to a fully-rounded picture of a child’s learning experiences would require an enormous battery of tests. This may have taken the research in very different directions, diluting the focus of the project and moving it away from the immediate concerns of the research team and the project funders. The variables chosen for inclusion were those which were most commonly cited as important in the literature and which the Advisory Panel endorsed.

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All of the tools used in the project were tested through regular feedback from Advisory Panel and Project Management Group members.

3.3 Literature Review

The literature review was largely conducted before primary research began, although monitoring of further relevant literature continued throughout the course of the project. One of the early findings from the literature review was that different disciplines used different terms and definitions of similar concepts. For example, library specialists refer to information handling skills which teaching specialists often refer to as study skills or independent learning.

Through the literature review, a number of material and cultural factors were discovered which were found to contribute to children’s learning, especially with regards to resources, and these were used to develop the case study survey instruments. The factors identified included access to ICT in the home, study space available, transport, library membership, ICT experience and parental support. (For further information on these and other factors see Chapter 2).

Analysis of these factors led to the identification of four key areas that encompassed a child’s use of resources and his or her ability to use resources effectively. These four areas were:

1. availability of resources

2. access to resources

3. familiarity with resources

4. guidance in using resources.

Within each of these areas, a series of questions was identified for exploration through the research.

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Availability of resourcesThe availability of resources refers to the resources that children have within reach, whether the resources are owned and whether there are resources available to borrow. It takes into account the locations in which these are available to them, for example, the home, the local library, school, youth clubs and religious organisations. It also refers to whether children are aware of the resources that are available to them; if children do not know of a resource’s existence, then it is not strictly accessible to them.

Access to resourcesA child’s access to resources is affected by the permission he or she has to use these resources, and when they can be used; for example, the school library may only permit the use of computers at lunchtimes and not after school or a child may only be able to use the computer at home supervised. It also refers to whether resources are within reach, in the most literal sense (how high are the local library shelves?), to whether children can locate the required resources (transport, distance, permission to travel are some of the factors that affect this). Access is also affected by the confidence children have about using the resources.

Familiarity with resourcesThe confidence required is influenced, in turn, by the child’s familiarity with the relevant resources. The frequency with which children use a resource, the format they access a resource in, and ownership is likely to affect the degree of familiarity they feel with a resource (Denham et al, 1999).

Guidance in using resourcesThe help they receive will bear upon children’s confidence and ability to make the best use of a resource. Are the required resources well directed and easy to find; for example, is the library clearly sign-posted? Guidance refers to the help available to the child. This includes whether the child has had any training in finding and using information resources – their information handling skills. It also includes guidance during the process of searching and using information resources, such as where to begin with information gathering, whether there was anyone available to help in a given location and whether this help also included guidance as to appropriateness of a resource.

These factors that shape a child’s resource use facilitated the structure of some of the case study methods. It is a straightforward matter to discover the times at which resources are available to the child, the location of the resources and the ownership of resources. Other questions, for instance how often children used the resources available to them, and who was available to help, required more subtle exploration. Consequently, data collection, designed to give a full and detailed picture of resource provision and use within the community, consisted of both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods built into case studies.

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3.4 Case studies

3.4.1 Selection of case studies

The research was carried out within four case study schools, which were selected to include children from a broad range of backgrounds, within distinctly differing localities.

Within each case study, the same data collection and analysis tools were employed to allow comparisons to be made. Each of the schools had to also conform to certain criteria (see below) in order to ensure some levels of similarity and to facilitate comparative analysis.

St Ivo School, Cambridgeshire was involved with the project from the outset, through the input of Maggie Ashcroft, the school’s Project Manager, Resource-based Learning Development. In June 2000, the project was advertised, through English and Welsh LEAs, to identify further schools that were potentially interested in taking part in research investigating the relationship between resource-based learning and children’s material and cultural experiences. Approximately 25 schools put themselves forward; from these the three other case study schools were chosen.

These schools were chosen using the following criteria, and their details are provided within an outline of each school in Chapter 4:

the Year 7 intake should be representative of full ability range (no selection by academic ability)

pupils should be taught in mixed ability groups (no streaming or setting of Year 7 children)

The project, lasting approximately six weeks, involving resource-based learning should form part of the Year 7 curriculum

the head teacher and staff should be committed to resource-based learning

resource-based learning should be professionally managed in schools

the LEA should be supportive and interested in the project.

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The four schools were representative of a variety of urban and rural settings, different ethnic mixes and different levels of income and were chosen for their differing locations and circumstances.

Fig. 1: Map of the school locations

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SCHOOL LOCAL AUTHORITY

URBAN/RURAL % OF LOCAL ETHNIC MINORITY POP’Ns FROM LOCALITY

LOCAL ECONOMIC ACTIVITY RATE

NUMBER OF PUPILS AT SCHOOL (approx)

TYPE OF SCHOOL

St Ivo Cambridgeshire Semi-rural 3.5 83.6 1800 Secondary11-18

Dixons Bradford Inner city 23 75.7 1060 City Technology College 11-18

Woolston Warrington Semi-urban 1.27 82.0 1200 Community School 11-18

Looe Cornwall Rural 0.5 74.8 600 Community School 11-16

Table 1: Variables showing differences between schools selected and their localities

A class of Year 7 children (aged eleven and twelve and in their first year at secondary school) in each school was chosen to participate in the research whilst they carried out a project that involved them learning using a range of resources in school, in their homes and elsewhere in the local community. This year group was chosen as the most suitable for the research for two key reasons:

1. According to Piaget’s formal operational stage, it is approximately at age eleven that ‘the child becomes capable of general, propositional thinking’ (Taylor and Wright, 1970:509), i.e. they are developing an awareness of the process of learning.

2. As this is the first year in secondary school, parental involvement carried over from junior school is still active before interest wanes or is reduced, to encourage children to be independent in later school years.

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To allow comparison across a range of factors quantitative data were collected using:

questionnaire survey of parents to collect demographic data, information about family learning, leisure activities and resources available in the home and in the community

weekly log of resources used in conducting the resource-based learning project, completed by children

audit of resources available within the schools (please see Appendix 3f)

a survey of teachers’ expectations of the resources to be used by children to conduct their projects.

To allow the research team to investigate more deeply the factors and issues surrounding their learning, qualitative tools were also used as follows:

interviews with parents, carers of guardians

interviews with children

interviews with teachers, head teachers and other school staff.

Further background information was collected using documents collected from LEAs and local authorities and through interviews with school staff.

3.4.2 Quantitative data

A questionnaire survey of parents in each Year 7 case study group was conducted to establish the availability of learning provision, learning patterns and demographic data through a closed-question questionnaire, with open-ended questions used only where the range of answers could not be pre-determined.

The support of the schools was gathered in advance and where possible a letter with the school’s stamp of approval was sent out to achieve better response rates. The questionnaires were administered through the school. Parents were asked to complete and return a permission slip giving their consent for their child to take part in the research.

The questionnaire sought basic demographic details as well as information about the resources available within the home and the locality, and related issues such as transport (which can limit access to resources) and family interests (which can expand children’s resource base). These data provided a picture of resources available to the children and details about some of the factors that affect a child’s ability to use resources effectively (see Appendix 3a).

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A survey of children’s resource use was carried out through a questionnaire log (weekly log) completed during their projects, the aim of which was to collect data on the resources used by children in conducting their projects and to assess whether these changed over the course of the project. The number of weekly logs completed by the children varied from two to seven depending on the school they attended and therefore the project length. Teacher support was available to pupils in the classroom to assist them in completing logs (see Appendix 3b).

The children were then given a chance to detail their views on the resources they used in a final log. This allowed the research team to monitor the resources children had used to carry out their project work (see Appendix 3c).

3.4.3 Qualitative data

Interviews, lasting approximately 20 minutes, were carried out with individual pupils on the use of resources within school, within the home, and within their locality, the help and supervision they received and their interests and activities (see Appendix 3d for the interview schedule). This was designed to gather detailed information to give a rounded picture of the resources used and the pattern of use, as well as to provide contextual information.

Interviews with most of the children’s parents were also carried out to discover the support children receive at home, the resources available to them and used by them, and the parents’ understanding of the process involved in their child’s use of resources (see Appendix 3e for the interview schedule). This was designed to support the information provided by the children and give further information on the children’s learning environments.

The interviews were originally expected to be conducted by telephone; however, as parents had responded well to the research, and because it is easier to build up rapport face-to face, the interviews were conducted at each of the schools during the course of one or two days. These were arranged similarly to parents’ evenings with each parent allotted a timeslot. Eighteen interviews were conducted by telephone with those parents unable to come into school when the researchers visited.

Both interviews were semi-structured. This ensured that the same themes were covered in all four schools, whilst allowing a degree of discussion of related issues of importance to the individual to emerge. The data from the parents’ questionnaires and the pupils’ logs were examined before conducting each interview to identify specific issues for further examination during the interviews.

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While the quantitative data is reasonably easy to interpret, the qualitative data proved less so. Although this data proved extremely rich, it was not easily generalised. The research team decided that to attempt to generalise this type of data would not be helpful or appropriate. The findings from the interviews are used to support quantitative findings and to illustrate and enrich particular points.

A further analysis problem for the team arose out of the accuracy of children’s logs and interview data. Whilst the team is confident that resource use and access were reported accurately by most children, it was clear that in some instances children exaggerated or responded inaccurately. For example, in their resource logs some children reported that they had used ICT in class, but the team knew that ICT resources were only available within the resource centre. This mis-reporting was probably caused because children were using the resources in a class lesson which was held in the resource centre rather than a classroom

3.4.4 Response rates

Overall, the response rates to both the questionnaire and interview surveys with parents matched the target figures of 90% and 80% respectively.

School Questionnaire responses received

Interview responses received

Total number of pupils in the

form

St Ivo 24 (86%) 22 (79%) 28

Dixon’s CTC 24 (83%) 22 (76%) 29

Woolston High school 23 (77%) 21 (70%) 30

Looe Community School 23 (89%) 15 (58%) 26

Total 94 (83%) 80 (71%) 113

Table 2: Parent’s Questionnaire and interview responses

The 94 parental questionnaires, supported by their children’s weekly logs form the basis of the quantitative data analysis, supported by the information collected in the 80 parental interviews and 93 interviews with children.

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3.4.5 Teacher assessments

The Advisory Panel suggested that it was necessary to have some formal assessment of each pupil’s work for the project to evaluate the effectiveness of resource use. Assessment reports of the project work were obtained from the subject tutor to indicate how effectively children had carried out the work (see Appendix 3g). This was conducted through a short form requiring teachers to tick boxes reviewing pupil performance on this project, with the option of making additional comments. The form allowed for the fact that teachers lacked the time to complete a lengthy evaluation sheet, or could not necessarily make detailed comments on each pupil’s performance.

3.5 Community research

3.5.1 Document analysis

Documents were collected from the Local Education Authority and the Library Service for a detailed examination of existing resource provision and partnerships within the community. These documents included the Lifelong Learning Strategies and Annual Library Plans local authorities have to provide for Central Government. Through interviews with parents and children, the research team discovered the importance of certain key agencies such as mosque schools, homework clubs and community initiatives, not identified in analysis of these formal documents.

3.5.2 Interviews with key school and community personnel

The documents collected were supported and expanded on by interviews with key personnel in the schools involved and in each area. Interviews were undertaken with the head teacher at each of the schools to gather information on resources provision as well as the significance and deployment of resource-based learning within each institution.

3.6 Data analysis and presentation

A relational database was devised using Microsoft Access to hold and retrieve all the quantitative data collected from parents, children and schools. The database enabled the research team to make comparisons across a range of factors within the case study schools, across the case study schools, through the course of a pupil’s project and between parents’ and pupils’ questionnaires.

Data were examined by gender of child but not by ethnicity since the numbers of children who classified themselves in categories other than ‘White’ was only 15 (out of 94) and further subdivision by category revealed very small numbers on which comparative statistical analysis would not be valid nor reliable.

Data were also examined by family income band but not by whether the child received free school meals since only a very small number of children fell into this category.

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Social class is a variable that plays a major role in learning according to previous research, but is particularly difficult to measure successfully. In recent years, measurements of social class have been called into question. Factors such as income, occupation, educational attainment, housing and ‘cultural values’ have all been used as measurements of social class to varying degrees and the problems with each have been extensively monitored.

Within the parent’s questionnaire, the research team collected data on income, occupation, educational attainment and free school meals. In addition to this, some data on cultural values of parents was collected within qualitative interviews – however, assumptions about social class categories have not been made based on this.

During the fieldwork phase, the research team gained the impression that there were differences of class between the four schools, but did not attempt to measure these disparities. So while, for example, children at St Ivo were more reliant on their parents to arrange their leisure activities and transport, those at Woolston appeared to be more self-reliant an to enjoy a greater degree of independence, a factor that could be attributed to social class

The interviews were analysed for patterns concerning children’s use of resources within school, within the home and within locality, as well as to establish patterns in the ways that children used resources. The factors influencing children’s learning were also examined.

The information sourced from local authority documents and interviews have been analysed and presented in Chapter 4.

Overall analysis was carried out not only on each of the methods used, but cohesively across the case studies so that questionnaire results were analysed alongside the data emerging from the interviews. After considerable discussion and agreement of the Advisory Panel, the analysis began to take shape around perceptions and experiences based around the home, the school and the community, plus experiences of individual projects. The data were therefore within the context of the three ‘stories’, or separate perspectives detailed in the following chapters.

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4. The Case Studies

4.1 Selection of the schools

The four schools chosen to take part in the project were representative of a variety of urban and rural settings, different ethnic mixes and different levels of income and were chosen for their differing locations and circumstances, so they operate as stand-alone case studies. In addition, in each school, the Year 7 intake was representative of full ability range and taught in mixed ability groups. The head teacher and staff in each demonstrated their commitment to resource-based learning through the provision of a system of professional management.

4.2 St Ivo School, St Ives, Cambridgeshire

4.2.1 The school

The localityCambridgeshire is a semi-rural area, where transport can be a major barrier to accessing learning resources; 24% of the population do not have a car. The county has recently experienced a growth in population and 23% of the population is under sixteen. Unemployment is high in some areas and for young people in particular. Only 3.5% of the local population are from ethnic minority groups (www.camcty.gov.uk).

The schoolSt Ivo School is a large school of nearly 1800 pupils. Although GCSE results are above the national average, the attainment of the Year 7 intake is broadly in line with national figures. Approximately 5% of pupils come from homes where English is not the main spoken language and 3.05% are from ethnic minority groups. While the majority of pupils come from relatively prosperous homes, around one in twelve is eligible for free school meals. Approximately 12% of pupils are identified as having special educational needs. (Department for Education and Employment, 2000)

The school libraryThe multimedia resource centre was opened in 1989; it was the first in Cambridgeshire and had a professional librarian from the start. The library is managed by the Project Co-ordinator for Resource–based Learning Development, a post supported by Cambridgeshire Education, Libraries and Heritage. There is a strong emphasis on individual learning. There are computer suites in other parts of the school, but those are unsupervised outside of lesson times and the resource centre is the only ICT location with supervision available. There are another 200 PCs available elsewhere in the school with networked application and CD ROMs which are available during supervised school hours. The library is open from 8.45 until 4.00 each day and has places for 96 pupils. There are designated lunchtime sessions for different year groups.

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The library has sixteen PCs with Internet access and networked CD ROMs as well as a range of books. There are also around 300 videotapes and other resources such as magazines, audio tapes and newspapers.

Other school resourcesThere are a further 200 networked PCs available in the school, but these are not available outside lesson times because of a lack of supervision.

A multi-cultural study support club operates for two hours on one evening a week, when students are able to get help on any subject from the teacher on duty.

‘Books over Breakfast’ runs for an hour before school twice a week.

Information skills and the projectIn the past, the resource centre has been responsible for information training, but a more integrated approach is now being taken. This approach fits in well with the English department’s wish to incorporate information handling skills in their teaching.

Information teaching in the school follows the PLUS model (Purpose Location Use Evaluation), advocated by Herring (Herring, 1999). Year 7 pupils are introduced to the resource centre by means of a resource-based learning project in collaboration with the English department. Two lessons on information skills are integrated into a project on the 1980s, the decade of the children’s birth. Within that format they could select the events and topic they chose to write about.

Although they had to carry out a series of set tasks over the six weeks, they could select the events and topic they chose to write about within that format. They were encouraged to use any resource, including interviewing parents and family mementos, to research the period; this involved everything from brainstorming to presenting information. For this project, which has been run successfully for several years, “students are vigorously encouraged to use their local public library to do their research outside school hours” and use of resources at home is also promoted. At school, in addition to the teacher and library staff, a learning support assistant was on hand to assist the less able members of the class.

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4.2.2 School agencies

Cambridgeshire Schools Library ServiceThe Schools Library Service (SLS) has a, “sharp focus on the needs of the curriculum and on a customer-orientated approach”. It provides schools with learning resources and guidance to “cultivate an awareness of information and its applications in learning”. Services include: National Curriculum collections, fiction loans, mobile library visits, professional advice and support and INSET. (Cambridgeshire County Council, 2001)

Originally, the school library received support from the SLS. However in the last few years, it has become more self-supporting and just draws on the SLS for projects which require slightly different resources.

Cambridgeshire MuseumsAlthough the local authority is not a direct provider of services, the Heritage Service does have a Museums Office that supports museum initiatives across the county. However, museums are mainly independent and university institutions, so, wherever possible, they are encouraged to take responsibility for delivering museum education services themselves. Museums with professional education support include the Fitzwilliam, Kettle’s Yard and Cambridge and County Folk Museum. These provide direct teaching, INSET, loan material, conferences, activity days and handling sessions. The Cromwell Museum is the only museum run by the authority. Although it does not have an education officer, it runs regular projects for schools, talks for groups and produces a teachers’ resource guide and CD ROM.

Local partnershipsThe school is represented at various district-wide meetings that develop work with other agencies, including libraries, health, social services and arts organisations.

4.2.3 Pupil agencies

Cambridgeshire Library Services

Aims

Education, Libraries and Heritage priority areas include:

raising achievement, particularly through parents as partners in learning;

promoting participation through lifelong learning, library development and tackling disaffection;

developing capacity by developing partnerships. (Cambridgeshire Libraries and Information Service, 2000)

Libraries are able to provide, “easy, community-based access for people of all ages and backgrounds to well-managed, quality, networked resources which meet wide-ranging individual and community needs for information, knowledge, learning, imagination and recreation”. They play a valuable role in contributing to “strong, secure, self-reliant, self-

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confident communities” by breaking down barriers to learning opportunities and providing advice.

Libraries contribute to social inclusion by ensuring equality of access to traditional and new forms of info resources and IT for all ages and backgrounds, including vulnerable people and those in remote areas. (Cambridgeshire Libraries and Information Service (2000).

Services provided and recent trendsThere are forty public libraries in Cambridgeshire, including thirty-three smaller libraries serving small towns, villages and city residential areas and five mobiles. Recent budget reductions have resulted in resources being spread more thinly and reductions in staffing levels and opening hours. The library service tries to ensure effectiveness and maximum use of stock by circulating it between libraries and attempting to strengthen links between smaller libraries and more specialised services at larger libraries. Two new libraries have recently opened, at Ely and March. 29% of the population now live within ten minutes of a library by public transport or foot and 84% within thirty minutes. (Cambridgeshire Libraries and Information Service, 2000).

The bookstock has gradually been reduced as expenditure has not kept pace with the rising cost of living. Since 1997/8 there have been targeted reductions in adult lending stock and ephemeral magazines, while remaining resources have been focused on reference and information resources and children’s materials. Annual issues have also declined over the last five years, as have enquiries and visits. However, Cambridgeshire Libraries were completely overhauled in 2000 and the county has maintained quite a high percentage of professional library staff. (Cambridgeshire Libraries and Information Service (2000).

ICTThe library service promotes ICT, “whenever it can improve the service or efficiency”. The library is seen as a means of providing computers for those who do not otherwise have access to them and training for those who do not have computer skills and are, therefore, at risk of being excluded from the benefits of “our information age”. At present, there are Open Public Access Catalogues (OPACs) at half the county’s libraries, stand-alone CD ROM machines in fifteen and public Internet access at three. The number of PCs for public use per 1000 population is well above the national average3. However, there are plans to increase the number of workstations available free for public use and provide Internet access at all libraries.

3 PLS 6: Total number of electronic workstations available to users per thousand population – 6 per 10,000 population by 2003 (http://www.libplans.ws/guidelines/2001/appendix3.pdf

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Self-service access, available in homes and through public access computers in libraries, makes services available 95 hours per week at present and there are plans to increase this. This service is particularly valuable for rural, isolated or housebound users (Cambridgeshire Libraries and Information Service, 2000).

The Central Library has an IT and Learning Centre with a range of computer facilities. There are also IT based learning centres with online access to learning resources at March and Littleport. The centre at March has links with the local further education college, which offers courses from the IT suite. At Littleport, “the learning centre has been extremely well used by a wide range of users and is most definitely perceived as ‘the local learning place’ within the community”. The high take-up at these libraries means learning centres are now planned for St Neots, Huntingdon, St Ives and other libraries (Cambridgeshire Libraries and Information Service, 2000).

Children’s servicesChildren are entitled to a free request service, giving them access to the resources of the central library from any community library. The library service has plans to overhaul the children’s stock, improve guiding and arrangement, promote homework facilities and extend promotional activities. Study and Homework Clubs have been set up at primary schools and for ethnic minorities and a study support scheme has been introduced for secondary schools using teachers, private trainers and volunteers (Cambridgeshire Libraries and Information Service, 2000).

Barriers to useMost complaints from users during 1997-8 related to: stock, general services, ICT, buildings, access, fees, charges and the request service (Cambridgeshire Libraries and Information Service, 2000).

The library service aims to “increase accessibility, making resources locally accessible” thus “enabling equality of resource provision regardless of size of service point and community. The intention of this is to decrease isolation of rural communities, promote social inclusion of disadvantaged groups, enable learning resources to be accessed outside of traditional service points, thus increasing opportunities to widen participation” and “proactively encourage non users who are socially or geographically deprived” (Cambridgeshire Libraries and Information Service, 2000). There are plans to improve information and lifelong learning provision on mobile libraries serving socially excluded communities and develop services for learners of all ages, with an emphasis on: ICT resources, homework support, pre-school children and open learning materials. However, opening hours are now 14% below average and have been identified as a priority by the service, resulting in plans to pilot Sunday opening at Cambridge Library and evening opening at Cambridge and Littleport (Cambridgeshire Libraries and Information Service, 2000).

Other agenciesCommunity Education Patches are administrative areas where youth work, adult classes, family education and community projects are provided. The Community

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Education Service works with 133 voluntary sector organisations. (Cambridgeshire County Council, 2001) and are involved with many activities at St Ivo, such as the after school activities. The Community Education Service has links with lots of other local agencies such as social services, arts agencies and youth workers and has been involved in family learning initiatives with St Ivo.

4.2.4 Local partnerships

The Cambridgeshire Learning Partnership involves more than three hundred organisations and aims to ensure, “that everyone has opportunities to learn in a way that excites and motivates them and that barriers preventing this are removed.…empower people to make informed choices about their own learning both in terms of personal growth and career development.”, “providing flexible, visible, accessible and affordable opportunities to meet diverse learning needs” (Cambridgeshire Learning Partnership, 2000). As computers are increasingly widening access to flexible learning methods and information, the Learning Partnership intends to open a large number of centres where computer access is free to users and professional guidance and support is available at suitable times (Cambridgeshire Learning Partnership (2000).

The library service also works in partnership with other organisations within the county. These include: prisons, a village shop library, a community centre which holds Saturday family sessions, tourist information, careers/educational guidance services, council one-stop-shops, a registrar and a health centre. Several town and parish councils have provided funding for ICT equipment to provide community access to computing facilities and funding for additional opening hours. In addition, library buildings are used as community spaces, for example to hold exhibitions and events (Cambridgeshire Libraries and Information Service (2000).

There are also arrangements for regional co-operation:

The joint framework agreement with Peterborough City Council enables sharing of access to the stock of books and other items

Co-East is a consortium of public libraries, which use IT solutions to share resources regionally. It aims to provide greater access to high quality information sources to community and rural libraries, increasing choice and range of stock. There are plans to link every library to the Internet, providing seamless access to books, information and learning resources in the five neighbouring authorities.

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East of England Library and Information Services Development Agency exists to develop cross-sectoral working between library authorities, further and higher education, museums, archives and health sector. It intends to produce an “access map” of resources.

East of England NGfL Broadband Consortium (E2B) is developing local network infrastructure and networked resources.

4.3 Dixons City Technology College, Bradford

4.3.1 The school

The localityBradford Local Authority includes the city of Bradford and a number of other towns such as Shipley and Bingley, areas that “see themselves as distinct communities. The authority ranks 28th out of 354 English local districts in the DETR’s 1999 index of deprivation, making it a heavily deprived area. Problems associated with poverty in the area include: poor health, vulnerability to crime and unemployment. However, there is much variation between wards. The south-east of the region is heavily urbanised, but there are large parts that are essentially rural, so population density is lower than might be expected in a metropolitan district” (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, 2000b).

Bradford has a young and growing population. 23% of the population is less than 15 years old. Historically, the area has attracted a large number of migrants, making it culturally diverse; 20% of the current population are from ethnic minorities, mainly South Asian, Afro-Caribbean and East European communities (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (2000a). 30% of the school population is comprised of ethnic minorities, a total of 27,000 children (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, 2000b).

The LEABradford’s post-OfSTED report acknowledged under funding and poor leadership had led to “a poverty of aspiration in both schools and in the Local Authority”. Baseline assessment levels are low and GCSE attainment poor; only 32% of pupils achieved 5 A*-C grades, compared with 46% nationally (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, 2000b).

During the first OfSTED cycle, although the number of primary schools found to be good or very good was high at 79%, only 45% secondary schools reached the same standard, compared with 70% nationally. School funding is low overall. A significant number of schools have very limited access to the Internet and the computer ratio in secondary schools is below the national average (The Office for Standards in Education, 2000).

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A particular problem identified by OfSTED is a lack of activities to help Year 7 and Year 8 pupils affected by the changes. There are also plans to cluster schools to “make better use of resources” and “improve transition between the phases” (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, 2000b).Bradford differs from the other authorities studied because, while some schools have almost exclusively ethnic minority pupils, others are totally white. To raise achievement of ethnic minority pupils in particular, the LEA needs to “co-ordinate through meetings with other agencies work with ethnic minority parents designed to raise their levels of confidence and knowledge in their role as educators of their children” and “market and ensure access to comprehensive and locally available programmes of educational and other activities for parents” (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, 2000b). The various local initiatives, include: Talking Partners and the Better Reading Partnership. The latter is a scheme to train volunteers to work with children to develop their reading.

The schoolAlthough it met all the criteria for the current study, Dixon’s City Technology College is atypical of schools in the area in many ways. As a City Technology College, it is independent of the LEA. The 1060 pupils are drawn from all areas of the city. The school is consistently oversubscribed, the majority of pupils remain in fulltime education after the age of 16 and achievement at GCSE is well above the national average. However, the proportion eligible for free school meals is broadly in line with the national average as is the percentage of pupils with statements of special educational needs; 27% have English as an Additional Language (Department for Education and Employment, 2000). As a City Technology College, Dixons must admit pupils representative of all abilities and of the social, economic and ethnic characteristics of the catchment area. 40% of pupils are from ethnic minority groups. Potential students take part in assessments, group tasks and discussions with senior members of staff to ensure the intake includes children of all abilities. The college favours pupils who: want to work hard, intend to stay in education beyond the age of sixteen and have:

“the aptitude and personality to cope with the college’s longer-than-average working day and its technology-orientated curriculum”;

“the potential and willingness to offer something of value to the life of the college”. (Dixons City Technology College, 2001).

The school libraryThe library is staffed by two professional full-time staff and two part-time assistants. The generous staffing level allows the library to open from 8.00 am until 5.00 pm each day. One of the librarians conducts NOF training using the school library as a venue. The library is the only area where pupils can book computers; there are thirteen machines available with Internet access, four of which allow access to the collection of 50 single-user CD ROMs, which can be used in the library or elsewhere in school. On the network are another 75 CD ROMS which are available on workstations across the college.

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This library is also well-resourced in terms of bookstock: there are 12,000 non-fiction titles, 4,000 fiction books and 330 reference books. In addition, the library holds 240 videos, 126 compact discs and 85 audio tapes.

Other school resourcesThe IT gallery has 25 PCs and the Minerva Centre, 50; both these are open from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm each day. The Minerva Partnership is an approved NOF training provider for secondary school librarians all over the north of England. Among the numerous clubs and activities at the school are a homework club, a Maths club and a book club. The homework club runs for ninety minutes one evening per week, when computers and books are available and IT staff are on hand to help. This facility is open to the community as well as to Dixons pupils.

Information skills and the projectFor the past six years, the library staff have been working with the head of special needs on information handling sessions. The model they have adopted is a series of discrete core lessons in the first term on: resource selection, note taking, skimming and scanning, and assessing websites. The Year 7 project was based in the English department, but here the children had a free choice of topics. The pupils had weekly library sessions built into the project. Some of the topics chosen related to children’s hobbies and interests, but many chose a new subject that they wanted to know more about. The projects covered an enormous range of subjects, from spontaneous combustion to Shakespeare’s love life. However, the variety of topics made the work of the library staff more difficult than it might otherwise have been, as the variety of topics meant that the children required individual assistance.

4.3.2 School agencies

As a City Technology College, Dixons is fairly self-sufficient and there are few formal links with other agencies, although they do work with agencies such as the library service to supply training.

Bradford Education Library ServiceThe role of the Education Library Service (ELS) is to "enlarge the experience of the teacher, in order to enlarge the experience of children". As ELS is a division of the Inspection, Support and Advisory Service, it is much more curriculum-focused than the public library service. It is "automatic thinking" for the ELS to be involved in new developments in education.

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The services provided in the local authority are:

loans - project loans, school library loans, sets of class readers and literacy hour packs;

consultation - library development and practical help eg. computerisation; training courses - Primary school courses in library development, reading

development and information retrieval, secondary school courses run by the Minerva Partnership (ELS and Dixons);

book talks.

The ELS also needs to be commercially orientated and competitive because it is self-financing. Schools are now more aware of quality and the need to secure the best deal. Secondary schools have totally delegated funds, which they can use as they wish. Bradford is the only metropolitan district to have chartered librarians in all secondary schools. These individuals act as "gatekeepers" to information and need a cross-curricular perspective.

Bradford MuseumsOf the many museums within Bradford, the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television has the most developed education service. This “supports and creates events and resources for teachers, lecturers, students and pupils on aspects of photography, film and television”, including science, literacy and numeracy-based workshops for school groups (National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, 2001). Cliffe Castle is another museum that has an Educational Officer, who organises talks, handling sessions, activities, resource material and advice.

Local partnershipsThe Education Policy Partnership consists of: head teachers, governors, elected members, voluntary providers, Bradford Learning Partnership, Early Years and Childcare, teachers, parents and representatives from ethnic minority groups. The Integrated Children’s Services Plan links education with social services and the health authority. Other organisations that may have an interest in education include: religious organisations, Single Regeneration Budget partners, Bradford Congress, unions, the business community and further and higher education institutions. South Bradford Education Action Zone aims to increase motivation, reduce disaffection and improve ICT provision and standards. It is claimed, “this will have a profound influence on life chances and future employability as well as being a major motivational influence in learning”. Another initiative is the Bradford National Grid for Learning, which has been awarded pathfinder status by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions to develop accessible local services through the use of new technology. The LEA confirms, “we must involve external agencies, partners and the community wherever possible” in education. It is involved in a number of initiatives, including: Excellence in Cities Secondary School Programme, Learning Mentors, Learning Support Units, City Learning Centres, Specialist Schools and Beacon Schools (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, 2000b).

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4.3.3 Pupil agencies

Bradford Library Services

AimsThe library service caters for a population of approximately half a million people. Its mission is, “To act as a focus for information in local communities and work towards the development of communities”. This links closely with the following corporate objectives: Making sure the whole community contributes to and benefits from Citizenship of

Bradford Metropolitan District;

Forging partnerships for regeneration;

Better Education for all, including supporting learners and their families by improving access and promoting equality of opportunity.

Current key themes for the library service include:

developing strategies to encourage higher levels of library membership and broader use of our resources and facilities;

working towards a more even spread of resources across the District. (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Arts, Museums & Libraries Service (2000).

Services provided and recent trendsThe Central Library, in the city centre is viewed as a regional resource, having a bookstock of 276,485 and 23,814 active borrowers. It is open sixty hours per week and holds in-depth materials and has the expert staff needed to support the network. There are fifteen PCs with Internet access, CD ROMs and library catalogues (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Arts, Museums & Libraries Service, 2000).

Shipley is an example of a large branch library. It is open for 55.5 hours per week and has a bookstock of 43,832 to cater for 17,356 active borrowers. Although the library has a strong media collection, there are fewer ICT resources here. However, there are forty-six study places and community facilities such as meeting rooms and an exhibition area (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Arts, Museums & Libraries Service, 2000).

Wyke is an example of a smaller branch library. This has shorter opening hours, 34.5 per week, and a smaller bookstock, 10,251. However, there are far fewer active borrowers. This branch is less well-serviced in terms of ICT. However, thirty-five places are available for users to study (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Arts, Museums & Libraries Service, 2000).

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There are also a number of smaller libraries that act as samplers for users, as well as being community contact and referral points. They provide basic information, help with homework and leisure reading. Although increased mobility has meant more people now tend to use larger libraries, these smaller outposts are seen as vital to certain communities and provide an essential service, particularly for groups like young families and older people. There are also three mobiles, serving areas more than three-quarters of a mile from the nearest library (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Arts, Museums & Libraries Service, 2000).

ICTThe number of PCs for public use is above the national average at 0.2 per 1000 population. By April 2000, thirteen Bradford libraries had Internet access and a range of CD ROMs, although prior to this there was only one Internet access point, at the Central Library. The library service plans to provide Internet and CD ROM facilities and learning opportunities in the remaining eighteen smaller libraries by 2002. There are also plans to make the OPAC, currently available in half of all branch libraries, available over the Internet. For under 13s, parentally-supervised or controlled access to the Internet is available in the children’s library (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Arts, Museums & Libraries Service, 2000).

The use of library ICT facilities has been particularly strong in areas with high levels of deprivation possibly because facilities are free of charge and run on a drop-in basis. Rates of use by ethnic minorities have also been high. The library service has already developed links with local colleges, schools and training providers, who “recognise that a library is a non-threatening, comfortable environment for people to develop confidence in using new technology”. The service has been involved in a number of ICT projects, including: Shipley On-line, National Grid for Learning, Community Access to Lifelong Learning and Local Information Advice and Guidance (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Arts, Museums & Libraries Service, 2000).

Children’s servicesThe aims of the children’s library service include:

to provide “an attractive and relevant selection of books and other material for young people of all ages”;

to “provide for the information needs of young people by the most appropriate and user-friendly means including the provision of appropriate access to the Internet and other on-line resources and to offer support in accessing and exploiting this material”;

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to “develop partnerships with schools and other organisations working with children to ensure that the resources of the library service are fully exploited for the benefit of all young people and are appropriate to support the requirements of the National Curriculum”, “work with other statutory and voluntary organisations involved with children”;

to “work in the community to encourage use of libraries and love of books and reading with all children, particularly those from disadvantaged groups” (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Arts, Museums & Libraries Service, 2000).

Over 27% of active borrowers in Bradford are under 16. There is evidence that young people from South Asian communities make particularly heavy use of libraries. However, despite the provision of “Xchange”, a teenage library within Bradford Central, there are concerns that, “the current stock does not have the quality and depth that should be provided” (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Arts, Museums & Libraries Service, 2000).

The Workstation is a homework centre operating three sessions per week, with tutors and access to ICT, in Bradford Central Library. East Bowling also has a homework club, located in the library and run jointly with Bowling College. This enables the library facilities to be available for longer than the 11.5 hours per week that the library is officially open. The college organises staffing and runs classes in the library; college staff are able to issue and return books. The bookstock is available to students as well as additional ICT, a special homework collection and learning support supplied by the college.

Barriers to useThe number of library visits per 1000 population is quite low in Bradford compared with the other authorities studied. According to the 1997 National Library Week survey, the main reasons for non-use were: information was found elsewhere, lack of time, location/opening times of libraries were inconvenient and physical access was a problem (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Arts, Museums & Libraries Service, 2000).

In 1995 libraries suffered from reductions in opening hours; five libraries were reduced to just ten hours per week. Currently, only one-quarter of opening hours are outside office hours and the annual opening hours per 1000 population is just 87.5, well below two-thirds of the DCMS standard. However, only three libraries do not open on Saturdays and twenty-one open on at least one evening until 7.00 pm. In 1999/2000, there were small increases in opening hours at some branches in communities that are disadvantaged and where services are in greatest demand (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Arts, Museums & Libraries Service, 2000).

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Although 87% of the population live within one mile of a static library and 99% within a mile of static or mobile library, some users experience a lack of facilities. Several branches are poorly located in relation to the communities they serve. To help remedy this, the service has recently introduced new service points and relocated some existing facilities. The library service acknowledges the need to carefully balance local accessibility with depth and quality of stock (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Arts, Museums & Libraries Service, 2000).

Bradford has one of the highest percentage expenditures on staff; this is necessary to cover the extensive network of libraries and provide specialist services. However, the percentage of professional staff has declined dramatically since the late 1970s and Bradford has one of the lowest percentage expenditures on materials of any Metropolitan authority. This means that the bookstock level is unlikely to change significantly. The number of items added per 1000 population was less then one-third of the DCMS standard, resulting in a stock replacement rate of 28 years. There has been a steep decline in book issues due to low expenditure and reduced opening hours. However, although book borrowing rates in Bradford are low, media borrowing is much higher than average. The use of magazines and newspapers is also above average and a significant percentage of people use the library to study and find information (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Arts, Museums & Libraries Service, 2000).

Other agenciesOne of the most important agencies concerned with providing learning opportunities for members of Bradford’s ethnic minority community is the Interfaith Education Centre. This consists of representatives of the four major faiths of the city: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism. Together, they run a bookshop and library providing loans to schools and individuals; provide community and residential study facilities; organise pupil visits to local places of worship and run training courses (Bradford Interfaith Education Centre, 2000).

Supplementary schools are another learning provider not found in the other three authorities. These aim to provide, “high quality language teaching and study support for school curriculum subjects” and “promote/provide their own cultural identity through religious instruction and community language in accordance with the wishes of parents”. Supplementary schools have entered students for GCSE exams in Gurmukhi, Punjabi, Urdu and Gujarati. There are eighty such organisations in the Bradford and Keighley, area attended by over 8,000 children on weekdays after school or weekends. They are organised, financed and run by community voluntary organisations, relying on weekly contribution from students or donations from parents.

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Adult educationAdult Education providers in Bradford include: colleges, schools, community centres, religious organisations, a disabled people’s centre and youth centres. Bradford University, Bradford College, Bradford & District Training and Enterprise Council, the Employment Service, the voluntary sector, trade unions and training providers are all members of the Local Learning Partnership. The aim of adult learning is, “To support community facilities such as schools, churches, pubs, health centres etc. to cater for the educational needs and demands of their local residents in the sites where learners feel most at ease”. A range of courses are run at Dixons’ Minerva Centre.

4.4 Woolston Community High School, Warrington

4.4.1 The school

The localityWarrington is a built up area close to two major conurbations: Manchester and Liverpool. It is a mixed area in socio-economic terms. More than one-quarter of households have no car. 3.67% of households in the borough are headed by lone parents; in total 4,424 children live in lone parent households, representing 11.61% overall. In 1998, there were 36,945 under 15s in Warrington; projections predict this will steadily increase over the next five years. The total ethnic minority population in the area is very small, just 1.27% (Warrington Borough Council, 1999a).

The LEAOf those secondary schools inspected between 1993 and 1995, very good standards were achieved in only 9%. However, 9% of school were felt to require some improvement. OFSTED found that provision for cultural development in Warrington was limited and parental involvement in children’s learning was also not as high as might be expected. Very few pupils in Warrington are from ethnic minorities, only 1.6%, and 3.67% have special educational needs statements. 13% qualify for free school meals (Warrington Borough Council, 1999b).

The schoolWoolston Community High School has around 1,200 pupils in Years 7 to 13. 60% of pupils in Year 7 come from the three main partner primary schools. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is around the national average, as is the proportion identified as having special educational needs. However, the proportion coming from homes where English is not the first language is below average. 3.5% of pupils are from ethnic minority groups. Attainment at GCSE is broadly in line with national figures (Department for Education and Employment, 2000).

The school libraryThe library is open from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm each day and has places for 32 pupils to study. Although all year groups are allowed to use the library at breaktimes and at lunchtimes, different years are allocated particular days of the week for library use. Six PCs with Internet access have recently been installed in the library and there is a

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collection of 50 CD ROMs in addition to 9,500 non-fiction, 1,036 fiction and 690 reference books. The librarian has yet to undergo NOF training.

Other school resourcesThere are forty computers available in the school’s two computer rooms. These are open to pupils at lunchtimes and for 45 minutes after school each day.

Information skills and the projectYear 7 pupils normally have sessions in study skills in their first term. As part of this, they complete a library-wise booklet, which involves going to a different library and demonstrating that the skills they learnt at school are transferable. At Woolston, the Year 7 class carried out a very structured project compared to the other schools, within Personal, Health and Social Education (PHSE), in which they were asked to complete a project about bullying, through a variety of set tasks. The PHSE or ‘Viewpoint’ syllabus was devised by a teacher who firmly believes in the importance of skills-based, rather than information-based learning and practical applications of research skills. The teacher dictated the structure and format of this project to a greater extent than those at the other schools; pupils all completed the same tasks in a given week. However, pupils were vigorously encouraged to carry out their own research, using their experiences and people they knew as one of their primary sources of information.

4.4.2 School agencies

Cheshire Schools Library ServiceWarrington Schools Library Service is operated under a joint agreement with Cheshire, and secondary schools can choose to subscribe to the service. Among the learning resources offered are: project collections, bulk exchanges, mobile library visits, targeted fiction to support literacy development, a CD ROM approval collection and object collections. The service also provides teachers with advice on library and resource management, book lists, INSET and delivery of information skills (Cheshire County Council, 2001). Woolston Community High School subscribes to a bulk exchange scheme, which means the library has a choice of new titles each term. The Schools Library Service has also provided advice on stocktaking. Woolston Community High School also has had links with the local public library for several years and one class per fortnight visits library.

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Warrington MuseumsWarrington Museum has a Schools Liaison Officer. The Schools Service “aims to make the museum collections more accessible and the museum experience more enticing”. Activities for primary schools include: interactive introductory sessions, hands-on activities with replica and original artefacts and activity sheets. Secondary schools have access to collections not on permanent display for teacher-led sessions in the Education Room. The Loans Service lends boxes of original or replica material with suggested activities and notes for two weeks or a half term. Boxes can also be used in the museum for teacher-led workshops or individual study (Warrington Museum and Art Gallery, 2001).

Local partnershipsWarrington school librarians from all the local secondary schools meet up once a quarter to discuss ideas and share information.

The school has links with a variety of community groups including the police, local charities and businesses.

4.4.3 Pupil agencies

Library Services

AimsWarrington library service aims to: “Enable people of all ages to prosper in the information society, helping them acquire new skills, use information creatively and improve the quality of their lives [and to] enhance education, literacy and lifelong learning opportunities for children and adults” (Warrington Borough Council, 1999a).

Services provided and recent trendsThe Central Library has the largest reference collection in the area; it also houses an Open Learning collection and lifelong learning suite. Branch reference stock varies between 180 and 700 volumes. In addition, most branches have a small collection of CD ROMs, newspapers, periodicals and leaflets. Woolston library was opened in 1968, but underwent a major refurbishment in 1999. However, the site suffers from problems with parking and litter (Warrington Borough Council, 1999a).

The mobile library is shared with Halton Borough Council; it “offers a much-valued service to isolated communities and those with access difficulties”. There is also an Open Learning Bus. There are two dual use libraries serving high schools and the public. These facilities are jointly funded by schools and public library service. They are located within schools and provide stock, advice and support and homework clubs. Another example of co-operation is the housing of one library in a Leisure Centre.

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The wider community uses libraries in various ways such as: meetings, constituency surgeries, arts events, toy libraries, talking newspapers, local history groups and job centre boards (Warrington Borough Council, 1999a).

ICTThe library service aims to “provide sufficient public access PCs at each library, within the constraints of the building”. The borough currently has a low ratio of PCs for public use and fewer than half of branches have OPAC facilities. Recent developments include: public access to the Internet and e-mail, open learning facilities and CD ROMs for homework and lifelong learning. Despite the high charges for the loan of multimedia and use of IT facilities, there is a lack of up-to-date stock and insufficient range.

The library service is involved with a variety of IT initiatives, including: CALL, IT for All, UfI and NGfL (Warrington Borough Council, 1999a).

Children’s services The aim of the children’s library service is fostering reading for pleasure and developing lifelong learning skills within a welcoming atmosphere and helpful, responsive staff. Its particular target groups include teenagers, reluctant readers and the less able.

In June 1999, Homework Centres were opened at Woolston and another local library. This has meant Woolston library now has one PC and an enhanced reference collection, including CD ROMs; the facility has been publicised through local schools. Although all service points are equipped to assist with homework enquiries, there are special homework centres in three libraries. Padgate library was involved in a Summer Literacy School and operates a Study Buddy homework scheme (Warrington Borough Council, 1999a).

Barriers to useWarrington’s libraries are not particularly well used and the population per service point is greater than average. The bookstock per thousand population is low. However, even though book stock levels are low, rates of borrowing are high. The number of issues per head is 7.91 and each book is issued an average 7.3 times a year. This means that the stock needs regular replacement; this is difficult since the purchasing power of the bookfund has decreased. There is, therefore, the possibility that the books children need will be out on loan, particularly if there is a demand for topics at different times of the year. The high level of use also means the books will quickly become worn (Warrington Borough Council, 1999a).

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Although there was an 8.23% growth in issues between 1987 and 1997, funding for staffing was not available to match this increase.

“Levels of staffing are low and no longer adequate to support the range and level of service for our communities that we want and are expected to provide…will be unable to fully exploit the ICT developments for the benefit of users, develop lifelong learning and social inclusion projects with partners and give customers the time and attention they deserve. the service acknowledges that there is a high age profile, many staff are part-time and there is an IT skills deficit.” (Warrington Borough Council, 1999a).

Library services are available outside office hours, but no library is open for more than 45 hours a week ,and hours of access are, generally, lower than average. It is difficult to introduce new services at many branches because the buildings are too small for existing levels of use in terms of the space and stock available. It is acknowledged that Warrington Central Library “is seriously inadequate in size to offer the range and level of service that it should” (Warrington Borough Council, 1999a).

Other agenciesAdult and community learning is delivered through an extensive number and type of venues in Warrington, including: local colleges, the Workers’ Educational Association, schools, libraries, museums, community centres and family centres. This type of provision, “offers innovative ways of giving access to learning to traditionally excluded groups”. Delivery is designed to take place in venues where learners live, to avoid transport problems (Warrington Borough Council, 2001).

4.5 Looe Community School, Looe, Cornwall

4.5.1 The school

The localityCornwall could be considered to be:

“physically divided from rest of Britain”; its “long, narrow shape, poor public transport and road infrastructure make travel and communications difficult…This has led to a geographical and psychological isolation unparalleled elsewhere in Britain” (Cornwall County Council, 2000).

Although it is the second largest county in the south-west, Cornwall has the lowest population density. There is a wide scatter of small towns and more than 40% of the population live in villages of less than 2000 inhabitants and access to basic amenities is poor in many areas. Being amongst the poorest areas in Europe, the county includes a number of Education and Health Action Zones.

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Most of the county has assisted area status; this means it is one of the areas of Great Britain that may be given regional aid by the Government under European Union Law. Rural deprivation is particularly marked in less populated west Cornwall, where unemployment is high and wages low. 14.5% of the population has very low literacy levels and there is a very small ethnic minority population (Cornwall County Council, 2000).

The LEALocality is very important for educators in Cornwall; “Pride and awareness of things Cornish is very much a part of Cornwall and is reflected in the curriculum of its schools as much as in the wider cultural life”. Cornwall has a large number of small schools, 40% have under 100 on roll and 14% have under 60 pupils. Secondary schools range from 514 to1589 pupils. OfSTED inspections that have taken place since Sept 1993 rated the quality of education good or very good in 90% of schools.

Problems of isolation include: access to minority subjects, patterns of transfer to further education, professional development for teachers and sharing best practice. Despite migration and unemployment, which affect staying-on rates, the percentage of 16 year olds staying on in further education is 10% greater than the national average (Cornwall County Council, 1999).

The schoolLooe Community School is a small school of just under 600 pupils in an isolated, rural area. Pupils come to the school from twelve local primaries and significant numbers also join from schools in other areas. The school serves a wide area and many children travel relatively long distances to school. This is a result of frequent migration into and out of this predominantly tourist area. The catchment area is mixed in terms of socio-economic circumstances, but almost all the pupils are white. Although attainment of pupils is below average on entry to the school and the proportion with special education needs is above average, performance at GCSE is above average (The Office for Standards in Education 2001). The school libraryThe school library is open from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm each day and it has space for 38 pupils to work. There are three computers with Internet access in the library. The library has small collections of CD ROMs, magazines and newspapers as well as around 4,300 non-fiction, 3,200 fiction and 250 reference books. Although it is not staffed by a professional librarian, the current holder of the part-time post has a PGCE and teaching experience. She has been at Looe for two years and is currently undergoing NOF training. Previously, retired librarians or other retired professionals had run the library and the pupils’ information needs had perhaps not been the highest priority.

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There is no structured information skills course at the school. However, generally, four to six pupils per lesson use the library, in small groups or individually. At lunchtimes, there are usually between fifty and sixty pupils in the library. The library is also open after school and is “usually fairly busy”. The librarian believes it is important that the library remains “the one place anyone can come in”. Mainly Year 7 pupils are allowed to help out by becoming student librarians.

The annual budget is just £1,200 (£2.04 per pupil). The librarian tries to stretch this money by buying books from charity shops and selling old books to pupils and staff to raise money. However, she has actually under spent this year. The librarian acknowledged the stock needed weeding; many of the books were old, worn or not at the right level for pupils. The pupils have to learn not to “judge a book by its cover” to make the most of the resources available. There is a mixture of books in the library. Being used to more modern styles of books, pupils may need guidance in using older books from the 1960s and 1970s.

Other school resourcesThere are currently two ICT classrooms with twenty networked PCs each. Pupils have open access to these resources before and after school and at breaks and lunchtimes, when material may be printed freely. There are another fifteen PCs at various locations around the school, as well as two scanners and a digital camera; these may be used by prior arrangement with the appropriate teacher. CD ROMs are not extensively used at present, as there is only one networked title available.

Although “learning resources are adequate”, with a satisfactory ratio of computers to pupils, OFSTED inspectors felt that “some departments find it difficult to gain access to computers and some further equipment is needed in information and communication technology”. The school has plans to open a further specialist room in September 2001 (The Office for Standards in Education, 2001).

Information skills and the projectThe Year 7 children had a free choice of topics, but this time the project was based in ICT so they were given the option to present the project on PowerPoint. Although Year 7 pupils are given an introduction to the fiction section of the school library as part of their English lessons, non-fiction material is not normally covered within the timetable. Many of the topics chosen related to children’s hobbies and interests, for example, classical music, cavies and ponies; a few researched places they had visited. Children were given guidance and encouraged to use the printed resources as well as computers. The teacher posted advice about how to carry out research on the school intranet. Although the school library was not normally an integral part of this ICT project, the teacher agreed to adapt to meet the requirements of the research team by introducing a special library session.

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4.5.2 School agencies

The school works with a range of local agencies including: police, health service, social services, Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Lions, Enterprise Centre, Harbour Commissioners, East Looe and West Looe Town Trusts, U3A, Age Concern, playgroups, Friendly Wives, churches, other schools, the College of St Mark and St John, theatres, South West Arts and the media.

Cornwall Schools Library ServiceCornwall Schools Library Service is geared towards Primary Schools; there are no resources for Secondary Schools. One of the most noticeable problems at Looe Community School is a lack of topic boxes. To try to compensate for this gap in provision, librarians have set up their own Library Assistants’ Support Group. They e-mail each other with ideas and swap resources.

However, Cornwall’s Annual Library Plan claims, “all libraries now have a much closer working relationship with their local schools”. There is a consultation group of Heads and Advisers to review services provided to schools and schools are kept in touch through a termly newsletter. Community Liaison Officers play a key role, as “staff dedicated to promoting libraries and literacy among school children and the wider community” (Cornwall County Council, 2000).

Cornwall MuseumsThe Arts Service is part of the Department of Education, Arts and Libraries. The County Council does not directly provide arts and museums facilities, but works in partnership with independent organisations to deliver a range of facilities and activities. In 1999-2000, 6109 pupils visited museums in the county.

The Royal Cornwall Museum is part-funded by the County Council and operates as the County Museum. The core work of its Education Service focuses on sixteen curriculum-linked workshops based on the museum’s permanent collections. These two-hour workshops are linked to Qualifications and Curriculum Authority study units. The types of activities involved include: handling objects, art, drama, pottery, role-play and writing. The service also provides loans boxes (Cornwall County Council, 2001b).

Looe Community School has worked with artists at the Eden Project, Arts in Trust and the Tate Gallery in St Ives.

Other agencies in CornwallSpecial Education Business Units have been developed “to support schools, enhance inter-agency co-operation and further develop partnerships with parents which is recognised as a key feature of an inclusive approach” (Cornwall County Council, 2001b).

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The Learning Forum is a partnership between the Local Education Authority, Advisory Service, teachers, further education colleges and Plymouth University. Fifty teachers are working with advisers and academics on research projects based in classrooms. The aim is to identify and disseminate good practice. This will take place through the CCC Intranet, so teachers will be able to access the findings wherever they are situated in the county (Cornwall County Council, 2001b).

4.5.3 Pupil agencies

Library Services

Aims

Current priorities for the Library Service are:

extending links with the learning community to maximise the use of the library resources and study centres;

developing library web pages to enable access to library information, resources and services from home;

developing community focused and socially inclusive services;

enhancing the IT skills of staff.

Plans for new or improved services include: CD ROM loan, talking books, improved inter-library loans and videoconferencing (Cornwall County Council, 2000).

In 2000, the Library Service moved into the Education, Arts and Libraries Directorate. This move will, hopefully, assist the Service in “extending the library’s work in providing opportunities for lifelong learning and reader development and make it easier to do more work with our existing colleagues and partners in Adult Education, Link into Learning (LiL) and the schools. Sharing of resources, facilities and expertise will be beneficial for everyone” (Cornwall County Council, 2000). In one collaborative venture, the Library Service provides the premises and LiL supplies ICT equipment, which can be used by library customers outside LiL sessions.

Services provided and recent trendsThe number of library visits in Cornwall is around the average for English counties. In 1998-99, it was calculated that 64.7% of the population were active borrowers, and library use is generally lower in rural areas than urban centres. Although book issues per head are quite high, the number of audio-visual issues is low and few users study in the library (Cornwall County Council, 2000).

The bookstock per 1000 population is below average, however, the number of items added is reasonably high and the total spend on new stock is the highest of the four authorities. The number of PCs for public use per 1000 population is above the average in Cornwall. Two-thirds of branch libraries already have Internet access and the service

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hopes to extend access to all service points during 2001-2. Only one library does not have an OPAC. A plan for the future is to allow public access to the OPAC via the county council website (Cornwall County Council, 2000).

However, staffing levels have recently suffered. In November 2000, thirty-two staff posts in Cornwall were discharged, including several posts in community liaison (Library Association, 2000).

Mobile libraries are particularly important because they “provide the people of Cornwall with a service that is accessible and responsive to the needs of its recipients”. Pilot projects are underway to test different methods of delivering mobile library services, for example, introducing evening and weekend stops and visiting schools in areas too far from the nearest static library for class visits (Cornwall County Council, 2000).

In the remote area of Bodmin Moor, the Library Service has set up a community library in partnership with a local school. It is hoped that this is a model that will be adopted in other isolated areas. The council is currently investigating the possibility of setting up libraries in rural schools as a viable and popular alternative to mobile library services (Cornwall County Council, 2000).

The county’s first Study Centre was established in 1998 at Torpoint and there are now similar facilities in five libraries and eleven other community sites. These centres have staff to provide guidance and support and computing facilities. There are also tutor-supported sessions at some centres (Cornwall County Council, 2000).

Children’s services Almost one-quarter of children’s books are on loan at any one time and 2.7% of children’s stock is issued more than twelve times per year. There is a high proportion of new stock; only 7% of children’s books are more than ten years old. Homework Clubs now exist in eight libraries and it is planned to link these facilities to school computers so students can access their work outside school (Cornwall County Council, 2000).

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Barriers to use“Social inclusion is high on the agenda”, for Cornwall’s Library Service, with extended opening hours at six libraries and altered hours to meet customer demand at others. Some branches now open on Saturday afternoons and have extended opening hours for summer visitors who wish to use the Internet and e-mail facilities. During 2000, a new library was scheduled to open at Fowey, eight miles from Looe. In addition, there are plans to relocate Looe and Padstow libraries during 2003-4.

Adult education Adult Education is rooted in the local community, taking place in over one hundred diverse local venues such as church halls, hotels, health centres, libraries, commercial premises, Adult Education Centres and FE colleges. At present, life long learning provision in villages is limited, but there are plans to make adult education facilities available in all communities of more than 1,000 residents and “where provision cannot be made locally, greater opportunities will be made available for adults to access other educational programmes”. This work is being undertaken with a range of partners, including: Child and Family Services, the Workers’ Educational Association, Exeter University, Adult Guidance Service, Prosper and the Basic Skills Agency (Cornwall County Council, 2001a).

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5. Project Story

By focusing on a similar resource-based learning project in four schools, the research hoped to be able to compare learning resources and experiences in very different locations and institutions. It was also thought that the experience of having recently completed a project would help all children, including the less able, to talk about their learning experiences and use of resources.

5.1 Project work

In their interviews, 18 children (19%) spoke about project work in a general sense, while the process of carrying out project work was commented on specifically in 30 interviews (32%). 37 children (40%) talked about their chosen project and 14 (15%) talked about their past experience of project or research work.

12 children (13%) commented on aspects of their current project, such as the problems they encountered, the experience of learning to use new resources or the realisation that they should have used a specific resource more. Some children regretted not setting out their work better or wished that they had spent more time on it.

In 28 interviews (30%) there was no mention of whether children had conducted project work in the past. Of the children that mentioned project work 39% (25) said they had no previous experience. 40 children (62%) recalled having conducted project work in the past. 35% (23) simply stated the kind of experience they had had, with most saying they enjoyed this type of work. A few children detailed how they had benefited from previous experience. These benefits included: heightened confidence, experience of using a resource such as a computer and familiarity with resource centres and resources.

Having previous experience of project work induced some children to choose a similar topic; as one interviewee explained:

“I knew what I would be looking for.” [Woolston child]

17 other interviewees (26%) stated that, although they had carried out project work before, this piece of work had been different for the following reasons.

the size and scope of this project was bigger

previously, the topic had been chosen for them

for this project, they used different resources

for this project they used a larger range of resources.

Children seemed to have increased confidence in using resources if they had previous experience of project work.

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5.1.1 Enjoyable aspects of project work

Their chosen topicsOf the children interviewed, 19 (20%) said their chosen topics were the best thing about the project. These comments came mainly from children at Bradford and Looe where they had free choice. Having a choice, a chance to bring their hobby to their schoolwork and learning a specific piece of information were all deemed important. They were often keen to share a ‘fact’ about their chosen topic.

She enjoyed finding out about sharks, especially how people treat them and “putting all the information together and reading it". [Looe child]

PresentationAn aspect of presentation, such as the front cover, was often mentioned in interviews. In Looe, doing a PowerPoint presentation was popular with the children.

Finding informationLooking for information interested 19 children interviewed (20%). The joy lay mainly in discovering information for themselves. Although, for some children it was frustrating or fruitless, when it came to using the Internet, most were still happy to keep trying.

Using the library14 interviewees (15%) enjoyed using the library and 2 children (2%) particularly enjoyed using books. One of the appeals of using the library for some children was being able to leave the classroom and have a change of environment. As children in three schools were given lessons in library use as part of this project, they enjoyed their newfound ability to use it properly.

Different to classroom work15 (16%) found project work different to classroom work and that was the best thing about the project for them. Creative aspects of it, having control and independence in their work were mentioned.

She likes this way of working because you can do it at your own speed and can take different things that you want to do out if it. [Dixons child]

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Looking for information“Yes. I enjoyed it – it was finding information I never knew. [Looking for information?] I think it’s fun because It’s like a challenge for yourself.” [Dixons child]

“A little bit hard because there’s so many books and you just need one that says everything about dolphins” [Dixons child]

Other aspectsThere were other aspects of project work that the children mentioned specifically at certain schools. In Woolston, some children enjoyed some of the creative exercises they had to complete as part of their bullying project. In St Ivo, children enjoyed the personal angle of the 1980s project- chosen as the year in which they were born. As part of that project they had to talk about themselves, and personal events in their lives; the children seem to enjoy that.

5.1.2 Unenjoyable aspects of project work

Length of projectProject work usually runs over a number of weeks, a factor which did not appeal to some children. Asked if she had enjoyed carrying out project work, one child replied:

“Yes, but I don’t like the way it carries on for, like, ages, because you get a bit bored with it.” [Looe child]

Processing informationProject work requires children to search for information and then process it. This task was difficult to grasp and complete for some children.

“I had to research so many books ‘cause there wasn’t much about it, it was quite hard. [Do you mean it was quite hard because you couldn’t find the books or when you did they were-] I couldn’t understand it.” [St Ivo child]

Using certain resourcesThe resources that children had been asked to use for their projects had not always proved popular. For example, 3 (3%) said they had not enjoyed using the computer or the Internet.

“I didn’t use the Internet much, I don’t know why. I just didn’t. The teacher told me how to get on it, and I started going on it and a lot of it was new, I don’t usually go on the Internet.” [Dixons child]

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5.2 Parents’ views

The nature of project work was also discussed in 7 parent interviews (9%). Perhaps because they had a limited understanding of the aims and purpose of project work, some parents felt it was an easy option for children and teachers.

“The difficulty with project work is that they get too much information from other people and it’s not their own work.” [St Ivo parent]

However, other parents had a more sophisticated appreciation of the benefits as well as the drawbacks of this method of learning.

“I think project work is fine providing children have a contact point when they’re stuck, otherwise you can waste time. Needs a charismatic teacher. It shouldn’t replace taught work.” [Looe parent]

The project has allowed [him] to become more acquainted with sifting through vast amounts of information… teachers should emphasise the need to read through information rather than expecting facts to be presented in neat bullet points/”factoids”. [St Ivo parent]

Some parents were uncertain of their role in their child’s project work and expressed concern about the lack of guidance they felt able to give.

“If he came home and he got his maths book out and he got 18 out of 20 and we say ‘why is that?’ and he says ‘I didn’t revise enough’; but with project work, it’s a bit alien to us.” [St Ivo parent]

5.2.1 Resource-based learning

7 (9%) parents interviewed made remarks about resource-based learning. Most had positive views as to its benefits; it was seen as something which teaches a child to “look into things himself”, not “taking the questions as read” “expand his knowledge and learn new skills”, “useful in the workplace” and helps children to become ‘self-sufficient’. One parent acknowledged that:

“Resource-based learning is a useful skill”,

but also emphasised the need for someone to explain the concept to children at the start of their project. One mother described how her son needed someone to

“spark off his thinking [and make him realise] there was more to it and it was not as easy as he first thought.”

However, there were some reservations expressed about this type of learning. Parents were concerned about the pressure children are put under with work. They also recognised that this type of work frequently required more support and there was a need for resource materials for parents who wanted to help their children.

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Others were concerned about children who may ‘get left behind’ with this type of learning because of a lack of access to resources or guidance. However, there is no evidence from the findings of this research that household income had an influence on the number of home resources children used for their projects.

5.3 Resources children used for their projects

Figure 2: Resources used, as mentioned in interviews

The use of computers was mentioned in children’s interviews considerably more than the use of books, with 82% interviewees mentioning computer usage, compared with 53 % who mentioned books. Out of those who talked about using the computer to do their project, the Internet was mentioned specifically in 57 interviews (61%) and 10 children (11%) talked about CD-ROMs. The importance of having people around them to help was clear; 52 interviewees (56%) stated that people who helped them were a useful resource. Out of these, the majority, 34(37%), were relatives. 14 (15%) mentioned friends and 4 children (4%) mentioned library staff.

7 children (8%) explicitly said that they had realised that it was better to use a wide range of resources, perhaps because it was their first experience of doing a proper piece of project work.

“It’s good to use more than one thing for research and not just the one thing... because you find more information.” [Dixons child]

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“I’d go out to different places before I’d use all resources, all the time. I think I should not just stay into that position and look for different ways of looking.” [Woolston child]

“Using different resources means everyone comes up with something different, not the same thing.” [Dixons child]

5.3.1 ICT

A large number of children had newfound confidence in using computers for project work; they therefore thought they were more likely to use the resource in the future; 15 (16%) said they would use computers more. Some children found them an exciting resource, especially if they did not usually have frequent access to them. The Internet was especially mentioned and search engines were seen as useful.

12 children (13%) talked about using the computer and how they enjoyed it; however most of the comments, 20 (22%), were specifically about the Internet. A number of patterns emerged from children’s responses regarding ICT and project work.

Using ICT was seen as something special or a change from regular classroom work. Some children for whom the Internet was a new experience enjoyed exploring this new medium. Others enjoyed having time to look on the Internet properly, as computers to which they had access were usually busy, or because opportunities for ICT use had increased since primary school.

“I find it interesting to go onto the Internet and use different resources than being stuck in class doing bored work.” [Dixons child]

“Being able to go on the Internet and go in the library and actually look properly. At my old school they didn’t really have a library properly and you couldn’t go on the Internet. So, its like, good to find things.” [Dixons child]

For some children, computers were viewed as an alternative to books and reading, an activity they either disliked, or had difficulties with. One such child was highly enthusiastic about the Internet:

“You can find anything on the Internet.” [St Ivo child]

In addition, for many children, the computer was a powerful tool; it was seen as a source of endless information.

“The Internet was most useful. It gave[her] a lot of information, which she could then put into her own words.” [Looe child]

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However, for some, ICT had not proved useful due to lack of experience and inappropriateness of certain resources for their chosen topic. In spite of this however, children still enjoyed using ICT.

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“I couldn’t find much information, but I enjoyed being on the internet.” [Looe child]

[He] did not enjoy "surfing the net for hours and not finding anything", but does not know how to do it differently and there are no resources that are better because there is so much information. [Dixons child]

Experience of using the Internet influenced how useful children considered it as a resource. This seemed the case when children mentioned their familiarity or lack of it. Use in the home seemed an especially determining factor.

I’m not very good at the Internet because we don’t have it at home”. didn’t know where to go on it to find things. Only used the Internet once, preferred books. [St Ivo child]

Used to using Internet at home; it’s quite busy in school. Books are quite useful, but [he] does not use them as much as computer. [St Ivo child]

Other electronic resources included television and video. 15 children (16%) said they used the television and 13 (14%) said they used video; many of these were used in class, especially at Woolston. For many children, it was the first time they had explored using new resources.

5.3.2 Libraries

In nearly half of all interviews with children, 42 or 45%, the school library was mentioned. This was partly due to library sessions being built into the project work structure by teachers at three of the schools, but also because many of the children saw the library as central to project work.

At St Ivo there was a deliberate strategy to get children to use the local library and yet it was mentioned by only 6 children (7%) as a source of information that they had not consulted. Sometimes this was because children were excited by the opportunity to use computers so they were less likely to use books. However, upon consideration a number of children felt they had not consulted the library widely enough.

The library was used for various reasons including: a place to study, finding books, finding specific information, using the internet, searching for pictures and to help project topic choice.

“It’s the easiest way of doing it, going to the library.” [St Ivo child]

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5.3.3 Printed resources

7 children (8%) said they would use books more in the future. This was true especially for children who had had a negative experience of using the Internet.

“Use the library and books rather than the computer, 'cause then you can write it in your own words and not straight off the computer.” [Woolston child]

Wouldn’t use the Internet as much for history, would use more books. [St Ivo child]

Other printed resources children discussed included newspapers and magazines.

5.3.4 People

When reflecting on how they might have approached the project differently, 15 children (16%) wished they had sought guidance from someone. For some interviewees it was essentially an issue of guidance and they did not have anyone particular in mind. However, where specific people were mentioned, it was frequently a member of the family, teachers or friends.

Mum printed out information for [him]; he skims and reads [the] better ones [selected by mum]. [St Ivo child]

He also used a book and a friend's knowledge; the friend found [him] a book in the library and lent him some of his own books. [Dixons child]

5.4 Experiences in the case study schools

Overall, children at Dixons tended to use more resources than those at the other schools. In fact, the lower quartile of number of resources at this school was greater than the upper quartile at both Woolston and St Ivo. Children at St Ivo were the most consistent in terms of the number of resources used; the range here was much smaller than at the other schools, perhaps because the project was prescribed and the children were given guidance in resource use. Woolston had the greatest range, but the majority of children here tended to use fewer resources than those at other schools.

The patterns for classroom resource use were largely similar except at Woolston, where the interquartile range was very small because the vast majority of children used between 5 and 7 resources. The pattern for school library resources used was similar in number to total resources used, although, at Woolston, a significant number of children made very little use of the library.

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For home resources, the pattern varied little from the overall picture at most of the schools, but at St Ivo, there was more variation; the range for the ‘number of home resources’ was greater than that for the total number of resources used. It was noticeable that many children at Woolston and St Ivo used very few resources outside the home and school.

5.4.1 St Ivo

The projectThe projects at St Ivo were all related to the 1980s, the decade of the child’s birth, but each child could select the events and topic they chose to write about within that format. They were encouraged to use any resource, including family mementos, to research the period; the classroom activities for the project involved brainstorming to presenting information.

For this project, which has been run successfully for several years, “students are vigorously encouraged to use their local public library to do their research outside school hours” and use of resources at home is also promoted. Children were expected to use CD ROMs, the Internet, videos, non-fiction books, reference books and archive newspapers. Depending on their choice of topic, they might also have found compact discs and audiotapes useful. In addition to the teacher and library staff, a learning support assistant was on hand to assist less able members of the class.

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Patterns of resource use

Resource Used in school

Used in school library

Used in home

Used in the community

Dictionary 20.8 8.3 50.0 16.7Encyclopaedia 45.8 50.0 54.2 50.0Story books 12.5 12.5 16.7 20.8Other books 83.3 79.2 50.0 41.7Newspapers 16.7 4.2 37.5 20.8Magazines 12.5 20.8 16.7 12.5Internet 62.5 50.0 50.0 16.7CD ROM 29.2 25.0 37.5 16.7Television 16.7 12.5 50.0 25.0Video 20.8 12.5 37.5 8.3Audio cassette 0 0 0 4.2Worksheets 37.5 16.7 20.8 8.3Class discussion 75.0 N/A N/A N/ATalking to teacher 25.0 N/A N/A N/ATalking to friends 70.8 N/A 54.2 29.1Talking to relatives N/A N/A 91.7 37.5Radio N/A N/A 8.3 N/ALeaflets/pamphlets N/A N/A N/A 12.5Museum N/A N/A N/A 16.7Club N/A N/A N/A 0Friend’s house N/A N/A N/A 16.7Relative’s house N/A N/A N/A 45.8Library N/A N/A N/A 25.0

Table 3: Percentage of children at St Ivo using resources in each location.

Although the children were expected to use CD ROMs, just 50% (12) did so. The most common location for those who did use this resource was the home; 9 (75% of those using CD ROMs) used them at home on at least one occasion. However, a number used CD ROMs in more than one location; 4 (33% of those using CD ROMs) did so in all four possible locations.

4 (17%) children did not use the Internet at all; at the other extreme, 5 (21%) used it in all four locations. Just 4 children (17%) only used the Internet outside school and 5 (21%) used it just in a school environment.

Just 3 children (13%) did not use other (non-fiction) books. Of the remainder, all but 2 used them in the school library and 14 (58%) used other books outside school, with 8 children (33%) using other books in all four possible locations. 17 children (71%) used encyclopaedias. 12 (71%) of these did so in the library and 13 (77%) used encyclopaedias at home.

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Only half the class (12) used videos; the majority of these did so in just one location. Two-thirds of children (8) who used a video did so at home. However, almost as many (7) used one within school.

It was more difficult to draw conclusions about changing patterns of resource use at this school because, at most, children had only completed three weekly logs. The nature of the project meant that most children used relatives almost every week. A number tended to use the same resources throughout the project. Some children made very little use of materials in the school library and an even greater number used no or few resources outside the school or home. The first week was the point when the majority of children made the greatest use of classroom resources. However, a large number also made extensive use of resources at home and a few also used materials from the school library or elsewhere in the community. Many children were still making good use of school resources in week four and, for a number, this was also the time when they were making the greatest use of resources at home and in the community. Others made the greatest use of resources outside the school in the following week. At this point, a few children were no longer making use of school resources.

The types of resources used in both the classroom and school library generally followed the pattern evident across the four schools. However, at home, talking to relatives was a method of acquiring information more common at St Ivo than at the other schools; 22 (92%) children did this at some point during their project because some of the tasks they were set encouraged or required this. Dictionaries were also used most frequently in this school, with half the class consulting one at home. Elsewhere, magazines and CD ROMs were used less frequently here than at the other schools; just 3 (13%) used newspapers and 4 (17%) CD ROMs.

There was little difference between boys’ and girls’ use of resources in school or the community, but for all locations, the mean and median number of resources for boys was higher than that for girls to a greater or lesser extent. The range of resources used by boys was wider for all locations. In addition, in the home, although the majority of boys and girls used a similar number of resources, there were several boys who used significantly more.

While boys were more likely to have used the Internet in the classroom (9 or 82 compared with 6 or 46% of girls), girls were more likely to have used CD ROMs (5 or 39% compared with 2 or 18% of boys). More boys also used the Internet in the school library (9 or 82% compared with 3 or 27% of girls), while the numbers using CD ROMs were equal (3). However, at home, girls were more likely to have used the Internet than boys in their class (7 or 64% compared with 5 or 46% of boys) and more girls used CD ROMs at home (6 or 46% compared with 3 or 27% of boys). The use of electronic resources in the community was similar for children of either gender.Teacher assessment of resource-based learningThe teacher assessment form asked teachers to rate each child’s project on a scale of one to five according to the range of resources they had used, the suitability of those

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resources for their particular project and the effective use the child had made of the resources chosen.

At St Ivo, all children scored similar levels for each criterion; the mark for suitability and effective use was no more than one different for that awarded for range in every case. Two-thirds (16) of children were given the same mark for effective use and for suitability as they scored for range.

Interestingly, those children with the lowest average number of resources used (15.7) were awarded the highest teacher assessment score for range of resources. While the number of resources used for those children awarded the maximum score of 5 ranged from 8 to 27, the child awarded 1 claimed to have used 19 resources. It was also the case that children awarded the highest marks for suitability of their chosen resources had used, on average, the smallest number of resources overall (13.7). The group of children awarded 2 for suitability claimed to have used the highest number of resources on average (20.5). Those children awarded just 2 for effectiveness also used, on average, the greatest number of resources (20.2). The average number and range of non-school resources used by children at St Ivo varied very little regardless of their teacher assessment for range used.

Children’s experiences of resource-based learningThe research project at St Ivo was structured into a number of discrete activities that all children had to complete; these included writing about a personal experience and finding out about an event of international importance that took place during the year of their birth. Many children highlighted a part they found particularly enjoyable. The most popular was the Question & Answer activity.

“I have enjoyed my Questions and Answers because I like finding out about myself and things in the world and it was a time to talk to relatives.” [St Ivo child]

Finding out new things and talking to relatives were other positive aspects of the projects mentioned by several children and designing the front cover was also a popular activity.

“I have enjoyed so far doing my front cover because I have researched a picture of the Berlin Wall and I’ve used lots of different bright colours.” [St Ivo child]

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Other children referred to the public event, personal event, timeline and film review as the most enjoyable features of the project. Children also wrote about specific aspects of the research process or resources used they found enjoyable, such as using the Internet, and the resource centre and talking to people.

“I liked doing about my public event as it gave me a chance to speak to relatives and use the resource centre in the school. It was also quite fun to research.” [St Ivo child]

“I enjoyed researching in the resource centre on the computer.” [St Ivo child]

Three resources were mentioned as being especially useful by almost the same number of children; books, people or a computer, especially the Internet, were each listed by 9 or 10. Many children named more than one of these.

“I think the most useful resources are encyclopaedias and the Internet and especially parents.” [St Ivo child]

However, some had one definite preferred resource.

“The Internet because you could find information on almost anything to do with the 1980s.” [St Ivo child]

“Talking to my parents because their stories are true and I like talking to them.” [St Ivo child]

“A book because you could write and read at the same time.” [St Ivo child]

Other resources that were favoured included: videos, Encarta and encyclopaedias.

Again, St Ivo children pointed out particular activities they were asked to complete when asked to think about aspects of the project they had especially disliked. The public event was the least popular activity; eight children particularly disliked doing this. Finding the information for this was clearly a problem for some children.

“I didn’t enjoy doing the public event because I found hardly anything in the resource centre and I had to spend ages on Encarta trying to find events, but there wasn’t much on any of the events.” [St Ivo child]

The time line was another unpopular activity; again, this was often due to difficulty finding the information needed.

“I didn’t enjoy doing the timeline because I couldn’t find the stuff I wanted to write down and it took me ages to find the stuff to put on it.” [St Ivo child]

Some children clearly did not enjoy the process of research.

“I did not like the timeline because I had to do lots of research.” [St Ivo child]

Others did not enjoy designing the front cover, writing the book review, the personal event or the question and answer activity. In several cases, this was because they did not enjoy writing up the information.

“The least thing I didn’t like doing? My personal event. It was a bit too long and I don’t like writing [a] long thing.” [St Ivo child]

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Reading books was something else a few children found tedious. However, three children could not think of any aspect of the project they had not enjoyed and seven could not think of any resources they did not find useful. For the rest, the Internet and people were mentioned most often, each appearing on six final logs.

“I think the Internet was my least useful resource because there was nothing to help me.” [St Ivo child]

“My mum because she didn’t know the answers to the questions I asked her.” [St Ivo child]

A number of children also said they did not find books very useful.

The nature of the research project undertaken by children at St Ivo meant that they were required to involve members of their families. The class teacher thought that this aspect of the project interested children because it placed them at the centre of the research and it generated many discussions between children and their parents. She felt that this activity helped to bring the family into learning in a partnership with the school. 19 children (79%) said their mothers helped, compared with 8 (33%) who mentioned fathers and a further two (8%) who just referred to parents in general. In addition, three children (13%) acknowledged that their sisters had helped and, in two cases, grandparents were also called on to assist. Six (25%) children said they had received help from library or classroom assistants and, outside school, friends, neighbours and public library assistants all provided support. People helped by providing information, taking children to the public library, assisting them in using the computer and helping them to search for information.

“Helped me to research my information and gave suggestions on how to present it.” [St Ivo child]

“My mum helped me by showing me the answers to the question and answer section and reminding me of personal memories.” [St Ivo child]

Asking people for help with school work was a new experience for some children.

“I don’t normally ask my parents for help with any work.” [St Ivo child]

However, the most commonly mentioned new resource was the Internet; this appeared on four of the final logs. The resource centre, the public library, information books and encyclopaedias were other resources that featured.

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5.4.2 Dixons

The projectDirectly before the start of their project, the class was given a two-hour induction to the school library. Children were expected to use word processing, CD ROMs, the Internet, magazines, non-fiction books, reference books and worksheets in their project. These are mostly available in the school library, but might also be accessed in the IT areas or at home.

The teacher expected information skills to be evident in the resource-based learning project and their assessment was based on this expectation. In this instance, the teacher gave children a free choice of subjects. However, the library staff felt that this lack of structure made it more difficult than it might otherwise have been to give children the individual assistance they required.

Patterns of resource use

Resource Used in school

Used in school library

Used in home

Used in community

Dictionary 95.8 83.3 16.7 70.8Encyclopaedia 91.7 87.5 16.7 70.8Story books 37.5 45.8 25.0 33.3Other books 95.8 91.7 37.5 87.5Newspapers 37.5 33.3 45.8 29.2Magazines 54.2 50.0 45.8 62.5Internet 95.8 95.8 33.3 70.8CD ROM 50.0 45.8 37.5 54.1Television 58.3 37.5 37.5 62.5Video 25.0 25.0 8.3 41.7Audio cassette 12.5 12.5 4.2 25.0Worksheets 79.2 79.2 29.2 50.0Class discussion 66.7 N/A N/A N/ATalking to teacher 70.8 N/A N/A N/ATalking to friends 83.3 N/A 33.3 62.5Talking to relatives N/A N/A 37.5 70.8Radio N/A N/A 33.3 N/ALeaflets/pamphlets N/A N/A N/A 54.2Museum N/A N/A N/A 33.3Club N/A N/A N/A 29.2Friend’s house N/A N/A N/A 37.5Relative’s house N/A N/A N/A 66.7Library N/A N/A N/A 70.8

Table 4: Percentage of children at Dixons using resources in each location.

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In general children at Dixons used an extremely wide range of resources across locations. Some used a subset of their chosen resources throughout the six weeks, while making use of other resources on certain occasions. There were only two children who made very little use of the school library. One of these also made almost no use of resources outside school and had a very limited range overall, but this was a noticeable exception to the general pattern.

This was the school where the most obvious patterns in terms of changes in resources used throughout the course of the project could be discerned. In the first week of their six-week project, many children made use of a wide range of classroom resources: worksheets, teacher input and general discussion were among the most popular.

The majority of children made some use of home and community resources at the start of their project and a few made heavy use of resources outside school from this early stage. In the second week of the project, although a number of children continued to rely mainly on school resources, a significant number transferred their attentions to resources at home and in the community. Children also started to make greater use of the library in preference to resources found in the classroom. By the middle weeks of their project, some were beginning to use more resources in the school library and others were making use of a wide range of resources outside the school. Although the majority were still using a wide range of materials, a few began to limit their choice at this stage, possibly concentrating on those they found most useful. In week 5, more children were limiting the number of resources they used and this pattern was even more noticeable in the final week. However, even at this stage, a number of children continued to consult a wide range of resources in a variety of locations.

All children at Dixons used the Internet and other books and just one did not use an encyclopaedia. All three resources were used in more than one location by all children. All children accessed the Internet in school and 15 (63%) used it at all four possible locations. Only 2 (8%) did not use the Internet outside school. All children used other (non-fiction) books both in school and outside and the same was true for all those who used encyclopaedias. 20 (83%) used other books across four locations.

All children bar one used worksheets to complete their project. Although this was primarily a school-based resource, 16 children (70% of those who used them) used a worksheet outside school. Magazines were another popular resource children used to complete their projects; these were used by 20 (83%). Again, these were used in a number of locations in most cases; only one child only used magazines within school,

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In the classroom, dictionaries were most frequently used at Dixons, with 23 children consulting them at some point; almost as many children used encyclopaedias, many more than at the other schools. More than half the children at this school used magazines and the use of the television in the classroom was also reported most frequently at Dixons.

In the school library, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, story books, the Internet and worksheets were used more frequently by children at Dixons than elsewhere. All but one child used the Internet in the library, all except three used encyclopaedias and all but four dictionaries. Although only 11 children used the CD ROM facilities in the school library, this was considerably more than at the other schools.

Elsewhere, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, other non-fiction books, television, leaflets, the Internet and talking to friends were all used more regularly by Dixons children than those at the other schools. 21 used other books somewhere other than in the school or their home and 17 used the Internet in another location, more than twice the number who accessed it at home. More children at Dixons used the public library than at any other school.

In general terms, boys used more resources than girls; this was the only school where there was strong statistical evidence of a difference between genders in terms of resources used. The mean number of resources used by boys was 41.69, compared with just 29.64 for girls. In fact, the median number of resources used by girls (28) was less than the lower quartile for boys (30). For classroom resources, the number of resources used by girls had a smaller range (5) than that for boys (9) and the upper quartile for girls (10) was less than the median number for boys (11). However, for resources in the school library, although the number of resources varied over a wider range for boys, the median was the same for both sexes (7). The patterns for home and community resources were very similar and, again, boys tended to use a greater number of resources than girls.

Boys were more likely than girls to use CD ROMs in the classroom (9 or 69%, compared with 3 or 27% of girls) and in the library (9 or 69%, compared with 2 or 18% of girls). However, all children of both sexes used the Internet both in the classroom and in the school library. However, at home, boys were more likely than girls to use both the Internet and CD ROMs. 12 boys (92%) used the Internet compared with 6 girls (55%) and 9 (69%) used CD ROMs compared with 4 girls (36%). The numbers using electronic resources in the community were almost identical.

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Teacher assessment of resource-based learningAt Dixons, although most children were awarded similar marks for range, suitability and effective use, two children who were awarded just 3 for the range of resources used were given 5 for effective use, and one who scored 3 for range was awarded 5 for suitability. At this school, just 42% (10) of children were awarded the same mark for suitability as for range and 58% (14) scored the same mark for both range and effective use.

No children were awarded 5 for the range of resources used, but those given 4 used an average of 32.11 resources, this compares with an average of 52.5 for those awarded just 1. However, for most levels of teacher assessment rating, the number of resources used was very wide. There were similar patterns for teacher ratings of effectiveness and suitability. The average number of non-school resources used was 15.6 for those children awarded a mark of 5 for range, but 30 for those who were given a mark of 1.

Children’s experiences of resource-based learningThe two most enjoyable aspects of the project for children at Dixons were: using the Internet and having the opportunity to learn something new. Ten children said using the Internet was the activity they enjoyed most.

“I have enjoyed going on the Internet because it was fun searching for pictures and writing.” [Dixons child]

“I have enjoyed searching the Internet for the planet Jupiter and printing off the pictures that I have found.” [Dixons child]

Almost as many children liked the fact that they were given the time to research a topic that particularly interested them. One child who chose to study the Romanovs enjoyed:

Learning new things about history because I love history and I’ve done nothing on Russia so far. [Dixons child]

Another child who studied Shakespeare wrote:

“I enjoyed learning about Shakespeare’s life because it was interesting.

Shocking things kept coming up, like he married a lady eight years older than him.” [Dixons child]

Other popular aspects of the projects included: presenting the final piece of work and finding the information they needed in the library and elsewhere.

Children at Dixons opted in equal numbers for books and the Internet as their choice of favourite resource, with many children mentioning both.

“I have found the most useful sources of information the Internet and the library books because they tell you information you need to know.” [Dixons child]

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However, others definitely preferred one resource ahead of the other.

“I like using books better than the Internet because I can rent them and look at books in view. Internet, you have to print it off and then wait until next week to do it again.” [Dixons child]

“Internet; because there aren’t many books I can find on consoles.” [Dixons child]

Other resources mentioned as being particularly useful were: the teacher, parents and encyclopaedias.

Five children at Dixons could find nothing they did not enjoy about doing the project. Among the others, filling in the weekly log sheets emerged as the least enjoyable activity; many saw them as a waste of time.

“I have least enjoyed filling in the forms like this one in the project. I did not like this because it meant less time working on the product.” [Dixons child]

Writing also emerged as a less favoured activity for several children. One wrote that he disliked:

“Having to write so many things down like notes and having to read so many things because I don’t like reading that much.” [Dixons child]

Other aspects of the projects children did not see as enjoyable were: reading, deciding on a topic to research and the amount of work outside school the project involved. A few expressed their frustration at being unable to find all the information they wanted.

“Using the Internet because I spent hours at a time and didn’t find anything.” [Dixons child]

“The thing I have enjoyed least is having to find books because half of them didn’t have anything about Jupiter in.” [Dixons child]

Eight children at Dixons could not think of any resources that were not useful in some way for their project. Among the others, dictionaries were seen as being least useful; five children mentioned this resource.

“It told you everything you already knew.” [Dixons child]

The Internet was also unpopular with a number of children.

“The Internet was worst because it took ages to find any good sites.” [Dixons child]

Other resources a few children did not consider to be useful were: books, television, magazines, CD ROMs, encyclopaedias and friends. These children had failed to find useful information about their various topics from these.

Three children said they had not used the Internet before, one explained that this was because they did not have Internet access at primary school. Other children mentioned videos, television, leaflets and CD ROMs as resources they had not thought to use for

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project work before. Parents were the most frequently mentioned as people who helped with projects, although teachers and friends also featured. They mainly helped by providing ideas and information.

5.4.3 Woolston

The projectThis Year 7 class carried out a very structured project compared to the other schools, in which they were asked to complete a project about bullying through a variety of set tasks. The project formed part of the PHSE (Personal Health and Social Education) or ‘Viewpoint’ syllabus, devised by a teacher who firmly believes in the importance of skills-based, rather than information-based, learning and practical applications of research skills. The teacher would normally set a resource-based learning project for Year 8, rather than Year 7 children, but she adapted the syllabus to meet the needs of the research team.

Patterns of resource use

Resource Used in school

Used in school library

Used in home

Used in the community

Dictionary 13.0 13.0 17.4 8.7Encyclopaedia 4.3 13.0 17.4 13.0Story books 4.3 4.3 26.1 4.3Other books 30.4 52.2 30.4 13.0Newspapers 87.0 30.4 47.8 30.4Magazines 13.0 13.0 47.8 26.1Internet 13.0 21.7 34.8 8.7CD ROM 13.0 13.0 39.1 26.1Television 13.0 21.7 39.1 31.7Video 87.2 13.0 8.6 13.0Audio cassette 4.3 4.3 4.3 13.0Worksheets 91.3 4.3 30.4 4.3Class discussion 91.3 N/A N/A N/ATalking to teacher 91.3 N/A N/A N/ATalking to friends 91.3 N/A 34.8 30.4Talking to relatives N/A N/A 39.1 13.0Radio N/A N/A 30.4 N/ALeaflets/pamphlets N/A N/A N/A 21.7Museum N/A N/A N/A 13.0Club N/A N/A N/A 4.3Friend’s house N/A N/A N/A 26.1Relative’s house N/A N/A N/A 34.8Library N/A N/A N/A 30.4

Table 5: Percentage of children at Woolston using resources in each location.

On the whole, children at Woolston used a smaller range of resources than those at the other schools. There was also more uniformity in terms of the types of resources used, especially in school, for example, in week 3, the whole class watched a video and in

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week 6, all the children used newspapers. Worksheets were popular, as were discussions with friends, and teacher input played a key role.

A number of children made very little use of the school library, only using a few resources on odd occasions. While some children used resources at home every week, a greater number did not use any resources outside the classroom and more still used very few resources except those they found in the school. Those who did use a number of resources at home and in the school library chiefly did so in the second, third and sixth weeks. As this project was much more structured than those at the other schools, this may have been related to the homework task set for a particular week.

Newspapers, worksheets and talking to the teacher were the resources used in the classroom more frequently at Woolston than at the other schools studied. Worksheets were used to direct children in completing this project and there appeared to be a strong emphasis on resources such as newspapers that were the focus of a particular exercise set by the teacher. Newspapers were used by 21 children (91%), with 4 (19%) using them in all four locations. However, 8 (38% of those using newspapers) only did so in the classroom. However, magazines were used by 12 children (52%), in all cases in locations outside school. The teacher at Woolston played a more focal role than those at the other schools; here, 21 children found information from the teacher. However, encyclopaedias, other books and the Internet were used least often; only one child used an encyclopaedia in the classroom. Just 15 children (65%) used other (non-fiction) books and 6 (40%) of these only did so in school. Unlike the other schools, children were not required to use electronic resources. The teacher did not encourage extensive use of the Internet as her own skills in this area are still limited and there are no facilities in the classroom at the present time.

There is no evidence that any of the school library resources were particularly heavily used at Woolston. However, encyclopaedias, other books and magazines were noticeably less well used here than at the other school libraries. Only half the class used any other books from the school library and just three consulted an encyclopaedia.

In general, the use of home resources at Woolston appeared to follow the general pattern for all the schools. The only significant difference in the use of community resources was that talking to relatives was a less common activity at Woolston, where it was only mentioned by three children.

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Overall, the range of number of resources was much wider for boys (59) than girls (18) and the mean number of resources used by boys was 20.5, compared with just 11.37 for girls. While there was very little variation in terms of the number of resources, especially classroom resources, among girls, the range for boys was much wider for all locations. For example, in the home, the greatest number of resources used by a girl was 5, while, the highest figure for a boy was 15.

Overall, the number of children using electronic resources was lower at Woolston than at the other schools. However, the figures for boys were generally slightly higher across all locations than those for girls. For example, 5 boys (42%) used the Internet at home compared with 3 girls (27%).

Teacher assessment of resource-based learning Just 13% of children (3) at Woolston were given different marks for range and suitability of resources and only 9 % (2) achieved different marks for range and effective use of resources. Even though the number of resources used was generally lower overall at Woolston, it was still the case that those children awarded the highest marks for range, suitability and effective use in their teacher assessments used a smaller number of resources on average than those whose projects were thought to merit lower marks. For those awarded 5, the average was 12.5, while it was 16.6 for those given a mark of 3 for range and suitability and 16.8 for those with 3 for effectiveness. However, the range of number of resources used was remarkably similar for all levels of teacher assessment. The relatively small number of non-school resources used by children at Woolston makes it difficult to make any comparisons in this area.

Children’s experiences of resource-based learningChildren at Woolston mentioned a variety of features in project work that they found the most interesting. The fact that they generally enjoyed research and finding out new things was perhaps the most widespread comment.

“I enjoy finding out research. I like finding out about different things.” [Woolston child]

“I had to search, it was like a treasure hunt.” [Woolston child]

A number of children pointed out the practical value of the particular piece of research they were carrying out.

“I have enjoyed finding out information as it will help me in the future if I ever am put in this sort of situation.” [Woolston child]

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This project was the most rigidly structured of the four, with a number of whole class activities; some children mentioned which of these they had found most enjoyable.

“Doing the two pictures because they were colourful and easy to do.” [Woolston child]

“Doing the play because we had to make it up as we went along.” [Woolston child]

Fewer children said they had enjoyed using specific information sources at this school. However, the Internet, videos, books, newspapers and the library were all mentioned by one or more child.

“Finding lots of things out on the computer and in books and in newspapers.” [Woolston child]

Books and computers were mentioned as the most useful resources by equal numbers of children (9)

“I thought the Internet was the most useful resource because I could type in bullying and lots of useful sites would come up.” [Woolston child]

“Books because they told you a lot on the subject.” [Woolston child]

Newspapers were also named as a favourite resource by several, although this may be due to the novelty value of newspapers for new users.

“Looking through the big books in the library because you read old newspapers and tell you things you don’t know.” [Woolston child]

A unique resource that only featured at Woolston was the child’s own experiences and opinions. This was important because of the subject matter of this project and the approach taken by the teacher. Friends and family and the library were other useful resources mentioned.

Eight children did not think any aspects of the project were not enjoyable. Several complained about having to fill in the weekly logs however; this project relied more heavily on worksheets than those at the other schools and children mainly felt there was too much of this type of activity.

“I do not like doing worksheets much because I did not want to write stuff down.” [Woolston child]

Having to do work on their project outside the lesson was another unpopular aspect for some. Designing the posters and the interview were the only specific activities children said they had not enjoyed.

“The thing I enjoyed least was the interview as I didn’t know what to say and felt very nervous.” [Woolston child]

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Seven children could not name any resources they had not found useful. Amongst the others, newspapers were mentioned most frequently.

“I found newspapers had not many new articles on this subject.” [Woolston child]

The Internet was another resource that was considered unhelpful by some children. At Woolston, computers did not play the integral part in the project they did in some of the other schools and the initial guidance the children were given did not focus on ICT resources.

“The Internet because it just told you one thing and that’s it.” [Woolston child]

Other children did not find Encarta and worksheets particularly useful. One said their home was the least useful resource because they did not have a lot of books; the same child identified the library as the most useful resource.

Mothers were the most commonly mentioned people who helped with projects; 8 children said their mother had helped and another 6 mentioned their fathers. In addition, sisters, grandparents, uncles, friends and the teacher helped in some cases and two children just referred to help from members of their family in general terms. The ways in which other people helped included: telling children about their own experiences, helping them to understand the work set, finding information for children, checking work, finding books and assisting them to use computers. Six children said they had used the Internet for the first time as part of this project and a further two claimed they had not used computers before. Using newspapers to help with school work was a new experience for four children.

5.4.4 Looe

The projectThe resource-based learning project at Looe formed part of the ICT curriculum for Year 7. Children were allowed a free choice of topic and most chose to present their findings on PowerPoint, although they could use Publisher to produce a printed leaflet as an alternative. Children were expected to use: PCs, the Internet, the television, leaflets, magazines, non-fiction books, fiction books, reference books and newspapers. The majority of these were not available in the classroom, so children were encouraged to find information in the library or at home. They were given guidance and encouraged to use the printed resources as well as computers. The teacher posted advice about how to carry out research on the school intranet.

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Although the school library was not normally an integral part of this ICT project, the teacher agreed to adapt to meet the requirements of the research team by introducing a special library session. The class visited the library twice and were given an introduction to the Dewey system, the card catalogue, the reference section and contents and indexes and were set worksheets to help them to develop information searching skills. The librarian helped children to “think round” their topic to find useful resources in unexpected places. In following lessons, children came to the library individually or in small groups to look for additional information on their chosen topic. The school library was, in fact, more heavily used than might have been anticipated because there were problems with the school computer network for some weeks of the project, so children had to seek out alternative information sources.

Patterns of resource use

Resource Used in school

Used in school library

Used in home

Used in community

Dictionary 21.7 21.7 17.4 26.1Encyclopaedia 69.6 65.2 65.2 21.7Story books 26.1 30.4 30.4 30.4Other books 82.6 95.7 78.3 73.9Newspapers 17.4 17.4 17.4 21.7Magazines 43.5 47.8 43.5 52.2Internet 100.0 65.2 91.3 26.1CD ROM 34.8 17.4 65.2 56.5Television 52.2 30.4 65.2 47.8Video 17.4 13.0 30.4 17.4Audio cassette 8.7 4.3 8.7 4.3Worksheets 8.7 8.7 4.3 13.0Class discussion 4.3 N/A N/A N/ATalking to teacher 26.1 N/A N/A N/ATalking to friends 65.2 N/A 52.2 52.2Talking to relatives N/A N/A 73.9 56.5Radio N/A N/A 17.4 N/ALeaflets/pamphlets N/A N/A N/A 39.1Museum N/A N/A N/A 4.3Club N/A N/A N/A 17.4Friend’s house N/A N/A N/A 39.1Relative’s house N/A N/A N/A 65.2Library N/A N/A N/A 34.8

Table 6: Percentage of children at Looe using resources in each location.

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As children at Looe carried out their project in ICT lessons, the majority used the Internet in the classroom every week. Even so, books were the main resource for a minority. Some children tended to concentrate on the same subset of resources each week, while using other resources only occasionally. The places where children accessed resources varied considerably. While some used a large number of resources outside the school and home, others used very few or only used them for a limited number of weeks.

Only one child did not use the Internet, and all except two did so at home or in community locations as well as in school. 9 (41%) used the Internet in all four possible locations. All but two children (87%) used other (non-fiction) books. Three of these only did so in the school library, but 15 (71%) used books in all possible locations. 18 children (78%) used encyclopaedias, with 15 of these (83%) using them in locations outside school. Story books were less popular, used by just 9 children (39%). Magazines were used by 12 children (52%). However, in all cases, these children used them at home or in the community as well as in school.

A minority of children used the greatest range of resources during the first week of their project, when they seemed to be trying out resources to find out which best met their needs. However, in the middle weeks of their project, more children began to expand the number of resources they used in school, at home or in the community and some were still trying out resources they had not previously used in the final week of their six-week project.

As children at Looe were taught in an ICT classroom, not surprisingly, they made greater use of the Internet than children at the other schools; all the children used this at some point in their project. Worksheets did not appear to play an important role in the method of teaching at Looe; just two children used them. Class discussion did not play a significant part either, perhaps because children were pursuing their own areas of interest. The use of library resources at Looe did not differ significantly from the pattern found across the four schools.

A number of home resources, including encyclopaedias, other books and the Internet were used more frequently at Looe than at the other schools. 18 children (78%) used other books and 21 (91%) accessed the Internet at home. Generally, the pattern of resources used in the community did not differ greatly from that across all four schools.

The patterns of resource use for different genders appeared to differ less at Looe than at the other schools, although boys still tended to use, on average, slightly more resources than girls at each location. The only difference was that a small number of boys made particularly heavy use of classroom and community location resources compared with girls in the same class.

In terms of electronic resources there were some differences however. Although almost all children used the Internet in the classroom, just 2 girls (14%) used CD ROMs compared with 6 boys (67%). No girls used CD ROMs in the library, although 4 boys did

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so and the percentage of boys using the Internet in the school library was greater (7 or 78%) than the percentage of girls (7 or 50%). However, at home, the percentage of boys and girls using the Internet was roughly similar, but the percentage of boys using CD ROMs (8 or 89%) was again greater than that for girls (7 or 50%). Boys were also more likely to use the Internet and CD ROMs in community locations (for the Internet 7 or 50% of girls and 7 or 78% of boys).

Teacher assessment of resource-based learning Just 39% of children (9) at Looe were awarded the same marks for range of resources and effective use. However, none were more than one mark different and when comparing range of resources and teacher rating of suitability, 65% (15) were awarded the same marks for both.

At Looe, those children awarded 3 for range of resources used, on average, the greatest number of resources (27.8); the range of number of resources used was also highest for this group. Those who received a mark of 5 claimed to use, on average, 19.25. For those awarded 5 for suitability, the average number of resources used was just 12, while for those awarded 2, the average was 25.57. The pattern for effective use was very similar; the average number for those with a teacher assessment of 5 was 14.75, while for those with awarded a rating of 2, it was 30. There was little variation between the number of non-school resources used and teacher assessment of range, however, the highest average (16.6) was that for the group warded a mark of 3.

Children’s experiences of resource-based learningThe most enjoyable thing about doing this project for many children at Looe was having the opportunity to find out more about a subject that interested them. Seven (30%) said they enjoyed this:

“I enjoyed doing this project because I have a very musical family and It’s interesting to learn more about music.” [Looe child]

Other enjoyable aspects of the work were having an opportunity to use computers, especially the Internet and putting their information together into a final presentation:

“I have enjoyed most using the Internet and finding out about things I didn’t know about on the Internet because it in some ways has helped me.” [Looe child]

“I have liked putting it together on Microsoft Powerpoint because of the different effects you can get.” [Looe child]

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The Internet was most frequently mentioned as the favourite resource.

The Internet because it has “nearly every book”. [Looe child]

“The Internet was very useful; there were pictures, important information, not just rubbish and it had facts and specialist stuff too.” [Looe child]

The next most popular resource was the school library. [Looe child]

“The school library because it is easy.” [Looe child]

“The school library because there is a lot about my project.” [Looe child]

Other children mentioned people, CD ROMs, a local club and books as the most useful resources for their topics.

Children were more divided about the least enjoyable aspects of the project. Being obliged to use the Internet was mentioned frequently, as were writing up and finding information. Several children said they found the Internet difficult to use and did not feel they had adequate computer skills to find the information they needed.

“Finding the information because you have to go onto the Internet and I am not very good at getting onto the Internet.” [Looe child]

This was the resource mentioned most regularly as the least useful.

“The Internet because I couldn’t find any of the right information.” [Looe child]

While some thought having to find information was boring, others said they disliked it because it was hard, especially at the start of their project.

“I didn’t like the research at the start because I couldn’t find much at the start.” [Looe child]

Having to read through a lot of information and having to use the library were other unpopular aspects of the project.

“I don’t like reading books because it takes a lot of your time.” [Looe child]

Although it was the most useful resource for many children, the school library was seen as the least useful by others.

“The library because I couldn’t find the information I needed.” [Looe child]

Other children named CD ROMs, books, magazines, television and museums as the least useful resources.

Three children mentioned PowerPoint as a resource they had not used before. Others referred to the Internet, the library and leaflets. Two children mentioned that their mothers had helped with their projects and another referred to the family in general. In school, teachers, friends and classroom assistants helped. The type of help included: using the Internet, looking things up, and giving them information.

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5.5 Reflection

59 children (63%) talked about one or more ways in which they would do project work differently in the future. Only 7 (8%) said they would definitely not make any changes. 8 (9%) were more tentative and felt unsure about doing anything differently. This was a difficult question for some interviewees as it asked them to reflect rather than asking for direct information. Some hesitantly replied that they did not know, and when probed further, some felt it depended on the specific topic they were doing.

4 children (4%) wished that they had presented their projects better. Others now had an insight into the resources that were available to them, and were able to make judgements about their appropriateness to the task.

“I wouldn’t pick a project that is so recent. So I could have more resources and more books and that.” [Looe child]

A number of children mentioned specific resources. 7 (8%) said they would be likely to use books more in future projects, while more than twice as many (15, 16%) said they felt their project work would benefit from greater use of ICT. 6 children (7%) thought they might use the library more and a further 7 (8%) made very general comments about using different resources or places to learn. Among the more general comments about learning and resources one child expressed the view that:

“I think there should be more different ways of getting information…Everybody should try to find more ways and pass it on; it makes it easier to get the information.” [Woolston child]

Comments on structure showed that some children had a clear understanding of the nature of project work and the imperative to structure lengthy and sprawling work. For example, a child at St Ivo re-examined how she might have structured her own project, if she were to do it differently:

“I’d start with a timeline and then look at different things on it.” [St Ivo child]

Other children commented on the way that the teacher had planned and structured the project work over the weeks:

“No, the way [the teacher] made it all set up that was good, cause she planned it right and then she planned the library and booked it that was good.” [St Ivo child]

Before they started the project they had to complete a sheet about possible places to find information; [he] found this useful. [Dixons child]

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This procedure of reflecting on ways in which lessons they had learned while completing their resource-based learning project could be transferred to other learning tasks was a useful one for both the research team and for the children themselves. It emphasised the fact that, while the topic a child had studied might have relied on a limited number of key resources, in the future, tasks in other areas would almost certainly require them to make use of a much wider range of resources within their home and community.

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6. Home Story

6.1 Parental Profiles

Demographic details were sought about the adults in the household through the parents’ questionnaire. The details included the number of adults in the household, their relationship to the child and their gender, age and ethnicity. Further details, such as their educational attainment, occupational status and level of income, were also requested. These are stated below to indicate the profiles of the households involved in the research. In most cases, the information is given for each of the schools as well as for the overall number of households involved in the research.

In the questionnaire, parents were asked to state the number of adults in the household. In total there were 197 adults for the 94 children, an average of 2.1 adults per child living in each surveyed household. Of the 197 adults, 164 were parents, giving an average of 1.74 parents per child. The analysis below is carried out by household, however, where necessary, it is by the parents only, rather than the total number of adults in the household.

Table 7 below shows number of adults per household:

Number of adults in the homeNumber of children from each school

1 2 3 4

St Ivo (n=24) 3 (13%) 17 (70 %) 4 (17%) 0 (0%)

Dixons (n=24) 1 (4%) 17 (70%) 3 (13%) 3 (13%)

Woolston (n=23) 4 (17%) 15 (65%) 2 (9%) 2 (9%)

Looe (n=23) 2 (9%) 21 (91%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)

TOTALS 10 (11%) 70 (74%) 9 (10%) 5 (5%)

Table 7: Number of adults per household

80% of the children lived with two parents. Of the remaining fifth, only 11% were living in one-parent one-adult homes, as 4% of the parents of the year seven children were co-habiting with a partner. The remaining 5% gave no response or indicated a non-parental relationship with the child. As expected, the majority of the single parents were mothers, however, at St Ivo there was one single parent father. Therefore, the gender profile of parents is slightly higher for females than males.

The age profiles of the parents at each of the schools is demonstrated in a graph below.

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Figure 3: The age of adults in each household.

An examination of the age ranges of parents indicates that the parents are youngest at Woolston and then at Looe. The largest proportion of parents in the older age range is at St Ivo followed by Dixon’s CTC.

The ethnic origin of 90% of parents is white. The percentages of parents belonging to an ethnic origin category other than white is highest at Dixons (38%) followed by St Ivo (13%) then Woolston (5%) then Looe (2%)

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The breakdown in the full ethnic origins of parents is shown in percentages in the table below.

Number of parents per school TotalEthnic origin St Ivo

(n=39)Dixons (n=45)

Woolston (n=37)

Looe (n=43)

White 34 (87%) 28 (62%) 35 (95%) 42 (98%) 136 (83%)

Indian 0 (0%) 9 (20%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 9 (5%)

Other 2 (5%) 3 (7%) 0 (0%) 1 (2%) 6 (4%)

Pakistani 0 (0%) 4 (9%) 2 (5%) 0 (0%) 6 (4%)

Irish 2 (5%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 2 (2%)

Black African 0 (0%) 1 (2%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1 (1%)

Black other 1 (3%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1 (1%)

Total 39 (100%) 45 (100%) 37 (100%) 43 (100%) 164 (100%)

Table 8: Ethnic origin of parents

As would be expected, the ethnic origin of children was the same as their parent(s).

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On the questionnaire, the respondents were asked to state the highest qualification attained for each member of the household. The educational attainment of the parents as measured by formal qualifications is demonstrated in the graph below.

Figure 4: Qualifications of parents by school

Looe and Dixons both have a higher number of parents with no formal qualifications (8 and 10 respectively), however at Dixons they also have a high number of graduate and post-graduate level qualified (8 and 3) parents. This range of qualifications may reflect the fact that Dixons’ selection process requires that pupils represent a range of abilities and backgrounds, therefore, parents’ qualifications are also likely to reflect this range. St Ivo also has a high level of A-level, graduate and post-graduate qualifications (8, 5, 3); it also matches Woolston in having the least number of parents with no formal qualifications (3), making parents at this school generally the highest qualified. Woolston has the highest number of parents qualified to GCSE level (21) and the least number of parents with graduate and post-graduate (2 and 2) qualifications.

Unlike the above qualifications, which all have a national standard and accreditation, it is difficult to gauge the level of a vocational qualification. However, vocational qualifications are, nonetheless, significant as they demonstrate the parent’s involvement in education and learning, and may be more likely to affect a parent’s view of lifelong learning than other forms of educational involvement.

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Therefore, parents were asked whether they had a vocational education as a separate question. The results for parents by gender are shown in the table below.

Have a vocational qualification (n=164)

School Male Female Total

St Ivo (n=39) 2 (5%) 5 (13%) 7 (18%)

Dixons (n=45) 4 (9%) 4 (9%) 8 (18%)

Woolston (n=37) 3 (8%) 2 (5%) 5 (14%)

Looe (n=43) 8 (19%) 6 (14%) 14 (33%)

TOTALS (n=164) 17 (10%) 17 (10%) 34 (21%)

Table 9: Parents with a vocational qualification

Other adults who had a vocational qualification were: 2 at Dixons and Woolston, 1 at St Ivo and Looe.

There is no discernible difference by gender amongst those who have a vocational qualification, however, the number of vocational educational qualifications are significantly higher at Looe than at the other schools. This may have something to do with the nature of the Looe locality and the industries within it, but it could also be linked to the fact that higher education provision is extremely limited in Cornwall.

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A further aspect of education we examined was whether adults in the home were currently engaged in further study. The results for parents engaged in study at the time of the survey was as below:

Engaged in study currently

School Male Female Total

St Ivo (n=39) 0 (0%) 4 (10%) 4 (10%)

Dixons (n= 45) 1 (2%) 2 (4%) 3 (7%)

Woolston (n=37) 0 (0%) 1 (3%) 1 (3%)

Looe (n=43) 2 (5%) 1 (2%) 3 (7%)

TOTALS (n=164) 3 (2%) 8 (5%) 11 (7%)

Table 10: Parents engaged in current study

Of the non-parent adults in the home, a further nine were engaged in current study. These were:

3 from St Ivo4 from Dixons2 from Woolston0 from Looe

Most of these other adults are siblings of the Year 7 child, above the age of eighteen, living at home and studying at college or university.

The figures for those involved in current study appears to be very low. However, we discovered through interviews that, although many parents were engaged in forms of study such as evening classes or training through their employers, they did not consider this to be ‘further study’. Therefore, the actual figure for parents involved in training beyond formal schooling is much higher than it appears.

The occupational status of the adults in the household was sought as well as the overall household income.

The percentage of parents in confirmed full-time employment at the time of answering the questionnaire was 44.9% (including full-time and full-time with second job), though in actual terms it is probably considerable higher. Many parents with young families have one parent either employed or working part-time. 20% of parents were employed part-time and 15% of them were looking after home and family.

Table 11 shows the occupation of parents by school.

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SchoolOccupation St Ives Dixons Woolston Looe TotalLooking after home/family

7 (17.9%) 5 (11.1%) 4 (10.8%) 8 (4.9%) 24 (14.6%)

Self-employed 8 (20.5%) 4 (8.9%) 2 (5.4%) 14 (32.6%) 28 (17.1%)

Employed full-time 13 (33.3%) 26 (57.8%) 20 (54.1%) 10 (23.3%) 69 (43.1%)

Employed part-time 7 (17.9%) 6 (13.3%) 10 (27.0%) 10 (23.3%) 33 (20.1%)

Employed full-time with second job

1 (2.6%) 0 (0%) 1 (2.7%) 1 (2.3%) 3 (1.8%)

Temporarily employed

2 (5.1%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 2 (1.2%)

Full-time student 1 (2.6%) 1 (2.2%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 2 (1.2%)

Other 0 (0%) 3 (6.7%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 3 (1.8%)

Total 39 (100%) 45 (100%) 37 (100%) 43 (100%) 164 (100%)

Table 11: Occupation of parents

The table and graph below shows the percentage of families in each income bracket at each school.

  Income bracket £

School Under 5000

5000-9999

10000-14999

15000-19999

20000-24999

25000-29999

30000-49999

50000+

No response

St Ivo(n=24) 8 0 4 17 4 8 29 21 8

Dixons (n=24) 4 4 4 8 21 25 21 4 8

Woolston (n=23) 0 0 9 17 9 9 26 17 13

Looe (n=23) 4 4 22 22 13 9 13 13 0

Total 4 2 10 16 12 13 22 14 7

Table 12: Percentage of families in each income bracket

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The majority of households involved in the research fell within the £30,000–£49,000 income bracket. The national average gross household income was £24,250 in 1998-99 (Stationery Office, 2001). Looe and Dixons have the highest proportion of parents below that level. Although the median for Dixons was £25,000-£29,999, for Looe it was just £15,000-£19,999.

6.2 Resources in the home

The responses to the parents’ questionnaire provided an overview of the types of resources available to children in their homes.

Overall, 89 (95%) parents claimed they bought books to help their child with schoolwork. While all the parents at Dixons and 96% of those at Looe did so, the percentage fell to 92% at St Ivo and 91% at Woolston. Almost as many parents, 87 (93%) bought other materials to help their child with schoolwork. Again, the percentage was greatest at Dixons (96%), but it was also above average at Woolston (96%), while Looe and St Ivo were both below the average figure: 91% and 88% respectively. It is perhaps significant that five out of the six parents who did not buy other materials to help their children to learn had a household income of less than £20,000.

Figure 5: Percentage of parents buying books and other resources

Most children (86 or 92%) had a space to work at in their home; there was very little difference observed between the schools in this respect.

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6.2.1 Computer resources in the home

76 parents (81%) claimed their child used a computer at home. The percentage was highest at Looe, where 87% (20) of parents said their child used a computer at home; this was followed by 83% at St Ivo (20) and 83% at Woolston (19). Interestingly, at Dixons the percentage was noticeably less than at the other schools, with just 71% (17) of parents claiming their child used a computer at home. At all schools except St Ivo, boys were marginally more likely than girls to use a computer at home. Two children at St Ivo had a computer at home, but were not allowed to use it. There were two anomalies in the data for Woolston: two parents said they did not have a computer at home, but claimed their child used one there.

CD ROMs and the Internet were both most commonly found in homes at St Ives, where both were available in the homes of 20 children (83%). For CD ROM provision, Looe and Woolston were both close to the average of 70%. However, the figure for Dixons was well below those for the other schools; here, just 13 children (54%) had access to CD ROMs at home. The pattern for Internet provision differed somewhat. Although the Internet was most prevalent in St Ives, the figure for Looe was also well above the average (59%) at 70% (16 homes).

There was little difference between the figures for Dixons and Woolston, although Dixons was slightly higher, at 42% (10 homes) compared with 39 % (9 homes) for Woolston.

Overall, 88 children (80%) had computer games machines at home. In contrast to the occurrence of PCs, the percentage of homes with games machines was highest at Dixons (20 homes, 83%). The number of St Ivo children with games machines at home was noticeably less than at the other three schools; here, just 17 homes, 71% had them.

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Figure 6: Percentage of homes with ICT resources

At St Ivo, the percentage of households with a PC and with Internet access mapped fairly closely onto the percentage in each income bracket. This was only to be expected given the fact that the majority of homes were reasonably well-served in terms of ICT resources. The percentage of homes with a PC and with Internet access also corresponded reasonably well to the percentage in each income bracket at Woolston and Looe. However, there was a slight tendency for homes with higher incomes to have more than the expected number of PCs, while households with lower incomes had fewer than might otherwise be expected. The same was true for Internet access.

However, at Dixons, the percentage of families owning a PC and having Internet access appeared to be influenced, at least to some extent, by household income. For example, while 29% of households had an income of under £20,000 per annum, this group represented just 12% of the total number of PC owners and 10% of homes with Internet access. In contrast, one-quarter of households had an annual income of at least £30,000, but 35% of PCs and 50% of Internet access points were found in these homes.

6.2.2 Printed resources in the home

All the children involved in the research had at least one book at home: every home had a dictionary. Story books were the next most common printed resource. 91 (97%) children had fiction books in their home. This figure was highest at Looe, where all homes had story books; the other schools all had figures close to 95%. 87 (93%) homes had information books of some description. At St Ivo, Woolston and Looe, just one child out of each class did not have information books at home.

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However at Dixons, the number was slightly higher. Here, four children (17%) did not have non-fiction books available in their homes. The majority of homes, 83 (88%), also contained an encyclopaedia. These reference books were most common at Woolston and Looe, where they could be found in 91% of homes. They were least common at Dixons, where just 83% of homes had one.

Both newspapers and magazines were available in 81 homes (86%) overall. Newspapers were found in the greatest number of homes at Woolston (22, 96%). The figures for the other schools were very similar, all close to 83%. Magazines were more common than newspapers at Dixons and Looe. However, the number of homes with magazines differed very little between schools.

Figure 7: Percentage of homes with printed resources

6.2.3 Other resources in the home

All children had at least one television at home. At St Ivo and Looe they all also had a video. However, one child at Dixons and two at Woolston did not have a video. Only at Dixons were there any homes without a radio and here, just one child lived in a home without one.

88 homes (94%) had board games. These were most commonly found in the homes of St Ivo and Woolston children, where close to 95% of homes had at least one board game. For Dixons and Looe, the figures were slightly lower, close to 91% in both cases.

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6.3 What resources do children use at home?

Figure 8: Resources used at home

Books were the resource children mostly commonly mentioned using at home; they featured in 85 interviews (91%), with the percentages not differing greatly between the four schools. Of those who referred to particular types of books, encyclopaedias were the most common, mentioned by 34 (37%); dictionaries followed with 17% (16). Other types of books used were: general information or non-fiction, reference, atlases, revision aids, textbooks and story or fiction books. Children did not just use their own books; many had access to those belonging to other people, including parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles.

However, books featured in fewer parent interviews, only 68 (85%); again, these were equally divided between schools. For parents, a computer was the most frequently mentioned resource; 74 (93%) said their child used one to do their homework, either at home or in another location. Although there was little difference between schools in terms of the number of parents naming computers, more than half those at Looe referred to the Internet, compared with less than one-third at St Ivo and Woolston. 75 children (81%) said they used a computer; there was no difference between schools. However, children at Woolston were less likely than children at the other schools to list the Internet as one of their resources, but most likely to use CD ROMs. CD ROMs were mentioned by fewest children at St Ivo.

The next most common home resource was the television, featuring in the interviews of 18 children (19%) and 34 parents (43%). 11 parents (14%) said they had digital

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television; this was most common at Woolston. 14 (18%) mentioned cable or satellite channels and one family accessed the Internet through their television. The aspects for television was claimed to be useful in terms of learning included watching the news, educational programmes eg. wildlife, teletext and videos. Other resources used for homework or learning included: magazines, newspapers, and radio.

Only two children said their parents supervised their television viewing; however, five times as many parents claimed to do so. Just four parents said they made no attempt to restrict their children’s viewing. While the children were aware of simple rules, like not being allowed to watch while doing their homework, many parents had, in fact, developed more complex restrictions: they tried to control the length of time children watched television for, the type of programmes they watched and the times at which they watched (for example, no television after the 9.00 pm watershed).

The importance of people as a resource was highlighted by both parents and children, with parents emerging clearly as the most important people in this respect. One-fifth of children listed their mother as a resource and the same proportion included their father. Approximately the same percentage of parents considered themselves to be important resources for their child’s learning. Other people mentioned were: siblings, especially sisters, grandparents and neighbours.

Around half of the children interviewed had one or more favourite resource. For 35%, this was books and for 47%, some type of ICT. ICT was the favourite resource amongst children at Looe, while those at Dixons and St Ivo were more likely to favour books. People were most likely to be given as favourite resources by children from Looe and St Ivo.

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n=93

Figure 9: Favourite resource mentioned in children’s interviews

6.4 Who helps with homework?

On average, children mentioned 2.94 people whom they could call on for help with homework. Parents listed slightly fewer: 2.68. For example, one child at Woolston mentioned his mum, dad, nan, granddad and neighbours. While his mother was only able to talk about how she helped in her interview. Only two children said there was no one around to help them; 21 (23%) could think of one person and almost the same percentage gave two (22) or three (24) people. 11 children (12%) had five or more people they could ask for help.

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Figure10: People helping Year 7 child with work at home

Parents clearly play an important role in children’s learning at home. Mothers were the most popular choice to help, closely followed by fathers, then unspecified parent(s). 53 children (57%) claimed their mother helped with homework and 43 parents (54%) reported the same. The numbers mentioning fathers were 41 (44%) and 30 (38%) respectively. However, for an unspecified parent, the figures were much closer: 27 children (29%) and 22 parents (28%). Parents, generally, gave themselves less recognition than they were awarded by children; this was particularly true for fathers. This may be because parents take the help they give for granted or do not realise how important it is to their child. The gender imbalance may be partially explained by the fact that more mothers than fathers took part in the interviews. Other people within the household were also mentioned more frequently by children than by parents. 28 children (30%) said they received help from their sister(s) and 16 (17%) from their brother(s). Only 11 parents (14%) mentioned sisters, and 9 brothers (11%), however, an additional 3 parents (4%) said unspecified siblings helped. In a few cases, a step-parent or a parent’s partner were mentioned explicitly.

The proportions of parents and children referring to a member of their extended family who helped with learning were almost identical. 23 parents (29%) and 26 children (28%) talked about receiving help from grandparent(s). However, children were most likely to mention their grandmother, whilst the parents were more likely to refer to a grandfather or grandparents. Both also referred to aunts, uncles and cousins.

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However, children were more likely to include friends in their list of people who helped them. In some cases, children telephoned people who did not live with them when they needed help or, in a few instances, e-mailed. They might also visit relatives who lived nearby. In some cases, children spent part of the week in another household or were looked after by someone other than their parents for a time, perhaps while their parents were at work.

There was some discrepancy between the views of individual parents and children. To give one example, in seven cases parents mentioned sisters while their child did not, while, in seven separate instances, children were the only ones to mention receiving help from a sister.

6.4.1 How do other people help with learning?

For many children, the person they asked depended on the subject they were studying. Fathers were the most popular choices for design and technology and science and were thought to be useful for maths, English, languages, art, RE and history. Mothers were more important for English and spelling, but they also helped with maths, languages, art, RE, history, science and geography. Grandparents were most frequently called upon to help with history, but were also useful for maths, English, spelling, art and geography. Older brothers and sisters were clearly seen as a particularly useful resource if they had recently studied the same syllabus. They could then be called on to help or to show their younger sibling the work they had done. Some children made use of friends, neighbours or relatives such as cousins in the same way. In terms of subjects, brothers were mentioned as being helpful for IT, art, geography and maths; sisters helped with all of these and, in addition, languages.

An enormous variety of ways in which people might help with homework were mentioned. These varied in terms of the level of intervention. The most common, listed in approximate order to the amount of intervention they imply, were:

motivation and encouragement

checking the child’s diary to find out what homework they have

explaining homework and making sure the Y7 child had understood the task set

helping the Year 7 child work through problems and to think of solutions for themselves

teaching study skills eg. prioritising, planning

suggesting places where information might be found

help using the computer or Internet

suggesting ideas for stories

checking through work

taking them to the library or going to the library for them

helping with spelling

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giving them the information required.

This support was clearly valued by the majority of children. Comments about the importance of help at home included:

“If your mum and dad can explain it, you don’t have to go to the teacher and you can go over and over it and spend as much time as you need on it.” [Dixons child]

“It’s really important because they give better information. Internet and books, it’s got its own language and sometimes I don’t understand it, but when my parents explain, I understand it more.” [Dixons child]

“If I didn’t have their help, I wouldn’t be able to do some of the work I do.” [Woolston child]

6.5 Computers and Internet use

Children used computers for many activities not related to school work, including: games, e-mailing friends, checking football scores, finding information related to their hobbies, for example, Playstation cheats or animals. Parents also mentioned the use of general educational software, artwork and shopping online.

Of those parents who expressed an opinion, more than half viewed ICT in a positive light; although some had mixed views, only 15% saw ICT as a negative development. Parents at St Ivo appeared to have the least enthusiastic view of IT; while those at Looe tended to be more optimistic about the use of computers. Parents at the other two schools were almost equally divided over whether IT was a good thing or should only be adopted with reservations.

Even if they were not entirely comfortable with ICT, many parents feared their children would be disadvantaged if they did not have access to computing facilities. Those who saw IT in a positive way claimed computers helped their child to achieve more at school. They believed that computers could provide more information, in particular more detailed information, than books and they were confident their children would be able to find what they needed and would be able to find it quickly, using a computer.

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Comments included:

“All the information is there.” [Woolston parent]

“It opens up the whole world.” [Dixons parent]

“More than books now, ICT has become the leading resource for their learning.” [Dixons parent]

Several parents acknowledged that their child appeared to be more comfortable with IT and preferred computers to more traditional resources.

“Kids seem to like electronic stuff for some reason.” [Woolston parent]

Immediate access was seen as a particular benefit of ICT.

“For quick, easy access, a computer has got to be at the forefront. It’s accessible 24 hours, whereas the library in St Ives shuts at 6.00.” [St Ivo parent]

Parents also appreciated the long-term benefits of learning to use IT resources. They felt that their child’s life would be easier and their prospects better if they were competent in the use of IT; computer literacy was acknowledged as an important skill:

“They use it in schools and businesses and this is the way things are going, so they need to have a good knowledge of computers.” [Looe parent]

“It’s the future; if they don’t know, they’re stuck.” [Woolston parent]

Parents who were less enamoured by ICT feared using computers would make their child lazy by making research “too easy”; one parent felt that children simply printed off information, but did not read it when they were allowed to use a computer. Parents also worried computers were coming to be viewed as the only source of information and the role of books was being neglected:

“The computer should come second; the information should come first.” [Woolston parent]

Some felt that the difficulties of using a computer, for example the time it can take to find appropriate information, were often ignored by teachers and children. Parents pointed out that a computer was little use in improving basic skills such as reading, writing, spelling and problem solving.

Many parents took a measured view of ICT, pointing out its advantages as well as the difficulties. They agreed that ICT was helpful, but children also needed to be taught to be selective and to verify the information using another source. The usefulness of IT was seen to depend on the type of work the child was doing; it was appropriate for project work, but less so for other tasks:

“It’s very good if it’s used properly; it’s actually slightly counterproductive if it’s used as a sop.” [Looe parent]

Children were also divided about the value of ICT. Although many said they liked using computers and they were the most common choice of favourite resource, a number,

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particularly at St Ivo, said they did not use a computer much and found it hard to find what they wanted when they did. Children complained about the volume of information available from the Internet: they frequently either found too much information or could not find exactly what they were looking for.

Eleven children said their parents controlled their use of the Internet and thirteen parents claimed the same. However, almost the same number of parents said they allowed their child to use the Internet unsupervised. The ways in which Internet use was controlled included:

limiting the length of time it was used

ensuring children only use it when a parent is present, often by ensuring the computer is in a family area of the house

monitoring what was accessed

setting up blocks

not allowing games.

In some cases, children were not allowed to use the Internet at all; parents printed off information for them. However, many parents admitted they were unable to control their children’s Internet use as much as they might like to because their children understood more about computers than they did. Parents’ concerns about the Internet focussed on:

children accessing unsuitable information

children’s use of chatrooms

fear of children passing on personal information

the need to share access to the Internet and telephone amongst members of the household

cost.

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6.6 Places to work

The majority of children named more than one location where they did homework, the average being 1.89. In many cases, two main locations were mentioned: the child’s bedroom and another place in a more public area of the house such as the kitchen, lounge or dining room.

Whereas their bedroom was the location most commonly mentioned by children, their parents were more likely to name a family area of the house. 66 children (71%) said they worked in their bedroom, but only 42 parents (53%) thought the same. In thirteen cases where both parent and child were interviewed, the bedroom was mentioned by the child, but not the parent. A more public area of the house was mentioned as a place to work by two-thirds of children and almost as many parents. In fifteen cases, the lounge, kitchen or dining room was mentioned by parents, but not by their children.

Other places where children could work included: their brother or sister’s room, either working together or when an elder sibling had left home, a computer room, study or spare room. Places outside the home, such as the school library, public library or a friend or neighbour’s house, were also locations where homework was done on a regular basis.

Children and parents offered various explanations for their choices. The most popular reason was the room chosen had a desk or table to work at. Just over half the children and 39% of parents mentioned this. However not all children worked at a desk; some used the floor, their bed or their lap. Where there was no desk available, many families had developed an alternative, such as a board, shelf or dressing table.

The next most common reason for choosing a location was because there was a computer available. More than one-third of children and parents referred to a room where a computer was kept; this might be the child’s own room, their brother or sister’s room, the lounge, dining room or a dedicated computer room. Some children also mentioned other resources, such as books, which were available where they chose to work.

Working somewhere where there was help available was something that was mentioned more frequently by parents than children. Conversely, children were more likely to say they chose a place because it was quiet; their choice was determined by the location of the television, parents and younger siblings. However, television also acted as an attraction for some children. Just under one in ten liked to work while watching the television. Others liked to listen to music while they studied.

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Space was another factor often mentioned. The space available in their bedroom was limited for some children, so they chose to work in a larger room instead. In some cases, even when children were able to do some work in their room, they chose a larger room for a piece of work that they wanted to spread out. The tidiness of their room and desk was something else that determined whether children were able to work in their own room or preferred to find another location.

6.7 Difficulties experienced

The problems encountered by children working at home focussed on a lack of suitable resources. Several said they would like a computer or Internet access and some also wanted more books. A number of those children interviewed before Christmas were hoping for a computer as a present. Even when children did have access to a computer through a friend, relative, school or library, they said they would prefer one in their home.

The lack of a computer was a problem mentioned by parents as well. However, they also talked about a number of other ways in which the type of help their children received in the home could be improved. Time was an issue for many; some parents could not devote as much time to helping their Year 7 child as they might like because of work commitments; in many families, there were other children who also demanded their attention. Children too had to carefully manage their time to fit their homework around other activities such as hobbies, sports and mosque attendance. Some also had to arrange their homework around their parents’ activities. For example, two children said they did their homework after the children being minded by their mothers had left in the evening. A less common factor that limited the time available was illness in the family. Several parents said they had helped their children when they were younger, but, now they were at secondary school, they felt they did not have the knowledge or skills to support them.

“Her schoolwork’s a bit beyond us. We never did computers or anything like that.” [Looe parent]

“[her dad] feels really nervous about helping in case he gives her the wrong information…but I know he’s desperate to help.” [Dixons parent]

The increasing use of computers was seen as divisive by some parents, either because they did not know enough about them to help their child or simply because it is difficult for more than one person to sit at a machine. Some felt they would be able to help more if they were provided with more information about what their child was studying and what they were expected to do at home; this would give parents more time to plan the best way to help. In a minority of cases, parents criticised the school more directly, for example, complaining that their children were not being taught research skills at school, so time was wasted when they came home.

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6.8 Hopes and ambitions

Only eight boys and two girls had no ideas about their future careers. Slightly more than one-fifth of children had a single, specific job in mind for the future. However, many others had an idea of the type of work they might like to do or a choice of two or more possible careers.

Many children clearly realised the difficulties they would face in trying to achieve their dreams and so had developed more realistic ambitions alongside them. For example, one boy wanted to be a professional footballer, but knew this was unlikely, so said he would be happy being a fire-fighter instead.

15 children (16%) planned sports-related careers; the most popular ambition was to be a professional footballer, followed by rugby player. Thirteen (14%) saw themselves having a job involving animals, such as a vet. The next most popular type of job was something in computing; seven children (8%) hoped for something in this area. Other careers mentioned by a number of children were: acting, teaching, the law and nursing. However, some had more unusual career choices, such as: astronaut, stuntman and astronomer.

Some ambitions were clearly long-held ones; for example, one boy had wanted to be a police officer since he was five. However, other plans were more recent. Some children talked about ideas they had when they were younger, but had now dismissed:

“I wanted to be a teacher when I was younger, not sure now.” [St Ivo child]

Eight children related their ambitions to their parents’ jobs and a further four mentioned other relatives.

“Footballer or DJ. My dad used to be a DJ, there’s lots of money in it, and he can teach me. If not, I’d like to be an electrician, because I find that interesting. I help him sometimes to fix TV’s and when my mum’s working I go to his work sometimes.” [Woolston child]

Television was an influence on a small number, particularly those who wanted to work with animals after seeing Animal Hospital or become archaeologists because they enjoyed Time Team.

Parents were asked about their hopes and ambitions for their child in order to gain some indication of parental interest in their children’s future learning opportunities as well as to determine the ways in which they perceived their role within the learning process. Parents frequently expressed the view that they wished to support their children in their chosen paths and stated that their child’s happiness was of the utmost importance to them.

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Parents were not particularly assertive when it came to their hopes and ambitions for their child. 2 parents (3%) talked about their child’s future education; for example, one parent said her son wanted to go to university [St Ivo] and another mentioned her daughter’s desire to attend drama school. A far higher number of parents (18 -23%) talked about their child’s chosen career. They often prefixed their wishes with what their child aspired to themselves. Many parents encouraged their children to express a career ambition no matter how ambitious or unusual, perhaps with the recognition that having the ambition was more important than the goal strived for.

“His ambition is to be a stuntman and I don’t mind. I’m not sort of ‘you must be this or that’ ” [St Ivo parent]

[She] wants to be a consultant brain surgeon; she is very definite and has researched the qualifications she needs and chosen the university she wants to go to. She is very focused. Her parents will "back her to the hilt". [Dixons parent]

15 parents interviewed (19%) talked about careers. A number of parents wanted their children to have a computer related job as they felt that was a growing area. For a few of the interviewees, a well-paid career was an important hope for their children and for others the emphasis was on a job they would enjoy.

“My ambition is that she gets good results. Has a good set of friends and gets a job that pays well.” [Woolston parent]

[Father] thinks it is most important for [Son] to be happy, but this is often tied up with having a good, fulfilling job. [Dixons parent]

An interviewee thought that her son would probably do something to do with sport or involving people, another wanted his daughter to have a profession. Other parents believed that the world of work would probably be considerably different when their children grew up:

“By the time he gets to working, it might be a three-day week and it’s all just from home, you just don’t know what the future holds yet.” [Looe parent]

One parent stated that certain skills that children may need for the future were probably better gained through resource-based learning because it involved flexible and independent learning.

“It is important that he is able to do more than one thing because he is unlikely to have one job for life.” [Dixons parent]

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6 parents (8%) raised the issue of resource-based learning within the context of this question, because they hoped their child would make better use of resources or because it was felt that resources needed to be available for their child to succeed, but also because it was seen as a form of learning more applicable to the world of work.

22 parents (28%) specifically stated that they wanted their child to be happy and that was more important to them than having ambitions. Frequently, parents who had specific ambitions for their children qualified this with a comment about how their happiness was the most important thing. This often went hand-in-hand with saying that they did not mind what their child went on to do. 5 (6%) stressed that it was the child’s choice what they decided to do or study. Other parents were keen to express their support for whatever their child’s chosen career or ambitions might be.

“I’d not push her into anything. If she had the flair, I would encourage her.” [Looe parent]

“We can’t make her mind up [for her]. We can’t tell her we can only point it [out].” [Dixons parent]

Often informed by personal experience, a few parents stated that they hoped for the good health of their child as well as his or her happiness.

9 parents (11%) interviewed discussed their child’s achievement in school, and how they would like their child to develop at school.

[Father] hopes she will change her attitude to school in a few years and want to learn. [St Ivo parent]

Other parents held a desire to see their children go to university. 11 (14%) said they would like their child to go to university, either because they did not, or because they saw it as important in building a good career. For example, one mother at Woolston hoped that her son did well in school and went to university, because then he would be older and in a better position to:

“realise what he wants to do with his life”.

Only one-fifth of children (19) had educational ambitions, such as attending college or university; two-thirds of those who did so were boys. Other children had wider personal ambitions: 13 (14%) talked about plans to travel; 10 (11%) harboured an ambition to take part in a particular activity, such as bungee jumping; 4 (4%) had family-related ambitions and 2 (2%) simply wanted to be rich. Some of the most unusual ambitions were: to discover new stars, to become a snake charmer, to renovate Second World War aeroplanes and to learn about the moon.

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6.9 Parents’ views of learning

12 interviewees (15%) commented on the child as learner. The focus for these respondents was on how their child interacted with different aspects of learning or to what extent the child was able to understand and manage their own learning. Many parents found their children to be fairly independent, however this was often contingent on a number of factors such as the guidance that a parent had given to a child at the early stages of project work, for example one parent remarked that:

“She still needs guidance but …she wants to do it by herself.” [Looe parent]

Children seemed to ask questions to help them understand the task that they are required to carry out, but also because it is quicker, easier and more comprehensible to children if they ask their parents for information rather than research it themselves.

“He does ask a lot but he does know where to look. It’s just easier to ask than to look isn’t it?” [Woolston parent]

Other parents saw their child as being more independent with some subjects than others. At Dixon’s CTC where children had chosen their own project topics, a parent remarked:

“It was interesting to her, I think if she’d been told what she had to do it on, for example, the Romans, she possibly would have approached us more.” [Dixons parent]

Parents often reflected on their own roles at the end of the interview; some interviewees expressed anxiety about their role, while others recognised that they had a significant part to play in children’s learning. Parents who were involved with school functions such as the Parent Teacher Association or governing body tended to remark on this more often.

“I am on the parent partners’ club and we have a lot of parents who complain about the amount of homework they have which I can’t believe. I’d be curious how many parents complain about it and think learning belongs only in school.” [St Ivo parent]

“The only other thing I want to say is that it can be quite hard for single parents to find the time to give to children, especially when you work and have other children. There is more pressure on the family as a whole.” [Woolston parent]

This parent, like many others, wished for more support from the school to enable her to help her children with their learning.

Seven parents interviewed (9%) made remarks about resource-based learning. Resource-based learning was seen as something which teaches children to “look into

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things himself”, rather than “taking the questions as read”; it helps to “expand his knowledge and learn new skills”, and helps children to become self-sufficient.

There were some reservations expressed about this type of learning. Parents were concerned about the pressure children are under with work. Others questioned their ability to support this kind of learning. Parents recognised that this type of work, frequently required more support and there was a need for resource materials for parents who want to help their children. Others were concerned about children who may “get left behind” with this type of learning because of a lack of access to resources or guidance.

6.9.1 Parents’ views of learning resources

Some parents thought of their children as ‘lucky’ because of their access to resources, but expressed concern that others may not be as fortunate or other parents may not have the skills to access information for their children.

“We feel it’s important they get access to resources, both at home and at school.” [Dixons parent]

Nine parents (11%) discussed resources in interviews with much of the discussion involving access to computers, demonstrating the importance of ICT to parents. Parents were concerned about the difficulty of access to computers within school because they cater for a large number of children and outside of school:

“Teachers sometimes assume children have access to the Internet; not all the local libraries have Internet access.” [Woolston parent]

“I feel quite frustrated, money governs, I think it’s quite an unfair cut for some children…. if she wants to use it [the internet], she has to go especially to my sister’s for it or the library and if she wants to do some homework on a Sunday- it’s not the same as having it in your own home.” [Looe parent]

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6.10 Home-school relations

Remarks about the school were made in 10 interviews (13%), of which half were in praise of the school and its provision of resources. Others commented on the school’s support for their child’s learning. For example, one parent said that since coming to the school her daughter’s reading has ‘picked-up’. Another parent talked about their child’s school as helping to develop a:

“rich and diverse and will make a well-rounded child.” [Dixons parent]

There were comments about homework, which was a new experience for many Year seven children, with some parents in favour as:

“it’s important to do homework- gives them responsibility”. [Woolston parent]

A parent at Dixons found that the homework was ‘too much’, but another parent felt there was not enough. It is unclear what this demonstrates, but perhaps it is a reflection of parental attitudes based on their own experiences of schooling.

Some parents were unsure about the school’s approachability. Some of these remarks are rooted in the change that their children had undergone as a result of the move from primary to secondary. For example, at the end of one interview, a parent at Woolston made anxious enquires about how their child could best adapt to the secondary environment as she was experiencing difficulties.

Children commented on the size of their high school, compared with their primary school, the differences in terms of resource provision such as ICT suites and the type and amount of work being the main things that contributed to a

“totally different environment” [Dixons child].

Several said that the work was harder than at primary school because they studied different subjects and had more homework. All the children who expressed an opinion said they preferred high school to their primary or junior school. They seemed to like the fact that they were taught by a number of different teachers and had the opportunity to make new friends. Only one said they were worried about mixing with older children.

At Looe, Year 7 children went on an outdoor activities course at the start of term (abseiling, rock climbing etc) and a number of children mentioned that this had helped them to settle in to their new school and learn about teamwork. There was also a Summer School at Looe, intended for those children who failed to reach Level 4 at the end of Key Stage 2. Again, one child commented that this helped her to settle in.

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At St Ivo, the attitude of the head and the senior management is to be supportive but it is felt to be a hard battle to involve parents fully. To prepare children for Year 7, the school holds a ‘Partners in Learning’ open evening, which is an opportunity for parents to think about how they might support their children differently to primary level. Inevitably it appeals to the most supportive parents, but the staff also try to target those who do not usually attend school events.

Dixons is in a slightly different position to the other schools studied because it is not based within a community; children come from across the city and this can present problems when trying to organise events. The college holds few whole school events, but when they do, these are well attended; there is usually a high turnout on parents’ evenings. Organising family activities is more difficult. The college also runs adult community classes.

From the parents’ interviews, it is possible to assert that the case study schools communicated with the parents in three main ways. The homework diary was mentioned most frequently in interviews. It was available at each of the four schools as a facility by which parents could check their child’s homework and progress and where teachers and parents could leave notes for each other. Newsletters were useful for conveying general information about school events, school achievements and child success. Letters home were sent by each of the school to communicate with parents about their child’s progress or problems. Parents’ evenings and school reports were also mentioned, albeit infrequently.

Overwhelmingly, parents were satisfied with the amount of contact they received from the school. In total 43 parents (54%) were satisfied with the school, however what they considered to be sufficient contact with the school varied. Some parents were happy that they received letters at home, whereas for others, it amounted to involvement with the decision making process at the school.

“I am on the School Association Committee…we have good links.” [St Ivo parent]

The homework diary was a point of reassurance for many parents and they felt satisfied with that channel of communication. One parent stated that it was

“Valued and respected by both the children and staff.” [Looe parent]

The value of the homework diary lay partly in the mere fact that it was available. It was also a quick an easy available channel of communication. Many parents made comments along the lines of

“Don't feel the need to [contact the school]... The contact is the homework planner, and you can communicate over this, it’s a good tool.” [Woolston parent]

Therefore, it was seen as a useful means of communication.

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As this was Year 7, most parents had not had the chance to communicate very much with the schools yet. Therefore, some parents felt less able to comment in detail. Parents with older children had more experience of dealing with schools and were more able to comment in interviews. Those that had experienced some form of contact with the school regarding their Year 7 child, gave examples of where communication had failed them or had reassured them.

“There was an incident and I got in touch with the year head and they were dead good.” [Woolston parent]

“My elder daughter was struggling with her coursework and they were really good. Not only 'your daughter is struggling' but also in what area and how they thought we could help.” [Dixons parent]

He has approached the school and asked for son to be given more homework, but this has only been in effect for a few weeks. [Dixons parent]

Asked if there were any ways in which the school could improves its links with home, the parents at each of the schools responded in the following ways.

School St Ivo (n=22) Dixon’s (n=22)

Woolston (n=21)

Looe (n=15)

No response 5% 0% 0% 0%No 9% 63% 29% 33%Satisfactory 49% 23% 24% 47%Unsure 14% 9% 14% 7%Yes 23% 5% 33% 13%

Table 13: Are there any ways in which the school could improve its links with the home?

The majority of parents were satisfied with the ways in which the school communicated with them and maintained links. The largest proportion of parents at each of the schools stated that there were not any ways in which the school could improve its links with the home or expressed satisfaction with the current state of affairs (currently satisfactory).

Of these parents who were dissatisfied with the amount of contact –14 or 18%- nearly half mentioned parents’ evenings as a point of contact they would like more often or earlier in the year.

“I think there could be more interaction with parents… there could be a mini parent's evening…the 1st parents evening is in March.” [Woolston parent]

The interviews with parents were carried out at different times of the year and this may mean that parents at some schools were more able to comment. The interviews at Woolston were carried out after Christmas and, therefore, parents there may have had

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more time to judge their relationship with the school. This was the only school where more parents were unsatisfied with the school contact than were satisfied.

It is fair to point out that many parents were satisfied with the amount of school contact, because their expectations were low. Parents’ expectations about their input at secondary level differed to primary level.

“I expect him to get on on his own more.” [Woolston parent]

Some felt that as their children were older, they themselves valued their own independence and preferred less contact.

It was clear from interviews that parental feeling about involvement with the school is contingent on their view of their roles and that many parents expected contact to lessen considerably at secondary level.

6.11 Conclusion

It is therefore clear that the importance of the home environment, resources and help available cannot be underestimated. However, it is also important to remember that the home and school are situated within the wider community and this community has the potential to impact on a child’s learning to at least the same extent as either the home or the school.

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7. Community Story

As was evident from the findings reported in the Project Story, children made varying amounts of use of resources outside their homes and schools. However, a significant number did make use of a range of community resources and were able to talk in detail about local facilities when interviewed. Their parents added their own local knowledge to that of their children.

7.1 School library

In all the case study schools, the school library was available to children outside school hours. Overall, 49 children (53%) mentioned using the school library. However, the figures differed considerable between schools.

Figure 11: Percentage of children using the school library

Only at Dixons did children use the library after school; here, one-third of parents said their child stayed to do homework and two said their child used the library before the start of school. Children at Woolston, Dixons and Looe mentioned using the school library during lunchtime. Although no children from St Ivo specified times, two parents said their child used the library before school. The most popular reasons for using the school library were: doing homework (15%) and borrowing books (12%). Other activities included: using computers, playing games, borrowing videos and looking for information.

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7.2 Homework and breakfast clubs

According to the responses to the parents’ questionnaire, only a few children had ever made use of homework clubs (17) or breakfast clubs (7). The majority of these were at Dixons, although a number at St Ivo had attended a breakfast club.

7.3 Public libraries

When parents were asked what community resources supported their children’s learning, the public library was the most common response. From their responses when interviewed, children’s library use was allocated to one of four categories: regular user, occasional user, non-user and previously used. Overall, just less than one-third of children claimed to be regular library users. However a further, one in ten who had used libraries previously did not do so now. The most common reason for using a public library was, unsurprisingly, to borrow books; 73 (79%) of children did so. Finding information for school work was the next most frequent activity, cited by 44 (47%), followed by using computers (15; 16%), photocopying (4; 4%) and borrowing videos (8; 10%).

Only 8 (10%) children stated that they visited the library on their own. The most usual person to go with was their mother; just under one-third (29) did so. 13 (14%) children went to the library with their father and the same number went with a brother or sister, 5 (5%) with grandparents and 7 (8%) with friends. A small number of children did not use the library themselves, but sent someone else, usually their mother, to find information and books for them.

Most families (82) and most children (76) had tickets for their local public libraries. Membership rates were highest for both adults and children at Dixons where 23 adults (96%) and 21 children (88%) had library tickets. The case study with the second highest membership rate was St Ivo for adults (21, 88%) and Woolston for children (20, 87%). One child at Woolston was a library member even though there were no adult members in the household. However, at all the schools, there were children who were not library members even though at least one member of their household had a library card. Library membership rates were lower at Looe than at the other schools. Here, just 18 adults (78%) and 16 children (70%) were library members.

The figures for library usage within the last month were slightly lower than those for library membership. Again, there was little difference in usage patterns between Dixons, St Ivo and Woolston; in each case, 15 or 16 adults and children had used a public library in the previous month.

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Two or three children from each of these schools had used a library in the last month, even though no adult members of the same household had done so. However, like the figures for library membership, the number of adults and children at Looe using a public library in the previous month was noticeably less than at the other schools. Just 9 adults (39%) and 7 children (30%) at Looe had, in fact, used a library.

Figure 12: Adult library membership

The graph above illustrates that the majority (80%) of those adults at Woolston who were members had used a public library within the last month. The proportion was slightly lower at St Ivo (76%) and Dixons (65%), while at Looe, just half the library members had actually been into a library in the previous month.

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Figure 13: Children’s library membership

80% of the children at Woolston who were members and had actually used a library within the last month. The proportion was only slightly lower at St Ivo (79%) and Dixons (76%). Only at Looe were children even less likely to use a library than adults in their household. Just 44% of library members had used the local library during the previous month.

Interestingly, the number of resources children used in their project from a location other than the home or school did not appear to be influenced by the fact that either they or their parents were regular public library users. For example, at St Ivo, the average number of community resources used by those children whose parents said they had visited a public library within the last month was 2.27, ranging between 0 and 6; for those who had not used a public library in the previous month, the average was 5 and the range 0 to 9. Only at Woolston was the average number of community resources greater for those children who had used a public library recently and here the number of community resources was very small for most children in both categories.

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7.3.1 St Ivo

(n=24)

Figure 14: Frequency of library use from pupil interviews (St Ivo)

One-quarter (6) of children used a public library for their project research. The local town library was the most popular choice, but children and parents also used Huntingdon branch, four miles away, and the library on the nearby United States Air Force base. There are a further seven libraries within ten miles of the school. At St Ivo, a higher than average number of children said they went to the library with their fathers and several went with siblings. In this school, there were a number of instances of mothers going to the library to borrow books for their children. Five children said they went to the library with friends.

Fourteen children at St Ivo said they used the library to borrow books, with five specifically mentioning reading books. Four children referred to using the library for schoolwork, but others said they used libraries to find information in more general terms. A study support scheme has been introduced for secondary schools in the county, using teachers, private trainers and volunteers. Just two children said they used the ICT facilities in the public libraries, saying they did so because it was free.

One parent who complained about the local library service said:

“It’s not a great resource in this town, it hasn’t changed in ten years…it’s not open by the time I get back from work.” [St Ivo parent]

Three parents criticised opening times; hours of access have been reduced since 1994. A small number of children said they used the school library rather than the public library, swapped books with friends or had books at home.

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Some criticised the library for being out of date, while others found it difficult to visit the library because they did not go to the part of town where the library is situated. In some families, parents had to look after someone who was ill or other children so were not able to take their Year 7 child to the library.

The community focus of the school’s Resource-Based Learning Co-ordinator involves regular liaison with local public library staff. The library is warned of projects involving whole year groups and of challenging homework tasks. Every year, the local public library collaborates with the school Resource Centre to hold evening events for the new intake of Year 7 pupils and their parents. Despite the school’s strong community profile, there was no consistent approach to consultation over, for example, the setting up of a homework club at the library or on local provision of ICT facilities in Learning Centres. Lack of strategic planning can mean that opportunities for collaboration are lost and that existing provision is not as effective as it could be.

7.3.2 Dixons

Half the children at Dixons CTC (12) claimed to be regular library users and they also mentioned visiting the greatest number of libraries. Many supplemented visits to their local branch with trips to the Central Library where they were able to access a wider selection of stock; one child used a mobile library and others went to Leeds. Three-quarters (18) used a public library to find information for their project.

(n=23)

Figure 15: Frequency of library use from pupil interviews (Dixons)

An above average number of children at Dixons mentioned going to the library with one of their parents. In three families, siblings went as well. Those who used the Central Library travelled by bus or were taken by their father in a car. Children also went to the

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library with grandparents and cousins. Only one child said they visited the library by themselves.

Thirteen children talked about borrowing books, with four specifically referring to general interest or reading, rather than school books. Two Dixons children said they did their homework in the library and nine referred to using the library for school work. Five children mentioned using ICT resources in the library. One Dixons child attended a public library homework club and mentioned receiving help from librarians there. However, many others said they made use of the homework sessions in the school library. A number of children found a variety of activities to do in the library:

“Sometimes I go on the computer or choose reading books or some studying. The things I can’t read in the library, I take home.” [Dixons child]

Several children could not visit the public library because their parents worked or were reluctant to take them and it was too far for them to travel on their own. One described the difficulties she experienced when trying to use the library:

“I used to go, but not any more because it is dark. I can’t get transport and my parents don’t drive. My mum used to take me.” [Dixons child]

Two parents claimed their children preferred to use the school library, and another that they used the Internet at home instead. One child did not feel they needed to use the library because:

“most books for school, I’ve got at home”. [Dixons child]

Having to wait for books to be ordered from the Central Library was a problem for some children. Mobile libraries were not seen as an adequate solution by at least one child because they only stopped for a short time. However, just one parent said that opening hours were not convenient.

Dixons has a particularly well-resourced school library and several children said they could find all the information they needed there, so they did not need to use the public library. Children particularly liked the fact that there were ample resources in the library targeted at their age group. The fact that pupils had been introduced to the school library stock as part of their information skills programme may have helped them in this respect.

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7.3.3 Woolston

Many parents at Woolston found the local resource provision was to their satisfaction, perhaps because everything was nearby as one father stated:

“The school and the library are both very near and the leisure centre they can walk to and there are good transport links. My elder daughter actually went to Warrington museum with her friends when they were in town!” [Woolston parent]

(n=23)

Figure 16: Frequency of library use from pupil interviews (Woolston)

7 children (30%) at Woolston used the public library to complete their resource-based learning project. More generally, twelve of the children interviewed said they used the library in some way for schoolwork; one child said they actually worked in the library and five parents also mentioned this practice. Seventeen children said they used the library to borrow books, with four specifically referring to reading or fiction books. Three children said they actually read in the library and a further two mentioned looking things up.

“I just usually choose different kinds of books and sometimes I study there, usually reading books, but if anything relates to homework, I’ll use that.” [Woolston child]

At Woolston, three children talked about using ICT facilities at the public library. However, one parent complained that the library computers were usually busy so their child could not use them.

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Mothers most frequently took their children to the library; in about half of these families, siblings went too. Children at Woolston appeared to be more independent than elsewhere, visiting the library with just their siblings, friends or on their own. However, the phenomenon of relatives visiting the library for their children was also most common at this school.

One child said they used books at home rather than borrow material from the public library and one parent said they bought books for their child. Two children said they did not use the public library because the opening times were not suitable.

7.3.4 Looe

(n=23)

Figure 17: Frequency of library use from pupil interviews (Looe)

Parents in Looe were more likely than those elsewhere to say their children were not library users; none considered their child to be a regular user. However, 35% of children (8) made use of public libraries as part of their project research. The nearest library at Looe was the very small town library, but some children used the larger branch at Liskeard.

Four children went to the library with their mothers and one with their father; in two cases, siblings joined them. One child visited the library with their grandmother and one said they went on their own. Two children only used the library in the holidays.

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Although seven parents said their child borrowed books from the library, only two children referred to this. Just one child actively read in the library. Other activities for which children used the library were: borrowing videos and reading magazines. Five children said they used the library for schoolwork and another looked for information. Only one child mentioned using the public library ICT facilities in Looe. In this case, they used the library in Liskeard.

Two children did not feel they needed to use the library because they had the Internet at home; several parents also mentioned this, while others said they bought books or belonged to a book club rather than use the library. Children also talked about using books at home rather then going to the library; two said they did not use the library because they did not have time and the distance involved was also mentioned as a restraining factor. Opening times were a problem for some children interviewed. There were other practical difficulties, such as having to request books, forgetting to return resources, losing their card and the small size of the library. The fact that children could use the school library and felt they were not welcome in the public library were other disincentives. One parent voiced a number of complaints about the library service:

“Children aren’t encouraged in Looe library…when it comes to this age, they’ve got to order the books they want and by the time they’ve ordered them, they’ve lost interest; we buy them books.” [Looe parent]

One child said he only used the library:

“as a last resort…too much hassle”. [Looe child]

Although some children said they used the school library rather than the public library, this facility was less well resourced at Looe than at the other schools; at least two children acknowledged that there was less choice in the school library, so they were often compelled to go to the town library.

7.3.5 Libraries - the national picture

Other studies have found that, with regard to libraries, the needs of children and young people “revolve around access” (Dunne, 2000), key issues being, social exclusion, opening hours and awareness of the range of resources available. Common barriers that discourage access to libraries include: restricted opening hours, charges, lack of basic skills, low income, poverty, discrimination, disabilities, rural isolation, poor transport, lack of information retrieval skills and fear of the unknown (Library and Information Commission, 2000). The LIC identified school children as an excluded group as far as access to public libraries is concerned because they are also restricted by school hours, limited weekend opening, patchy school library services and uneven study support provision. This would be especially true where school library opening hours are restricted.

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Low-achieving households were similarly excluded (Library and Information Commission, 2000) as well as ethnic minorities, refugees, carers, people with learning difficulties and those families affected by crime (Alexander, 1995). The barriers to children’s library use emerging from the interviews vary somewhat according to location. In many cases, the Internet and the school library were seen as an alternative to the public library when it came to locating resources for resource-based learning. Access to ICT is clearly an area of particular concern to all those involved in resource provision. DCMS (2000) argues that, “Libraries should be a major vehicle for providing affordable (or preferably free) access to ICT at local level”. However, in many cases, the facilities in public libraries are not yet as good as those provided by many secondary schools.

Many librarians agree that, often, “we spend too much time, often with too few resources, doing our own thing, when pooling our resources would be far more productive” (Dunne, 2000). DCMS (2001) argued there is, “scope for promoting opportunities for co-operation on social inclusion objectives between libraries, museums and archives in universities and other education establishments, and similar organisations in the community”. The Library and Information Commission (2000) has also claimed that “public and educational libraries in communities or defined geographic areas should establish co-operative arrangements to improve services to their users”. One example of this is ‘access maps’, which “enable users and learners to reach resources or assistance in other libraries on a managed basis” (Library and Information Commission, 2000). Local Learning Partnerships, which link education and public libraries and provide national co-ordination, are another recent development.

Children’s librarians in particular need to have the “ability to work in partnership with a more diverse range of other organisations”, to build on work already done with schools, playgroups, social services, businesses, health authorities and other agencies. According to Dunne (2000), “The skills we need to develop are looking outwards not inwards and looking across sectors and not in the traditional vertical pattern”. At a local level, Best Value can play a valuable role in partnership working through “cross-cutting reviews” that look at services across departments, for example, the range of services available to children. The process challenges librarians to examine how services are currently delivered against other methods. It also involves authorities in comparative benchmarking and consulting users. At a regional level, groups such as the Association of Senior Children's and Educational Librarians can facilitate co-operation.

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7.4 Workplaces

Another way of accessing resources was to use the facilities at parents’ workplaces. Two children from Dixons went to parents’ workplaces to use computers and in other instances, parents brought resources such as books home from their workplaces.

7.5 Museums

Several parents at St Ivo said they would visit museums if they were relevant to school work, but few expected their child to enjoy the experience.

“Usually, most holidays, my husband will take her to museums, often the British Museum. It depends what projects she’s involved in. If they’re doing dinosaurs, we’ll go to the Dinosaur Museum in Cambridge.” [St Ivo parent]

Attitudes towards museums were mixed among Dixons parents. While one commented that museums were useful because they helped children to learn “unconsciously”, another believed:

“Art galleries, you’d only go if you were interested in art and museums the same. I don’t think she’d gain any extra benefits from those sorts of places unless she was doing a project at school.” [Dixons parent]

At Woolston, children were able to visit the local town museum on their own. Some parents said they would visit museums if it was connected to school work. Others instinctively felt their children would not enjoy museums:

“We’ve never been to art galleries. I don’t think she’d like it. I’m saying that, but I don’t know ‘til I get there.” [Woolston parent]

One parent complained that the museums near Looe were small and “do not push his imagination”, while larger museums were less accessible from this area of the country.

7.5.1 Museums – the national picture

DCMS (2000) claimed that museums can “bring classroom teaching to life” as well as “giving families and individuals an opportunity to take part in informal learning activities in a relaxed environment”. However, at the moment, museum education provision is “patchy” and, where it is provided, many teachers are likely to view it as an optional extra, rather than an integrated part of the learning process. DCMS (2000) recommended museums should have a nominated person to take responsibility for educational work, as well as training for all staff on current education initiatives.

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To ensure that “all museums, whatever their size and type, can become centres for learning and powerful educational initiatives”. Various initiatives are underway to bring together ICT and museum education. For example, the 24-Hour Museum is creating a map of museum provision plotted against the National Curriculum programme of study. Digital access can help to remove geographic and attitudinal barriers as well as providing access to material in stores. Through links with libraries, historical societies, arts organisations, sports clubs and other agencies, museums can share resources and expertise.

7.6 Hobbies

Hobbies were mentioned as community resources which supported learning by one-fifth of parents interviewed, most of whom were from St Ives or Woolston. In particular, religious organisations featured at Dixons and Woolston. Other resources mentioned were: friends, summer and Easter schools, clubs and outings.

The graph below shows the proportions of children from each school who belonged to a group or club, such as a religious organisation, sport, drama club, Scouts, Guides, orchestra and the proportions who had any other after school activities or hobbies. The figures relate to information from the parents’ questionnaires.

Figure 18: Percentages of children taking part in clubs and other activities

Organised clubs were more popular than less formal activities at Looe and St Ivo, while the opposite was true at the other two schools.

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At St Ivo, football teams, youth clubs and Scouts and Guides were among the activities most commonly mentioned on the parents’ questionnaire. Other children belonged to karate clubs and drama clubs. One parent mentioned a local Youth Club as a facility that helped her child to learn. A number of children were members of swimming clubs and more parents still listed swimming as one of the ‘other activities’ their children took part in. The same was true of football. Other more obviously informal hobbies included reading and playing computer games. In interviews, individual sports were particularly popular at St Ivo, especially swimming, which was most frequently mentioned here. Shopping was also more common at St Ivo than the other schools and the number of children taking part in performing arts was slightly higher here too.

Four parents at Dixons said their children attended religious organisations. Other clubs mentioned on a number of questionnaires included Scouts and football. When asked about other activities, watching sport emerged as one of the most common hobbies; reading, playing sport and computers also featured.

Several interviewees from Dixons mentioned the use of religious organisations in Bradford. One child attended a mosque for religious education for two hours after school everyday. Another child went to a temple and yet another to a church. From these activities, they gained a better knowledge of religion than they were able to in school as well as other benefits such as increased confidence.

One child at Dixons out of a total of eight who spoke a language other than English as a first or second language at home, mentioned attending a language school. Children may obviously gain in terms of access to resources and guidance available at these facilities, especially if such schools liaise with mainstream schools to, “create a consistent approach to teaching and enhance mutual understanding of each other’s work” (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Local Education Authority, 1999). Another child attended a Saturday school in Sheffield, where he studied history, English and maths. This school has books and computers available. The child did not enjoy the school, complaining that “other people have longer Saturdays”, but realised it may help reinforce his learning.

On average, parents and children at Woolston mentioned the greatest number of hobbies per child in their interviews. Individual sports were most popular here and some sports, for example, cross-country and weights, were peculiar to this school. Football was played most frequently at Woolston and various other sports teams were mentioned, including netball and cross-country. In many cases, parents said their children represented the school at a particular sport. Again, children also took part in sport less formally. Other hobbies included weight training and music.

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One parent said her daughter went to the Junior Church, which made her stronger in Religious Education. Spending time with friends was also more popular here than at the other schools.

A number of children at Looe were members of musical groups such as the school band and the local orchestra. Three parents referred to religious organisations. Performing arts were slightly more common than average at Looe; dancing classes and theatre groups were frequenty mentioned. Only at Looe were team sports mentioned more frequently than individual activities; netball was mentioned most often here. However, trampolining and gymnastics only took place at Looe. Spending time with friends was least popular as a hobby at this school. Computer games were about the same at all the schools except Looe, where they did not feature as heavily.

The interview data indicated that most children took part in a mixture of group and individual activities and most combined structured activities, such as sports and music, with more informal hobbies like watching television and meeting their friends. Sport was clearly the most popular activity. The most popular sport mentioned by children was swimming, followed by football and netball. Cycling was the only fairly common sport to be more or less equally divided between the four schools.

After sport, spending time with friends was the next most commonly mentioned hobby. Playing computer games and musical activities were also popular, music being fairly evenly distributed between all four school and computer games being about the same at all the schools except Looe; the same was true of television watching. Other popular hobbies included: art, shopping, dance, drama and religious activities.

There was a noticeable difference between the activities referred to by parents and children. Activities often mentioned by parents, but not by their Year 7 child were, generally, more formal activities, including: art, drama, music and clubs. The reverse was true of a number of less formal hobbies, such as: visits to the cinema, spending time with friends, playing computer games, going to town, reading and sports.

The main benefits of hobbies for children were fun and enjoyment. However, some children referred to benefits in terms of their learning, both at school and less formally. Hobbies that were felt to help with learning included: clubs, looking after animals, religious activities, sport and spending time with friends. Children also believed that hobbies like sport helped them to make new friends. Another reason for playing sport, for some children, was that they liked winning; they liked this and other activities, such as art, because they felt it was something they were good at.

Parents mentioned a very wide range of benefits they believed their children’s hobbies brought. Parents felt there was educational benefit in a variety of activities, from religious group and clubs to sport, reading and watching television. They linked certain hobbies with particular benefits.

Benefit Hobbies

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Art/craft skills Art, model makingPractical skills Guides, bike ridingComputer skills Computer gamesHand-eye co-ordination Playstation, musicListening skills MusicObservational skills Art, LegoOrganisational skills Sports, GuidesDecision-making skills SportCreativity Art, writingCommunication skills Sport, friendsConfidence Sport, friends, drama, art, music,

dance, religious activities, clubsIndependence Clubs, sportSocial skills Youth club, friends, art, drama,

dance, sport (individual and team), bowling, religious activities

Team spirit Sport (individual and team), workDifferent children to interact with Clubs (Scouts, Sunday School, Youth

Club), sport, music, drama, danceMeet people of different ages Dance, clubs, sportMake friends Sport, computer games, collectingDevelop understanding of other people

Clubs (Guides)

Self-expression DramaCoping with pressure SportConcentration Sport, model makingPatience Sport, artDiscipline SportResponsibility Looking after animals, sportCoping with disappointment SportSatisfaction SportStress relief SportPhysical development Sport, dance

Table14: Parents’ perceived benefits of children’s hobbies

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7.7 Family activities

The table below shows the proportions of families from each school who engaged in a variety of activities with their Year 7 child in the last year.

SchoolActivity St Ives

(n=24)Dixons(n=24)

Woolston(n=23)

Looe(n=23)

Adventure/theme park 88 75 78 78

Art gallery 13 33 13 22

Cinema 92 88 78 78

Countryside activity 58 67 52 65

Foreign country 67 50 65 48

Museum 38 63 39 35

Seaside 92 92 87 96

Sporting event 50 54 56. 43

Zoo/safari park 25 29 35 43

Stately home/castle 33 25 13 17

Sports centre/swimming baths

88 83 87 91

Table 15: Percentages of families taking part in activities

From the information available in the parents’ questionnaire, it would appear that trips to sports centres and swimming baths were activities that were popular across the four schools, ranging from 91% of families (21) at Looe to 83% (20) at Dixons. Visits to adventure theme parks were most common as family activities at St Ivo where 88% parents (21) said they visited them with their children. However, over three-quarters of families at all the schools visited adventure theme parks. The most frequently mentioned family activities at both St Ivo and Dixons were visits to the seaside and the cinema. Both took place in 92% of families (22) at St Ivo and 92% (22) and 88% (21) respectively at Dixons. At Woolston and Looe, trips to the seaside and sports centres were the most common activities. At Woolston, 87% of families (20) participated in each, while at Looe, the figures were 96% (22) and 91% (21) respectively.

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The activities that featured least often were visits to art galleries and stately homes or castles. Art galleries were visited by fewest families at St Ivo and Woolston and stately homes were least popular at Wooston and Looe.

There was a clear division between the views of children and parents when they were asked about family activities in their interviews. Overall, the activity most commonly mentioned by children was going on holiday; this is clearly an activity that they viewed as a special family occasion; it was referred to by more than one-third of children (34).

However, only 13 parents (16%) talked about family holidays. Going out for family meals was another family activity many children had experienced. However, although 32 children (34%) talked about meals as family activities, one parent only mentioned them. Similarly theme parks were mentioned by one-quarter of children (23), but only 4 adults (5%). The same number of parents spoken about cinema visits, although these featured in 20 (22%) of the children’s interviews. Visiting family, shopping, playing games and walking were other activities mentioned far more often by children than parents. When parents were asked about family activities, the most common responses were sport, day trips and museum visits. Although the number of children who spoke about day trips and sport were roughly equal to the number of parents, far fewer said they went to the museum: 13 (14%), compared with 21 parents (26%). Other activities that parents were more likely to mention were: visits to the countryside and to the zoo.

Figure 19: Most commonly mentioned family activities

Although the most popular activity mentioned across the four schools was holidays, other types of activities varied between locations. At Dixons, the next most popular

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activities were visiting museums and sport. Visits to art galleries were more common here than at the other schools and the number of families going out for meals was greatest here and at Woolston. Woolston was also the school where visits to the seaside and day trips were mentioned most and theme park visits were at their second highest.

The highest figure for theme park visits was at St Ivo, where, together with museum visiting, it was the most common activity. This school also had the highest number of children and parents who talked about visiting towns. In Looe, the most frequently mentioned family activities were sport and day trips. Museum, art gallery and theme park visits and meals were at their lowest, but Looe had the greatest number of trips to the zoo and instances of families playing games. Trips to the countryside and seaside were also, not surprisingly, popular in this area. Across the four schools, the activities for which the numbers participating were most similar were: trips to the cinema, holidays and visiting family.

Children and parents often specified activities that took place with individual relations rather than the whole family. Activities in which fathers and children took part were the most common example of this and they were mostly things that fathers and sons did together, such as sport, museums, walks, games, holidays and meals. It was more usual for a child to mention an activity with their father than for the parent to talk about it, whereas children and parents mentioned activities involving children and their mothers in almost equal numbers perhaps because more mothers were interviewed. Although activities with mothers were mentioned less often, they were more varied and included trips to the cinema, day trips, holidays, theme parks and visits to town. Several boys also singled out activities they did with their brother(s), most commonly, sport and games. Sisters were mentioned mostly in connection with shopping, sport and visits to town. Relatives outside the household, especially grandparent(s) and, occasionally, aunts and cousins, also featured. Typical activities were: day trips, holidays and meals.

Parents saw one of the main roles of family activities as providing children with enjoyable experiences. However, many claimed their children had gained skills or knowledge as well. In some cases, there was an obvious connection between an activity and work the child was doing at school. Several parents felt that visiting museums and castles helped enhance their child’s understanding of what they had studied and “make things more memorable”; they argued that children benefited from actually seeing things like animals and paintings, rather than just reading about them in books or seeing them on television. Holidays were singled out for the benefits they provided for languages and geography and well as more ambiguous concepts, such as experiencing different cultures and attitudes.

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Zoos, it was claimed, taught children more about animals and conservation, and museums showed them how people used to live and how things work; through visits to the countryside, children learned about the local area. Some parents felt children were “more open to taking information in outside school” and learned things without actually realising they were doing so.

As well as knowledge, parents felt their children developed social skills from family trips; day trips were thought to help children’s confidence and decision making, while holidays taught them how to interact. Communication skills could be fostered by a wide range of activities from trips to theme parks to family meals.

Children mostly saw family activities as fun. However, some did say they had learnt things from visits to museums, zoos and theme parks. Holidays were discussed by several children who appreciated that visiting other countries helped them to learn about different ways of life as well as developing language skills.

7.7.1 Barriers to family activities

A number of factors prevented parents from taking part in family activities with their children as much as they might like to. Lack of time was a problem for 25 (31%) parents and was also mentioned by five children. In some cases, parents found it impossible to co-ordinate work and school holidays, particularly if they had children in different schools. On a day-to-day basis, parents working away, working shifts, working late, being on call, being self employed or studying limited the time available to devote to family activities. Children’s homework was another factor that had to be taken into account. The cost of transport and the activities themselves was seen as a barrier by 24 parents (30%). Some parents said they found it difficult to afford activities if they had a number of children; in other cases, families where the older children had left home now found they could afford to do more activities. Accessibility was a hindrance for 13 parents (16%); difficulties included: transport, distance, location and the weather. While parent at St Ivo felt that theirs was a well-resourced area.

“We’re quite lucky to live around here. There’s a lot to do, lots of sports facilities.” [St Ivo parent]

A few parents and children at Looe commented they used to visit places more when they lived in other areas.

Family commitments prevented some parents organising family trips; this could be because parents had split up, a member of the family was ill or it was simply too difficult to find an activity suitable for children over a wider age range. 3 (4%) parents found crowds off-putting and one felt they would be more comfortable visiting places like art galleries if they were more knowledgeable.

It is clear than transport is one factor that determines the type of activities open to families. Most families who participated in the research owned one or two cars.

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(n=94)

Figure 20: Number of cars owned

Responses to the question about usual forms of transport used by the family showed that although most families owned and used a car as their primary means of transport, many other forms were used, except at Looe, where the car was almost the only source of transport available. At St Ivo, walking, trains and bicycles were the most commonly used forms of transport, after cars. At Dixons and Woolston, local buses and walking were the only alternatives used by a significant number of families. Although, at Woolston, a greater number of families used taxis and company cars than elsewhere. The table below shows the percentages of families per school commonly using each form of transport.

Usual form of transport used (% of families)School Own

car/vanTrain Walk Local

busTaxi Comp’y

car/vanBicycle Coach

St Ives (n=24) 96 29 42 13 4 4 25 4Dixons (n=24) 88 8 21 33 8 4 4 4

Woolston (n=23) 91 17 30 22 13 9 13 0

Looe (n=23) 100 0 22 0 0 4 9 0

Table 16: Usual form of transport used

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Adults were also asked whether they considered that they have good access to buses and to trains. Data shows that access to buses was better than access to trains at all schools except Looe and that families from Looe had far poorer access to both buses and trains than those at other schools, as shown in Table 15 below.

School Good access to buses

%

Good access to trains

%St Ives (n=24) 83 71

Dixons (n=24) 88 58

Woolston (n=23) 100 91

Looe (n=23) 39 44

Table 17: Percentage of families with good access to buses and trains

This indicates that the provision of learning resources is significantly affected by the community in which children live as well as their personal home circumstances. In addition to overcoming barriers such as differences in family income and help available in the home, resource providers need to consider wider issues such as transport, the physical environment and cultural norms in the area.

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8. Case Studies

8.1 Pupil A – Dixons – Female – Indian

Pupil A lives in a household where, although English is the first language, Gujerati is also spoken. Her father works full-time as a teacher; her mother works part-time; the family is in a middle-income bracket. She also has a younger brother. Pupil A’s parents are clearly interested in their children’s education; her father is a parent governor at his son's school and was particularly interested in the practical outcomes of the research project. Her mother has always had a lot of contact with her children's schools, but she has noticed a change now her daughter has reached secondary school. The fact that she is now taught by more teachers and is not collected every day makes close contact difficult. However, Pupil A’s parents are happy that they can telephone the school to make an appointment if they want to see someone.

Pupil A enjoyed doing the project even though "normally I don't enjoy doing anything at school"; because she was able to choose a subject she was interested in: spontaneous human combustion. This was a completely new subject, something she knew nothing about before.

“It was fun because I didn't know what it was at the beginning.” [pupil]

It was a tricky subject to research because there was only one book in the school library which had any useful information and Pupil A could find nothing at all in her local public library. She mainly used the Internet to find information, preferring sites with “short, quite simple, dramatic information”. Originally, Pupil A had simply printed out all the information she could find from the Internet, but following guidance from her teacher, she realised that it was better to try to write up what she had found in her own way and just copy a few selected extracts and pictures.

Pupil A’s father helped her with the project by relating information he had seen in a television programme and taping a radio programme on the subject. A friend who is interested in the subject also gave Pupil A some information. As her father is a teacher and also does private tutoring and her mother works in a school, Pupil A complained that her parents were rarely around to help her. So, she frequently e-mails other people, like her uncle. However, Pupil A’s parents attached much more importance to the help they were able to give their daughter. They regularly ask her how she is doing at school and whether there is anything she needs help with and look at her books to see what she is doing. Both parents help by suggesting where to look for information and her father tutors her in maths and science. Her parents emphasised that they were keen to encourage an element of independence, believing it is important that children learn to do research themselves rather than just being given the information.

Other resources Pupil A regularly uses at home include: a "simple computer", just for wordprocessing and "shelves full of books", mainly fiction titles. Her parents also mentioned other types of books available in the home: dictionaries, text books, language books and a thesaurus. Pupil A did not feel there were any major gaps in her

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learning provision, but said she would like a “good computer” with Internet access. Although the shared family computer does not have access to the Internet, the family planned to have digital television with Internet access installed at Christmas. Pupil A’s parents believed this would be beneficial because it would provide immediate access to resources:

“instead of going to the library and looking something up, you just click the button…it opens up the whole world.” [parent]

According to Pupil A, she normally studies in her bedroom, where it is quiet, away from her brother. However, her parents claim that she does much of her work in the dining room, where there is a desk and a computer. As her father also works there, it is likely that her parents actually see Pupil A working most often in this location.

Although she used to go to a public library about once a week, Pupil A now feels she can find everything she needs in the school library. Like many of her friends, she uses the school library “very, very, very much”, going there nearly every break to do homework and stays after school to use the computers or when she needs to refer to books for homework; her father collects her at 4.30 pm. The well-resourced library is one of the main reasons why Pupil A prefers Dixons to her primary school.

Pupil A is in the netball team at school. However, she is thinking of giving this up until she "gets into the swing of this homework thing" because, when they have a lot of games, she has to stay up late to make sure her homework is done. She has also had to cut back her swimming, because it is more difficult to find time since starting at Dixons. Whilst acknowledging that it was difficult to balance hobbies and school work sometimes, Pupil A’s parent think that sport was important because it helps her to gain social skills and learn about team spirit. Pupil A also attends a language school for two and a half hours on a Sunday morning where she learns Gujarati; eventually, she will be able to sit a GCSE in Gujarati.

The family visit a variety of places together, including: art galleries, a sports centre, stately homes and the countryside; they go on regular holidays. Her parents believe that visiting different countries teaches their children about different parts of the world: their climates and economic conditions. The family used to go to museums quite frequently when Pupil A was younger, but now she and her brother are older, their parents do not take them as often. Her parents believe that visiting places makes them more memorable for their daughter; so, now they do less of these activities as a family, they encourage her to take advantage of school trips.

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It is difficult for the family to do things together in the evenings because Pupil A’s father often works late, but they do go on trips in the summer holidays. The family owns a car and considers they have good access to buses, although trains are less readily available. Although her dad likes to take them to parks, Pupil A feels she is getting a bit old for this now, but continues to go because "it keeps him happy".

Pupil A does not have any personal ambitions for her future, but she is aware that her mother would like her to get a degree. Her parents know that Pupil A is undecided about her future career, but they would like her to have a "decent job", a profession.

8.2 Pupil B – Looe – Female – White

Pupil B’s parents are both teachers and appear to be actively involved in their children’s education. Her mother, who works part-time, is a chair of governors at another school as well as helping with the school orchestra. The family is in a middle-income bracket.

In Primary school, Pupil B had done projects about different countries, using books and the Internet. These had helped her to develop computer skills, which were useful for this project. Through doing this project, she had more practice using books, the Internet and the library, so she is more familiar with them. However, although she likes using the Internet, Pupil B finds it hard to know which online resources to use. She finds it easier to find the information from books at home.

Pupil B enjoyed the fact that she could spend time researching a hobby. Being musical and involved in school concerts and member of the choir, she commented:

“I enjoyed doing this project because I have a very musical family and it’s interesting to learn more about music.” [pupil]

Her choice of topic meant she was able to include information from an unusual resource: a Baroque concert she had recently attended.

Pupil B’s parents try to provide “a number of different options” in terms of resources available in the home and believe:

“she is reaching the stage now when she will decide what is the best way.” [parent]

The main resources she uses are: books, the Internet, and her parents, who are both teachers. The family has three computers, including an older machine, which the children are allowed to play around with to learn how computers work.

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Pupil B’s father believes that the Internet is an important resource, but “can on occasions be misused” and can prevent children thinking about exactly what they are trying to do or find out. Although it is “a nice crutch”, it should not replace the role of a teacher. Pupil B’s father feels it is more difficult for parents to help with computer-based work because it’s “a single person operation machine”. Computers can also exclude and isolate parents who are not used to them. Pupil B’s father thinks that future developments in computers and education will be “much bigger than most people think”. He has a particular interest in this area, being involved in a pilot programme to offer minority subjects such as astronomy using the Internet to link the pupils and a teacher who never meet in person, but benefit from “close communication at a distance”. However, these developments present their own problems, such as how to involve parents in their children’s education in a “virtual classroom”.

Pupil B’s parent have built up their own library over many years, so there is information on most subjects available in the home. They felt they needed to do this because of a lack of resources in the area where they live. Pupil B’s father thinks the way in which information is presented is important; if it is presented in an attractive way, children will be likely to read for pleasure and learn at the same time.

Although Pupil B uses the school library every lunchtime to do homework and to borrow reading books, she rarely uses the public library. She believes the school library has:

“all the information that I need and I can find it really easily.” [pupil]

However, the family are library members and she does occasionally go to the public library with her dad. As teachers, both Pupil B’s parents have access to materials from the schools where they teach. Even though her father is involved with the local community and helps with the publication of a community magazine, he knows of very few community information resources in the Looe area. However, Pupil B did not feel she needed anything more in terms of resources to help her to learn

“I have everything that I need.” [pupil]

Pupil B and her sister both have desks in their rooms, but they usually work together in one of the rooms so they can help each other. They can also use the lounge, the dining room, a room for silent work or the music room.Pupil B’s parents both help her most with the subjects they each teach. They try to teach her how to look at books and prompt her with questions, encouraging her to follow up her ideas and find out the answer for herself, rather than just giving her the “right” answer. Pupil B’s next door neighbours, who are both teachers, also help.

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However, it can be difficult for parents to help if they do not know what the homework is until the evening when it has to be done. Pupil B’s father would like more time “to think about how best to do it”. In particular, he would appreciate information about the sort of Internet sites the school uses so he can point his daughter in the right direction and look at them himself to get an idea of what she is being taught so he could help her more. He would like to see more resource materials for parents who want to support their children. He thinks that many parents would like more guidance on how they should set about helping their children.

Although the family does discuss homework and lessons, Pupil B does not always like to tell her parents a great deal. Her parents use the home-school diary to communicate with teachers; they believe it is “valued and respected by both the pupils and the staff” and is a useful means of communication. Pupil B’s parents think that both parents and teachers need to think about how they might help each other.

Pupil B goes swimming with her sister and friends and learns lifesaving; her parents sometimes come to watch. Pupil B’s parents see themselves as “facilitators”, supporting her in what she wants to do and giving her the confidence to try other things rather than forcing her to follow their interests.

Recent examples of family trips are visits to the Eden Project, Truro and Plymouth. Pupil B’s father thinks it is important that the whole family helps to decide what they do together and that children’s suggestions are respected. They try to allow time to do things at the pace the children want to. There are certain activities, such as visiting art galleries, the family can not do often because of where they live. However, living in Cornwall does mean that they do visit the countryside very frequently. Although they are able to do a lot of activities, the family has too little time and insufficient access to go to as many places as they would like to. They often simply “sit down and chat as a family” about current affairs from the children’s perspective.

Although she has not decided on a career, Pupil B wants to go to university and “get a really good education”. A more surprising ambition is to bungee jump over the Grand Canyon because she wants to “experience everything that I can”. Pupil B’s parents hope she will be happy and use her talents to achieve what she wants to do.

They hope she will think that her parents gave her “a good chance” and will use her opportunities as “a springboard to go on and do the things we never dreamt” with their guidance and support.

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8.3 Pupil C – Woolston – Male – White

Pupil C is an only child who lives with his mother and step-father in the week, but stays with his uncle on Fridays and sees his father each weekend.

Having never done a similar project before, Pupil C found the most useful information sources were class discussions and videos in class. However, this pupil was one of several who had difficulty completing the week logs for the research team, even though pupils were given help in class. He thought it was interesting to learn about bullying as, "it makes people upset and it's not very fair on people who get bullied”, but he sometimes had difficulty finding the information required for homework. The project timescale was more structured at Woolston than at the other schools and Pupil C said the regular homework tasks meant he did not have enough time to search for the information in alternative sources. However, he still used more resources at home than many of his classmates.

Pupil C would rather use the Internet than an encyclopaedia and he wishes they used it more at school. At home, he has a computer and uses Encarta CD ROM a lot; he would like Internet access at home. His grandfather is the only person Pupil C knows who has Internet access, but he does not see him very often because he lives in Dorset.

Although Pupil C bought a bullying book specifically for this project, he has few books at home. He does not normally read story books, but he does enjoy read football books and wrestling magazines. His mother buys him some books, especially those that might help with schoolwork. Other resources available in the home were: videos, Sky Digital and newspapers.

Pupil C uses the school library to do some homework at lunchtimes. He does not use the public library, although he is aware there is a public library close to his house. His mother is a library member, but Pupil C is not. At home, he uses the dining room or his bedroom where the computer is located. He chooses to go upstairs if he thinks he will be disturbed, for example, by his mum vacuuming or members of his family arguing. However, Pupil C has to work downstairs if his step-dad, who works shifts, is sleeping. His mother works full time, but has not been involved in learning herself for a number of years, but Pupil C is able to call on a number of relatives to help with his school work including: his aunty, uncle, step-dad, dad and mum, with his mum and uncle helping the most. According to his mother, the first thing Pupil C does when he has homework is to go to his mum or whoever else is around to ask them.

Every Friday, he stays at his uncle and aunt’s house. If he has difficulties with his homework during the week, he telephones his uncle or waits until Friday.

All the people who help with homework also regularly ask Pupil C about school issues and what has happened during the day. His mother is particularly concerned to know if Pupil C has been naughty or had a detention. Although she does not have regular contact with the school, she has asked the teachers to telephone her if her son is in any

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sort of trouble. Ideally, she would like more feedback from the school on her son’s behaviour at school.

As his mum and dad do not live together, Pupil C goes on holidays with both his parents separately; he had five holidays in 2000, including trips to Cornwall, Majorca and Thailand. His mother believes that seeing how people live in different countries is good experience for her son and it is useful if he can learn a few words in different languages. She also sees the value in taking her son to see castles and other historical sites so he can learn about the people who lived there. They used to visit Warrington museum when Pupil C was younger. The family also visit theme parks, the seaside and the sports centre. They have one car as well as good access to public transport. At the weekend, Pupil C plays football and goes for walks with his dad. In his spare time, he plays for a football team and enjoys Playstation games, going out with friends, swimming and playing pool. His mother believes that playing football helps to relieve stress and means that Pupil C feels good because he achieves something. When he goes out with his friends, they visit the cinema, the swimming baths or the bowling alley.

When he is older, Pupil C wants to go to college, perhaps to study languages, but he would also like to be a DJ or a snooker player. His mother wants her son to do well at school, to pass his exams and go to college or university, but she does not think he is thinking about the future at the moment. She plans to leave it up to him to decide what he wants to do with his life, but she would like him to “have something behind him” so he has a choice of possible careers.

8.4 Pupil D – St Ivo – Male – White

Both Pupil D’s parents are self employed and free to devote some time to looking after their family. His mother is an illustrator and his father, a chiropodist, who usually works from 9.00 am to 3.00 pm four days a week. The family is in one of the highest income brackets. Both parents have recently been involved in learning themselves; his mother has taken a computer course.

Pupil D’s father considers he has a good rapport with the school and is on the School Association committee. The family talk about school issues and check their son’s homework diary and notes from his teacher each evening.

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Pupil D finds some lessons boring; to improve his learning experience, he would like:“In school, probably less going over it again, like in maths and English I already know most of it and we just go over it again. And I’d like to learn advanced maths and science.” [pupil]

Although Pupil D had done some project work before, this piece of work required quite a bit more research than anything he had done previously and if he was to do a similar piece of work in the future, he would “try to keep it smaller”. However, he did find it enjoyable:

“The best bit for me was learning about when I was little.” [pupil]

He also liked being allowed to search for his own information and use lots of different resources, including talking to people. Although he did try to use the Internet, Pupil D did not find any online resources that were useful for this project

“I just didn’t find anything that I hadn’t found out from a book.” [pupil]

Pupil D has a range of resources available in his home to help with homework: encyclopaedias, dictionaries, other information books, people, magazines such as National Geographic, digital television and Encarta; the family has just got Internet access. They have two computers: one in the lounge, which Pupil D is allowed to use, and another in dad’s office. His dad has set up the computer in the lounge with blocks on unsuitable sites and Pupil D’s parents are “aware” when their son his using the Internet. Pupil D plans to use the Internet and CD ROMs for sports interests as well as schoolwork.

Pupil D usually works at a desk in his bedroom, although he sometimes works in the dining room if he needs help from his mum. Pupil D finds people are the most useful resource to help with his learning because he can ask them questions; he obviously cannot do the same thing with a book.

Pupil D has a sister in the year above him at St Ivo; she sometimes helps with his homework as do his mum and dad. His parents help by looking up information for him if Pupil D is not motivated to do it himself, helping him to find information and taking him to the library. If no one in the household can help, Pupil D telephones his grandparents:

“I’ll phone my grandparents because my granddad was an accountant so he’s good at maths and my grandma is just really clever.” [pupil]

Pupil D enjoys learning about steam trains from his granddad and when his parents go out, he stays with his sister or his Nan.

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Although Pupil D has a library membership card, he does not visit the local library regularly. He sometimes goes with his mum for school resources. They “go when we need to really”. However, he also goes to the school resource centre; his parents are “really impressed” by this resource.

Pupil D enjoys sports; he likes tennis and rugby and plays for St Ives Town football team. His parents think that football is good for “getting rid of pent-up energy” and is “a carrot and stick” to make him finish homework. It also teaches him commitment and “there’s a discipline that rewards goals”. He used to play baseball in a club and still plays it at the park. He also used to play the piano but had to give it up because of his sporting commitments, but he is going to start to learn to play the saxophone. He likes meeting up with friends to play Playstation games, talk and go into town. If he goes to the cinema, he has to have a lift because his parents are concerned about him being out after dark. His parents also mentioned drama activities, including the village pantomime; the family appears to be heavily involved in the local community. His parents feel that drama has given him a lot of self-confidence.

When he goes out with his dad, they go on the bikes. As a family, they go to parties, eat out, visit theme parks and go shopping. They are able to travel because they have their own car as well as good access to public transport. They go on holiday quite often; the family has been to a variety of places, including: the United States, the Canaries, Spain and Norfolk. They also go to London occasionally to see shows and visit museums such as the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum. Pupil D finds museums “helpful and interesting”. The family also visit Nottingham each year and gave a “general good family time”. His parents believe “it important that we do things together and sit down together”. Pupil D sometimes looks after his two-year old sister, which “teaches him responsibility, tolerance”.

Pupil D has numerous ambitions. He wants to be a sports or stunt man, to learn more science, to be rich, but not too rich, to have an Aston Martin, to appear on a quiz show and “to have a good time.’ His parents simply hope “he’ll reach further education and go as far as he can”.

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8.5 Pupil E – St Ivo – Female, Mixed race

Pupil E lives with her parents, two older brothers and younger sister. Her father works full time and her mother works part time and also looks after the family, finishing work at 3.00 pm to collect her youngest child. The family is in one of the highest income brackets.

Pupil E had never done anything like this kind of project work before. It was a new experience trying to find all the information for herself, by using resources in the library, especially the Internet. However the latter was not an entirely positive experience:

“I’d hardly used it before because sometimes it doesn’t give me what I want.” [pupil]

Pupil E has access to a wide variety of resources available in the home, including CD ROMs and educational programmes, various reference books, such as atlases. Generally, when she has homework, she uses the Internet and asks her older brothers and her father. She has books of her own, but she can also use her brothers’ and father’s books. She finds that these books and her family’s knowledge are the most useful resources.

“I always ask my father first, then I go to my mum and then my brothers.” [pupil]

Her father helps her to use the Internet and generally with homework because he has a good general knowledge. Her mother helps with English. Pupil E often works with her friend who is in the same class. They interact and discuss work to help each other.

Pupil E usually works at a desk in her bedroom, although:

“Sometimes I go downstairs and work in the dining area when my mum hasn’t cooked and its clear still. Sometimes I use that when I need help from my parents or brothers.” [pupil]

The family’s computer is also downstairs. There are no real restrictions on her use of the computer or the Internet. Pupil E’s mother believes that computers play an important part in schoolwork.

Pupil E’s mother likes to know how her daughter is coping at school, for example with the pace of teaching, which is very different to the school in Africa she had previously attended. Pupil E is generally happy to volunteer information and likes to tell her parents what she is doing in different subjects. The Homework Diary is the main form of communication between the home and school. It allows Pupil E’s parents to check what their child is doing and find out what is happening at school. Pupil E’s mother admits she is not as abreast with school issues as she would like to be given more time, so the Homework Diary is a good way to gain an insight into what her daughter is doing.

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Parents can “speak to” the teachers through the diary and teachers can “speak to” the parents to let them know about any problems. Pupil E’s mother believes that, given the size of the school, the teachers at St Ivo have their “fingers on the pulse”; they try to address any problems. They do not think of pupils as “just another student”, but take an interest in them as individuals and endeavour to assist whatever the problem.

Because the family is new to the area, they are not really “genned up” on local facilities yet. Pupil E’s parents do not belong to the local library, but their daughter sometimes visits at weekends to look for information. Although she does not have a library card, she goes with her friend who does. She prefers Huntingdon library because it has more books.

Pupil E enjoys swimming and reading novels. Her mother believes that reading helps her daughter to learn by opening her mind and enhancing all subjects; reading “broadens your spectrum”. She would like her daughter to have more hobbies, but feels there is a need to balance hobbies with education in order to achieve at school. Pupil E already plays netball after school once a week. She is allowed to go to the shops with friends.

As a family, they visit historic places like castles, stately homes and museums, chiefly because her dad likes going to them. Her parents feel that visiting the local museum has helped Pupil E to learn about her new country and new town and helped her to “get her bearings” through being able to see and learn about where she is living. Initially, the family experienced “a feeling of being displaced”, but visiting the museum helped Pupil E to get used to the place and learn something about the background of the area. She also enjoyed the trip to Ely Cathedral, particularly the tombs and architecture. Although they have few travel problems because the household has two cars and they also use local bus services, they would like to visit more places if they were “more financially secure”.

Pupil E is not sure what she wants to do for a career:

“At one time I wanted to be a doctor, but I get really squeamish when I see blood…and I would like to be a vet.” [pupil]

However, she definitely wants to do well at school. Her parents are not educated beyond GCSE level themselves, but they hope that their daughter will go to university; they are hoping she will “go forward in a big way” and aim to encourage her as much as they can to fulfil her dreams educationally.

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8.6 Pupil F – Woolston – Female – White

Pupil F comes from a mid-income bracket family. Her father is employed full-time as a computer operator and her mother works part-time in a supermarket. Her father is educated to ‘O’ level with vocational qualifications; her mother has no formal qualifications. Pupil F, a pupil at Woolston, did her project on bullying along with the rest of the class, using very limited resources. As part of this, they had to visit a library and put together a newspaper report. She understood the project work in terms of having gathered ‘bits of information and put it in our own words’. She found aspects of project work difficult, but liked it, because you can do it in your own time.

At home, Pupil F did not appear to use any resources, though they have a computer with internet access and books at home. Pupil F’s dad thinks she should use the computer more; he is hoping that she will start to use them more at Woolston, as they have plenty of computers. She has her own bedroom to work in, where her sister cannot ‘pester’ her, or downstairs where the computer is. If she is stuck, Pupil F’s father goes through the questions with her.

The family do not buy any books to help their child with her homework, However, they are encouraging with schoolwork. Pupil F’s father gave her ‘a fiver’ when she learnt her 6 times table. Pupil F stated in the interview:

“My dad, he always tells me to use things and study every night so I can get a better job.” [pupil]

Pupil F’s dad is satisfied with the amount of contact he has with the school. He knows that he can ring the school if he needs to, but does not feel the need for regular contact with the school.

“I don’t think it’s necessary to go every five minutes, I think every term there should be a visit, but that’s about it.” [parent]

Other than that, he believes that homework is quite important as it gives children responsibility.

Pupil F is a keen reader, so she uses the library frequently. She participates in the school choir. Her major interest is ‘sci-fi’; she has science-fiction books as well as non-fiction books on the subject. She also watches science fiction television programmes. Her other interest is art; and she specialises in drawing faces.

“I did a picture of an old man and I drawn him really good.” [pupil]

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In Year four, Pupil F won an art competition and her picture was displayed in a museum, but they did not have time to visit the museum to go to see it on display.

Pupil F’s parents are busy, so activities were limited. Their family pastimes include trips to the cinema, but also shopping which Pupil F dislikes, and visits to the pub, where her mum does shifts; if there is no-one around to look after her, Pupil F’s mum has to take her along.

Pupil F would like to be a UFO investigator when she is older or, at the very least, do something in the field of science, Pupil F realizes that she must “learn her tables” and generally do well in mathematics to have a career in the sciences. However, Pupil F’s other ambition is to be an artist, because she is really good at it. Pupil F’s dad agrees, and thinks she has a chance with it; however, his ambition for her is that she does well at school.

8.7 Pupil G – Dixons – Female – Indian

Pupil G, of Indian Gujarati origin, comes from a low income household. Her father is retired early with illness and her mother is unemployed and looks after the family. Neither of her parents have formal qualifications.

Pupil G, a year seven pupil at Dixons, chose to do a project on dolphins because she wanted to know more about them. She found books on where they come from, and details about what they do in the water and their remarkable eyesight.

She had done project work in the past, and enjoys looking through books for information, although it can be difficult because there are so many books. She used Alice, the library’s book search system, which helped her to find books, however she perhaps had too many books as she felt it became complicated. Pupil G would prefer to have found ‘one book that says everything about dolphins’. She would also have liked more internet-based information in dolphins. The internet was new to her, so perhaps it was difficult for her to find websites relating to her subject matter.

“I only found one website and it was not very useful.” [pupil]

She noted in her first log that she did not think television was a useful resource for research, however, at a later stage in the project, she discovered useful information about how dolphins had been hurt due to the weather on the news (which she has to watch upon her parents’ stipulation).

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Pupil G does not have many resources at home, but from the logs it seems she made full use of the resources that she does have. She has not got a computer at home and she does not have books at home either (aside from a dictionary and some story books), so she takes school library books home in order to read them ‘carefully’.

She does her schoolwork at home on the bed. She does not have a desk to work at, but she has a dressing table with space on it. She works in the living room when her parents are out in the kitchen. Pupil G also goes to a friend’s house so that they can work together.

Pupil G asks her mum to help if she does not understand something. Although her mum knows only “a little bit of English”, she helps Pupil G “to read and understand”. Pupil G was one of the few children who said in interviews that a younger sibling helps (her sister is ten) because “she’s into books more than me.”

Pupil G’s mum feels she does as much as she can, but sometimes, she asks her friend’s daughter, because she was educated in England. Pupil G’s mum felt the school ‘could teach her better’, as she could not help much. She would like more advice from the school on what is best for her daughter.

Pupil G’s mum would like her to ‘learn more’ as there is ‘no future without learning’. She would like Pupil G to do well at school, but as for further education, she would not like to make up her mind for her, they can only point her in that direction.

Pupil G’s interests include drawing, watching Hindi films on satellite television and playing basketball against the wall in her garden. She does not go to youth club activities, because she is not allowed out in the dark. She used to play the keyboard but no longer does, as she does not own one herself. Pupil G participates in activities at the temple. She goes on Wednesdays when a special evening is held for the children where they can join in acts of worship and put on performances. There are also day outings and activities such as camping. Through this, she has gained confidence and knowledge.

“I used to feel as if I couldn’t do it and I used to feel jealous of everybody else who could, and scared, but now I can do it. Also in school when we do about religion and Hinduism, I know more.” [pupil]

Pupil G used to visit the library accompanied by her mother and ‘look at books’, but had to stop because her family do not own a car, and because it was dark (at the time of interviews in winter). Previously, her mother used to accompany her there. With her family, Pupil G goes to the temple or visits friends and relatives. Pupil G’s mum explained that the family hardly go out because her husband is ill and her children are too young to travel by themselves. Recently, Pupil G visited India, where she learnt that ‘people…live differently to us’.

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8.8 Pupil H – Looe – Female – White

Pupil H comes from a low-income family. Pupil H’s mum does not work, though she does occasional ancillary work with children. Previously, she worked assisting a special needs student at a local school and before that, she ran a playgroup until they had OFSTED when she found ‘it was too stressful”. This has been her pattern of employment since having children, however, her trade is bakery and confectionery, which she went to college and trained in. Pupil H’s dad works full-time on a production line.

Pupil H is in year seven at Looe Community School. She chose to do a project about Kenya. In conducting this project, she said she found the school library to be the ‘most useful resource’. Pupil H took books home from the school library to copy information. She did use the Internet, but it was to find pictures and basic facts. She has done similar project work at primary school when she conducted a project on Barbados; this gave her confidence, and ideas about where to look for information for this project. At Looe, the children were given the option of presenting their project on PowerPoint, which was the best thing about the project in Pupil H’s view.

In conducting the project, she consulted a friend, who had done a project on Egypt. The teacher assessment stated that the project was excellent, and made good use of resources.

At home, Pupil H uses books, and encyclopaedias. She has desk space in her room so she works upstairs because it is quiet and ‘the others aren’t there’, but works downstairs when she wants to watch television. If her mum is helping her, Pupil H works in the dining room.

Usually, with schoolwork, her mother and her aunt help, as her dad works. Pupil H’s mum records a lot of the schools programmes that are on in the daytime for Pupil H to watch later, which she likes. Her mum supervises the use of the television and the computer.

“[With] TV I know what their favourite things are so that takes care of that and on the computer, I prioritise the homework things first.” [parent]

At home they have a ‘basic’ computer, but Pupil H uses the computer at her aunts house; her mother takes her there to use Encarta and the Internet and to do ‘research work’. She would like her daughter to have the Internet at home, because it is not the same when you have to use it elsewhere.

“I think with the computer, if you’ve got the internet at home- if she wants to use it, she has to go especially to my sister’s for it or the library and if she wants to do some homework on a Sunday- it’s not the same as having it in your own home.” [parent]

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Pupil also H feels that a computer at home would be helpful in supporting her learning, so that she would not have to go to her aunt’s to use one. Both Pupil H’s mum and aunt help her to put the information in her own words. Pupil H’s mum feels that computers are important, but worries that it is used too much sometimes; ‘It cuts out basic skills’. Despite this, Pupil H’s mum encourages and guides her in using a computer. Sometimes, she finds Pupil H looking up her favorite pop group instead of researching. She finds that if she allocates Pupil H time on the Internet, she is quicker; otherwise she gets ‘waylaid’.

On the computer they use Encarta, and programmes like PC Genius and games like Maths Workshop. It seems that the effort made to access the internet outside the home, and her mother’s concern about Pupil H falling behind on ICT, has actually meant that Pupil H is a careful and well-monitored user, who has assistance at hand when using the computer facilities. Pupil H’s mother finds the Internet frustrating, and feels it is easier to look up information in a book. However, she would like to receive computer training, as she feels it is part of the job requirement of most current jobs. Pupil H’s dad has basic computer knowledge but Pupil H’s mum feels that ‘the girls teach us more than we know’.

The library is close to Pupil H’s house, so unlike most of the pupils interviewed at Looe, she does use the library as a resource, however they use the Liskeard library. She does homework there and borrows books. Her mum stated that they also use the Internet there. Pupil H also uses the school library, but feels there is less choice than at the Liskeard library, which is ‘big’.

Pupil H’s mum discusses schoolwork with her. She is at an advantage as:

“I’ve got a good idea of what’s expected; because of her older sister, so it’s easy to pick up where she’s lagging behind.” [parent]

Pupil H’s mum contacts the school where there is cause for concern, and finds the school helpful in sorting matters out:

“In science I noticed there wasn’t an awful lot of work being done and I got in touch with the year head. I think it wasn’t just [Pupil H] it was the whole class, because it was a supply teacher.” [parent]

She finds the planner and the newsletter sufficient to keep her updated.

Pupil H’s activities include swimming, netball, and playing football in the school team. The other participants in the teams are from different years, which expands Pupil H’s social contacts. She finds sports fun, and she learns teamwork from it.

With her family, Pupil H goes to the cinema and bowling. They do craft activities at home. However, she prefers to participate in activities with her friends.

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They did not have much time for family activities last year, but they would go to more places if it was affordable, they go to museums, but theme parks and sea-life centres are expensive.

Her mother feels that there is a lot available in terms of sports activities, however, it is financially oriented, for example dance classes are expensive.

In the future, Pupil H’s ambition is to be a PE teacher, or to work in a gymnasium, as she is good at sport. Her other ambition is to go somewhere hot like Barbados for a holiday.Her mum feels that children should be treated as individuals, and eventually they will fall into a career for which they have a flair. Ideally however, she would like her to go into further education, as it is a good experience.

“I went to college and I think that was quite an important part of the growing up stage.” [parent]

She feels frustrated that money governs so much of what can be done for children and that although most parents work hard, some have poorer paying jobs, which means that ‘it’s quite an unfair cut for some children’.

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9. Conclusions

There appear to be two key factors in terms of children’s experiences of resource-based learning. The first is the geographical location where they live and go to school and the second is the exact requirements of the project they had been asked to undertake. The term “resource-based learning” covers a wide range of learning activities, from a series of highly structured exercises following a common theme, like that at Woolston, to a pupil-led investigation with minimal teacher input, like the project at Looe.

9.1 The project

There was considerable variation between the information handling and ICT skills within and between schools. However, most Year 7 pupils perceived this to be their first experience of this type of project work. It was distinguished from work they had done in primary school by its length and the range of resources they had used. Books, ICT and people were the most popular resources. The choice of favourite resource varied to some extent between schools. This may have been influenced by a variety of factors, including prior experiences; the subject matter of the project; the preferences of the child’s teacher or parents; and availability and accessibility of particular resources in the school, home or community.

9.1.1 Enjoyable aspects of resource-based learning

Children, like adults, take pleasure in researching and finding out information for themselves. They enjoy working independently to study a topic that interests them personally. In those schools which allowed children a free choice of topic, many enthused about their piece work. However, a lack of prior knowledge about the types of resources available led some to choose an inappropriate topic initially. Although a wide range of topics within a class can create difficulties in terms of guidance for the teacher and library staff, it was often the case that the children themselves were the ‘experts’ in knowing how to locate information about their topic, especially when it related to a hobby or existing interest.

Pupils enjoy activities that are slightly different from the usual pattern of teaching and learning, for example, using the library, using ICT resources and talking to other people. The aspects of project work they disliked were the more familiar activities: writing, reading, worksheets. This indicates the importance of particular learning environments, such as libraries and ICT suites. It also supports the view that learning experiences, within the classroom and in other locations, should be varied to retain children’s interest and concentration.

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9.1.2 Difficulties of resource-based learning

The main aspects of project work that were difficult for children were the length of time it took, and difficulty in processing the information they had to produce their final project. For some, there was tension between the need to research in depth and the wish to complete the project before boredom set in.

There was a strong emphasis on presentation among some children, possibly at the expense of content.

There was little evidence of a relationship between the number of resources children claimed to have used and their teacher’s rating of their project in terms of range of resources, effectiveness or suitability of resources. Children clearly need help not just to locate suitable information, but to make effective use of the materials and incorporate information from a variety of resources into their work. Some children may require extra help to provide evidence to the teacher that they have used a range of resources by adding references to their work.

9.2 The home

The home has a strong influence on children’s learning. The ‘learning environment’ created by the home and family is vital to children developing successful learning skills. The key resources children feel they require to help them to learn at home are: books, a computer, help from a person, a desk/table, space and an appropriate sound source, such as television, radio, music or silence.

9.2.1 Parents’ roles

Parents play a vital role in their children’s learning and most are actively involved, although a difference was perceived between their contribution to their child’s learning at primary and secondary levels. However, for a variety of reasons, some parents are more able to help their children than others. Difficulties described included: time available, other commitments such as work, other children and ill relatives, a lack of skills or knowledge and low self-confidence. When children reach secondary school, their parents’ knowledge base changes as they no longer have as much direct contact with their children’s school. This can also be a time of change within the family, for example, mothers are more likely to be working and children are expected to manage their own time to a greater extent than they had done when they were younger. However, despite the upheaval of moving to a new school, most Year 7 children had settled in quickly and most parents felt happy with the relationship they had with the school; the homework diary was seen as an important tool, where it was used effectively.

Parents generally view resource-based learning as a worthwhile activity, but some had reservations particularly about the amount of support and access to resources required to learn successfully using this method. Many parents were unsure what their role

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should be or what was the best way for them to help. A number explicitly said they wanted guidance on how to help with project work and to support their child in other ways. Parents were often unsure of themselves and agonised over the best way to help their children. However, the children themselves usually appreciated their parents’ help with learning even if their parents did not feel they contributed a great deal.

9.2.2 ICT

Both children and parents had mixed views of ICT. Parents felt that ICT skills were important especially for future employment, however, they worried that currently children could use it to ‘cut corners’. Although some children found the Internet difficult to use effectively, ICT was seen by many as a powerful tool and one which presented information in an interesting format, making learning more enjoyable. Most children would prefer exclusive access to ICT resources in their own homes rather than having to share a computer, for example with their siblings, or to use one at a community venue such as a public library.

9.3 The community

9.3.1 Activities that contribute to learning

Different learning activities are awarded a greater or lesser degree of importance in different families and communities. For example, for some, learning is seen to be an activity that takes place at school, while for other parents the skills gained through participation in hobbies are the most useful aspect of a child’s learning and for others, religious activities are seen as a priority. It is clear that children can learn a wide range of academic, social and practical skills through their hobbies and family trips.

9.3.2 People who help with learning

Most children feel able to call upon a large number of people to help with schoolwork in addition to their parents; these commonly included siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends and neighbours.

9.3.3 Public libraries

Although the majority of children are members of a public library, relatively few are regular users; most tend to use a library only when they absolutely have to. There is little evidence of formal partnership working between public libraries, schools, school library services, museums, religious organisations and other agencies at a practical level.

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9.4 Local variations

9.4.1 St Ivo

Although ICT resources were commonly found in children’s homes, they tended to be less popular as learning resources here than at other schools.

Although formal library service partnership and co-operative arrangements are more developed in Cambridgeshire than in many areas, the library service still suffers from a poor image among both children and parents. It is seen as old-fashioned and not open at convenient times. However, many families may not appreciate the full range of facilities available as they only made use of a small branch library near to their home. Despite the plentiful multimedia resources and established information skills teaching provided by the school, pupils did not seem to make particularly heavy use of the school library facilities.

9.4.2 Dixons

There was a high level of school library use among pupils at Dixons, with many arriving before or staying after school to make use of the resources, in particular, the plentiful IT resources available in school. The Minerva Centre is used as a community resource. School ICT resources were important given the relatively low level of ICT provision in some children’s homes.

Pupils used a large number of public libraries and tended to use them more frequently than children from other areas. The special facilities for children and teenagers, such as homework clubs were popular with a limited number of pupils. Religious organisations also featured as community resource providers at Bradford, in the form of mosque schools, language schools, temples and Sunday schools. Living in a city has the advantage of being close to many resources such as museums and galleries and many families took advantage of these facilities.

9.4.3 Woolston

Children at Woolston appeared to be more independent than their contemporaries in other areas; they were more likely to visit places such as libraries and museums on their own or with their friends. Although there were relatively high levels of public library use, this was mainly limited to the local branch close to the school. This school has developed links with this branch to co-ordinate class visits and homework club provision. However, despite being introduced to the resources by their teacher, there was a strong emphasis on the use of classroom resources and very limited use of the school library among children at Woolston. There was also less use of electronic resources here, especially the Internet here than was found at the other schools.

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9.4.4 Looe

Little public library use was reported among parents and children at Looe. In addition, the school library was underdeveloped and lacked the support of an effective schools library service. There was no co-ordinated programme of information skills teaching. Distance and transport made it difficult for many children to access resources such as larger libraries and museums. These factors meant that a large proportion of the resources, books and ICT, used by children in their learning were found in the home.

9.5 Barriers and enablers to learning

Through the identification of the material and cultural factors affecting learning environments, this research project has succeeded in identifying a number of barriers to learning and enablers to learning within an area. While the following lists are by no means exhaustive, they indicate the main barriers and enablers identified by the research.

9.5.1 Barriers to learning

The research has followed previous studies in suggesting that there are a number of common barriers to effective resource-based learning:

an out-dated, inadequately resourced, under-staffed school library

poor access to learning resources due to an under-developed transport infrastructure

little interest in visiting museums, libraries and other learning and cultural institutions among the local community

disrupted education patterns, for example, when moving to a new school or even being taught by a different teacher within a school

poor information handling skills and little experience of independent learning

local agencies working in isolation with no coherent local strategy

parents who lack (or feel they lack) adequate skills and knowledge to help their children to succeed.

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9.5.2 Enablers to learning

Through the research, examples of good practice have suggested the following enablers to resource-based learning:

a well-resourced, accessible school library with an adequate level of staffing to allow access to resources beyond the school day

a curriculum that places a strong emphasis on information skills to equip children to select and use resources effectively

a developed transport infrastructure to provide access to learning resources in the local community and the region for families who rely on public transport as well as those with access to a car

a tradition of visiting museums, libraries and other learning and cultural resources among members of the community

continuity of learning experiences for children, especially when transferring between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3

local agencies such as schools, libraries, museums and community groups who work in partnership to co-ordinate provision of learning resources

communication between the home and school to provide parents with sufficient information and guidance to give them the knowledge and confidence to assist their children with their learning

social activities and hobbies to provide children with the opportunities or motivation to use new resources and enjoy informal learning experiences.

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10. RecommendationsThe variation between schools and localities mean that no single model of resource provision would be suitable for all. The following section suggests ways in which the barriers to learning identified in the conclusions can be overcome while the enablers to learning are reinforced and extended.

10.1 Help for children

The suggestions below are some possible ways of helping to provide access to a full range of learning resources for children regardless of factors such as their geographical location, household income, parents’ education and other factors that currently lead to inequalities in access to learning opportunities.

A chart of resources available within the local area and within the region. This would cover a range of organisations, including schools, libraries, museums, youth clubs, homework clubs and religious organisations and would provide details such as opening times, resources available and location. It would also indicate the age range of children catered for and the subjects for which suitable resources might be found at each venue.

A document for parents and children which lists the basic resources that children need to learn to use during their time in school (such as an encyclopedia) and the contexts in which they will use them are already provided by the majority of schools. However, to develop this idea further, schools could provide information about where children are able to access such resources if they are not available in their homes. This document would need to provide details such as opening times and joining procedures for public libraries as well as a full list of the extra-curricular clubs and facilities which make resources available at school.

Lists suggesting people children might call on for help with learning. Each child could compile their own list based on a model giving examples of people, including parents, siblings, grandparents, other relatives, teachers, school and public librarians, club and group leaders, eg. Scout leaders, youth workers, religious instructors, friends and neighbours. Children would be asked to map each individual against the type of help they might be able to provide eg. Internet searching, checking through finished work, generating ideas or the subjects with which they would be most likely to assist.

A ‘buddy system’, providing all younger pupils with an older student to help them with homework. This is an idea which has been introduced, in various forms, into many schools. This is one way in which the transition from primary to secondary school can be eased. Following on from the evidence in the research that children appreciated help they received from an older sibling or, in some cases, a friend who had already completed the same piece of work, a buddy system could act as a support for those children who do not know any older children at the same school. One of the focuses of the buddy relationship could be on developing a greater awareness of local resources and learning opportunities.

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Schools could facilitate study groups for pupils to build self-help networks with other pupils. These could exist within a year group, but would, ideally, cross year groups to provide some of the benefits of working with older children described above. Not only would children widen their circle of people they can call on for assistance and advice, but they may also become more aware of local resources and different learning techniques through sharing experiences.

Schools, public libraries or other agencies could ensure that information is provided on their websites to help children to complete particular pieces of work or to assist their learning more generally. This could include information specific to the local area and to the schemes of work followed in individual schools as well as links to other evaluated education resources.

Online help from librarians similar to the “Ask a Librarian” concept, but targeted at children. A similar system has been tried in Gateshead libraries. This would allow children access to public library facilities from their school or home, helping to compensate for a lack of access to central library services in some areas at the same time as helping to improve the image many children have of libraries and librarians.

Loaned or subsidised laptops/PCs for school children, as introduced by the Anytime Anywhere and Wired Up Communities initiatives. This would help to improve access to ICT resources for those children who do not currently have plentiful resources in their homes and are unable to use resources in their school or local library because of transport difficulties, limited opening hours or other factors. In addition, such a scheme would be an answer to a wish expressed by many children, even those who already had access elsewhere, for exclusive access to ICT resources in their own home.

It is clear from the research interviews that many Year 7 children are capable of reflecting on their previous learning experiences. Teachers should take advantage of this to ensure that lessons learned are transferred between pieces of work; between curriculum subjects; and between primary and secondary phases to build on children’s existing knowledge.

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10.2 Help for parents

These ideas aim to help families to become more involved in a child’s learning.

Schools need to provide guidance for parents on ways to help their children. This could be either in the form of written information and workshops (ideally both). Many schools already try to provide information for parents, for example, how long their child should spend doing homework, but by moving the focus to practical strategies to help their child, schools can raise parents’ confidence and make them feel more involved in their child’s learning. While it is likely that such information will focus on the formal curriculum, the importance of other learning opportunities, such as family trips, hobbies or simply talking with children, should not be forgotten.

If schools provide parents with advanced notice of upcoming project work and suggestions of ways in which families might become involved, parents are given an opportunity to prepare to participate by providing resources, organising family trips to museums, etc.

10.3 Community facilities

The research findings also suggest ways in which community learning facilities might be adapted to best cater for all children’s needs.

From children’s comments about their home environments, it is clear that preferences for the best possible learning environments differ, not only between different children but for the same child at different times and when carrying out different tasks. Libraries (or other study facilities) should consider providing a variety of conditions to cater for children’s learning preferences, for example: silent areas, rooms for group work, areas where music may be played.

Public consultation exercises should be undertaken involving groups of children, such as school councils, to help to inform and develop local information provision.

Schools should consider opening resources in the school library and school ICT suites beyond the school day. By opening in the morning and evening, these could accommodate those pupils who are able to use them at these times. If the school does not draw its pupils from the local community, reciprocal arrangements with other schools within the authority might be appropriate to ensure that all children have access to suitable learning resources near to their home. Alternatively, a school may choose to arrange special transport facilities for those pupils who wish to use its resources outside school hours.

164

Public libraries need to develop links with other local information providers including: school libraries, religious organisations, private libraries (eg. US Air Force) and museums to ensure that effective use is made of all resources within the area and users are aware of all the facilities on offer. Any new developments in information provision can then be planned with a full picture of existing facilities. A key person should be identified in schools, public libraries and museums (and other relevant bodies) to facilitate communication between agencies.

An audit of the local community to identify which environments can supply the key elements of learning would help all learning providers: school, libraries, museums, homework clubs, religious organisations etc. to appreciate where there are gaps in existing provision and to identify the unique role they might play in the provision of learning space, resources or assistance.

Similarly, a local map of homework club provision involving: public libraries, schools, youth clubs, supplementary schools, community centres, colleges would be the first step in working to ensure that all children have access to resources and guidance in at least one location close to their home.

Public library satellites in community locations such as shops, community centres, leisure centres, tourist information centres, careers services, health centres and council one-stop-shops are one possible method of providing services locally and increasing opening hours. Although these would be small collections, they could provide valuable support for learning through the provision of homework collections, general reference books such as encyclopaedias and access to the Internet.

Joint school/college and public libraries, sharing stock and staff have been developed in small numbers in several areas. These may be particularly valuable in rural areas where distances from the nearest local library are prohibitive. Although such services will obviously have staffing implications, they may be an effective way to provide professional skills and knowledge in schools without a full time librarian as well as helping to make the best use of limited bookstock and ICT resources.

To help those pupils who have limited access to ICT facilities or poor ICT skills, businesses who are already involved in mentoring schemes or others who wish to become involved could focus on supporting employees who wished to help children with computer use and, in particular, Internet searching.

165

10.4 The current policy agenda

While welcoming the emphasis on helping children to be self-reliant and manage their own learning, Resource’s response to the DfEE’s Schools: Building on Success called for a much less traditional approach to be taken. It argued that this would enable museums, archives and libraries to fully develop their role in motivating and inspiring children and young people to learn. The response suggested that the proposed Regional Learning Support Units could assist museums, archives and libraries to work in partnership with formal education. This concurs with the recommendations made above for greater co-operation between local agencies.

This research has built on previous work to highlight the difficulties experienced by children in making effective use of public libraries, museums and other learning and cultural resources. Inconvenient opening hours, transport difficulties and a lack of suitable resources were problems frequently mentioned by children and parents across the case studies.

It is clear that learning resources available vary considerably in different locations. As well as the differences due to physical location, there are obviously variations in the emphasis placed on the various services provided by each library authority. In addition, within a local area, there will be wide variation in the role of the school library and the importance of information skills teaching from school to school.

Although the increase in ICT provision in public libraries, for example through the roll-out of the People's Network, may help to create more equality of provision, such developments need to be sustained.

While the model of Single Regional Agencies to co-ordinate the organization of museums, archives and libraries, advocated in Future Options for Regional Agencies (2001), would provide a regional framework, there is also a need for greater consultation at national level, for example, through co-ordination of DfES and DCMS initiatives.

166

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169

References

The following section lists general references to literature cited throughout the report. This is followed by a list of references to material particular to each of the four case study areas.

Advisory Centre for Education (ACE) (1997)“IT builds bridge between home and school”ACE Bulletin, 75, p. 5

Alexander, Titus (1995)“Home and school: partnership policies”Advisory Centre for Education (ACE) Information Sheet

Alexander, Titus and Clyne, Peter (1995)“Riches beyond price: making the most of family learning”A NIACE Policy Discussion PaperNIACE: The national organisation for adult learning

Appelbee, Elaine (1998)Inclusive learning – a community approach North of England Education Conference

British Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) (2000)Information sheet on parents and ICT[ available at http://www.becta.org.uk, visited 7.11.00]

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170

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Denham, D., Nankivell, C. Ghelani, T. (1999) Is Reading Fundamental? An evaluation of the Reading is Fundamental, UK scheme CIRT, School of Information Studies, University of Central England in Birmingham

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (2000)The learning power of museums – A vision for museum educationDCMS

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (2001)Libraries, museums, galleries and archives for all. Co-operating across the sectors to tackle social exclusionDCMS

Department for Education and Employment (1998)Extending opportunity: a national framework for study supportDfEEhttp://www.open.gov.uk/dfee/opps/intro.htm

Department for Education and Employment (2000)Michael Willis welcomes new evidence on new technology in the classroomDfEEhttp://www.dfee.gov.uk/news.cfm?PR_ID=1077

Department for Education and Employment (2001a)12,000 homes get wired up in £10m programmeDfEEhttp://www.dfee.gov.uk

171

Department for Education and Employment (2001b)Study support boosts results, attitude and attendance at schoolDfEEhttp://www.dfee.gov.uk

Deslandes, Rollande, Royer, Egide, Potvin, Pierre, and Leclerc, Danielle (1999)“Patterns of home and school partnerships for general and special education students at secondary level”Exceptional Children, Summer, pp. 496-506

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Hammond, Cathie and Gough, Martin (2000)MORI Survey “A note on family learning”[available at http://www.learningbenefits.net/Docs/report4.htm, visited 27.3.01]

Hannon, P (1995) Literacy, home and school: research and practice in teaching literacy with parentsFalmer Press

172

Henry, Julie (2000)“Project work back in vogue”[available at http://www.tes.co.uk, visited 9.10.00]

Herring, J. (1999) Exploiting the Internet as an Information Resource in Schools. London: Library Association Publishing.

The James Herring PLUS model site http://jimmy.qmuc.ac.uk/usr/jherri/plus/default.htm (Visited: March 2001.)

Irving, Barrie A (1999)“The role of initial teacher training in the promotion of a lifelong learning culture: a conflict of ideals?”Education and Training, 41(9), pp. 416-424.

Library and Information Commission (2000)Empowering the learning communityLIC

Local Government Association (2000)“Education in 2020”LGA Education Discussions PaperLGA

Marjoribanks, Kevin (1994)“Families, schools and children’s learning: a study of children’s learning environments”International Journal of Educational Research, 21 (5), pp. 441-555

Martini, Mary (1995)“Features of home environments associated with children’s school success”Early Child Development and Care, 111, pp. 49-68

McCormick, J (1999)Family learning: parents as co-educatorsScottish Council Foundation

McFarlane, Angela (1997)Information technology and authentic learning: realising the potential of computers in the primary classroomRoutledge

McVeigh, T (2001)“Creative chaos helps children pass exams”The Observer, May 13

173

Mortimore, Jo, and Blackstock, Tessa (1982)Disadvantage and EducationHeinemann

NAGCELL (National Advisory Group for Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning) (1999)Creating learning cultures: next steps in achieving the learning age.[available at http://www.lifelonglearning.co.uk/nagcell2, visited 7.10.00]

National Literacy Trust (2001)Parental involvement and literacy achievement. The research evidence and the way forward. National Literacy Trust

Publishers’ Association (2001)“School standards more likely to be raised by books than by ICT”PA Press Release[available at http://www.publishers.ork.uk/press, visited, 21.5.01]

Queen’s University Library (2000)Training DocumentQueen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada[available at http://stauffer.queensu.ca/inforef/tutorials/rbl.htm, visited 7.10.00]

Rabusicova, Milada (1995)“Influence of the family on educational achievement”Oxford Studies in Comparative Education, 5 (1), pp. 125-133

Resource (2000)ManifestoResource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries[available at http://www.resource.gov.uk/reports/manifesto/manifesto.html, visited 21.5.01]

Stationery Office (2001)Social Trends 31 [available at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/download//theme_social/social_trends31/ST31(final).pdf, visited 8.8.01]

Taylor, A., Wright, D. S., (1970) Introducing Psychology: an experimental approach London, Penguin Educational

UNESCO (1996)UNESCO task force on education for the twenty-first century (1996)Learning: the treasure within[available at http://www.unesco.org/delors/treasure.htm, visited 15.11.01]

174

Wellington, Jerry (2001)“Exploring the secret garden: the growing importance of ICT in the home”British Journal of Educational Technology, 32(2), pp. 233-44.

West, Anne, Noden, Philip, Edge, Ann and David, Miriam (1998)“Parental involvement in education in and out of school”British Educational Research Journal, 24 (4), pp. 461-484

Williams, Dorothy and Wavell, Caroline (2001)Impact of the school library resource centre on learning (Draft report)Aberdeen: Robert Gordon University

Local references

Department for Education and Employment (2000)School Performance Tableshttp://www.parents.gov.uk/external_pcsearch.htm [visited on 7.4.01]

Cambridgeshire

Museum Education in Cambridgeshire (2001)http://www.camcty.gov.uk/sourcerer/camgrid/links/museums.html [visited on 5.4.01]

Cambridgeshire Libraries and Information Service (2000)Public Library Plan 2000-2003Cambridgeshire County Council

Cambridgeshire Learning Partnership (2000)Introducing Cambridgeshire Learning PartnershipCambridgeshire County CouncilCambridgeshire County Council (2001)Cambridgeshire County Council websitehttp://www.camcty.gov.uk [visited on 5.4.01]

Bradford

Bradford Interfaith Education Centre (2000)http://www.bradford.gov.uk/education/interfaith.html [visited on 3.3.01]

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (2000a)The Bradford ContextCity of Bradford Metropolitan District Council

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (2000b)Post-OFSTED Report, Shaping the FutureCity of Bradford Metropolitan District Council

175

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Arts, Museums & Libraries Service (2000)Annual Library PlanCity of Bradford Metropolitan District Council

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Community Development and Lifelong Learning Department (2000)

Adult Learning Plan 2001-2002City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Local Education Authority (1999)

Education Development PlanCity of Bradford Metropolitan District Council

Dixons City Technology College (2001)Dixons City Technology College Websitehttp://www.dixonsctc.org.uk [visited on 6.6.01]

National Museum of Photography, Film and Television (2001)National Museum of Photography, Film and Television websitehttp://www.nmsi.as.uk/nmpft [visited on 6.6.01]

The Office for Standards in Education (2001)Inspection Report: Dixons City Technology College, Bradford, 26th February – 2nd March 2001The Office for Standards in Education

The Office for Standards in Education (2000)

Inspection of Bradford Local Education AuthorityThe Office for Standards in Education

Warrington

Cheshire County Council (2001)Education Library Servicehttp://www.cheshire.gov.uk/els/home.htm [visited 3.4.01]

Warrington Museum and Art Gallery (2001)Warrington Museum and Art Gallery websitehttp://www.warrington.gov.uk/Museum/schools.html [visited 3.4.01]

176

Warrington Borough Council (1999a)

Annual Library Plan 1998/99Warrington Borough Council

Warrington Borough Council (1999b)

Education Development PlanWarrington Borough Council

Warrington Borough Council (2001)

Local Authority Adult Learning PlanWarrington Borough Council

Cornwall

Cornwall County Council (2001a)

Lifelong Learning Summaryhttp://www.cornwall.gov.uk/bestval/lifelongfull.htm [visited on 11.4.01]

Cornwall County Council (2001b)Cornwall County Council websitehttp://www.cornwall.gov.uk [visited on 11.4.01]

Cornwall County Council (2000)

Annual Library PlanCornwall County Council

Cornwall County Council (1999)

The Education Development Plan 1999-2002Cornwall County Council

Library Association (2000)Library Association Record, 102 (11), p 610

The Office for Standards in Education (2001)

Inspection Report: Looe Community SchoolThe Office for Standards in Education

The Royal Cornwall Museum Online (2001)http://www.royalcornwallmuseum.org.uk [visited on 11.4.01]

177

Appendix 1

Members of the Advisory Panel

178

Advisory Panel members

Professor Judith Elkin (Chair of Advisory Panel) is Dean of the Faculty of Computing, Information and English at the University of Central England. She has considerable research experience, focusing on children's literature and librarianship and has been involved in numerous library information sector committees and task forces, for example, the Library and Information Commission Think Tank compiling the Lifelong Learning Strategy Paper (1999), the Think Tank compiling the Social Inclusion Strategy Paper (2000) and the DFEE/DCMS Education and Libraries Task Force (1990 – 2000).

Barbara Chivers is a Senior Lecturer in Management and Organisational Studies in the School of Information Studies at the University of Central England. Her research activities have included: Effective learning strategies and environments for social inclusion, Value of placements in LIS education, Developing research skills in public libraries and Value and impact of homework clubs. She has previously worked in academic and school libraries and the Voluntary sector.

Margaret Croucher is the Research Programme Manager in the Learning and Information Society Team at Resource: The Council of Museums, Archives and Libraries. She represents the project funders on the Advisory Panel.

Jonathan Douglas is Professional Adviser, Youth and Schools Libraries for the Library Association. He is a member of the Arts Council’s Steering Committee for Children’s Literature, and also of the Executive Committee of World Book Day. He also chairs the cross-sectoral “Children and Literature in London Group” for the London Arts Board and is a member of the Steering Committee of the library development agency, Launchpad. He has held a variety of roles in libraries and was National Year of Reading Co-ordinator for Westminster as well children’s services team leader in Westminster Libraries. He has been Chair of the London and South East branch of the Youth Libraries Group and has served on the committee of the Children’s Book Circle.

Professor Donald McIntyre is Head of the School of Education at the University of Cambridge. He is primarily interested in classroom teaching, having done quantitative and qualitative research on secondary school teaching in several subject areas and also on primary school teaching. Other related research interests are in teachers' (and others') professional knowledge and thinking, in their professional education and development, in students' classroom learning, in parents' neglected importance in school education and in the adequacy with which classroom teaching caters for students from different social and cultural backgrounds.

Glenys Willars is the Chair of the Section of School Libraries and Resource Centres IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations andInstitutions). She is also the Chair of the School Libraries Group of theLibrary Association. She is employed as the Head of Library Services forEducation for Leicestershire and Leicester City providing a library servicefor primary, secondary and special schools. She is also the Service Adviserfor Children and Young People for Leicestershire Libraries and InformationService.

179

Appendix 2

Members of the Project Management Group

180

Project Management Group members

Maggie Ashcroft is Project Co-ordinator for Resource–based Learning Development, supported by Cambridgeshire Education, Libraries and Heritage. She is based at St Ivo School in Cambridgeshire, where she manages the Resource Centre. Maggie is also an experienced LIS researcher and consultant, having worked as Research Strategy Co-ordinator for the Library and Information Commission, and has contributed to a number of projects requiring expertise in research methodology, strategic review, report writing and presentation. Much of this work has involved libraries and information services in the context of education and training and the development of cross-sectoral agency collaboration.

Alicia Baran is Viewpoint (Personal, Health and Social Education/Citizenship) Co-ordinator at Woolston Community High School in Warrington.

Lynn Barrett is the Librarian at Dixons City Technology College in Bradford. She manages the school library and is involved in training other librarians through the New Opportunities Fund programme. She is a member of the National Committee of the School Libraries Group of the Library Association.

Bryan Bradbeer has taught at Looe Community School for twenty years. He was originally a physics teacher. He became ICT Co-ordinator and latterly Head of ICT since the late 1980s.

Tilusha Ghelani is a Research Assistant at the Centre for Information Research at the University of Central England. She was mainly engaged in the report fieldwork and data analysis. She has been involved in numerous research and evaluation projects within the fields of reader development, children’s literacy and librarianship. She has a degree in Cultural Studies and is currently studying for a Masters.

Sarah McNicol, a researcher in the Centre for Information Research at the University of Central England in Birmingham, was primarily responsible for the project fieldwork, data analysis and report writing. Before becoming involved in research and evaluation work, she was employed as a school librarian. She has a degree in Library and Information Studies.

Clare Nankivell, the project head, has been the Director of the Centre for Information Research in the Faculty of Computing, Information and English at the University of Central England in Birmingham for five years. She is an experienced researcher and project manager who has been involved in research into libraries, learning, education and ICT since 1989 within the Centre for Information Research. She has qualifications in Philosophy and Library and Information Studies

Michael Shoolbred, the project academic adviser, is a Senior Academic in the School of Information Studies at the University of Central England. He has qualifications in librarianship, teaching and training. Before lecturing, he worked as a chartered librarian in government and academic libraries. Michael runs a postgraduate module on research methods and has advised the Centre for Information Research on a number of projects.

181

Appendix 3

Research instruments:

parent questionnaire

weekly logs

final log

pupil interview schedule

parent interview schedule

school resources audit

teacher assessment

182

Appendix 3a – parent questionnaire Resource Based Learning project: Survey for Parents or Guardians

This is a questionnaire to find out some of the factors that affect learning and how children use resources. This information is confidential and will only be used by the research team. Your personal details will be kept anonymous. Most of the questions simply need a tick in the appropriate box. If you have any queries, please contact Sarah McNicol or Tilusha Ghelani on 0121 331 6891.

Name of Year 7 Pupil ………………………………………………………………………………………

Section 1 –Adults in your household

Please answer the questions in this section for each member of the household over 18 years of age.

Adult no.1 Adult no.2 Adult no.3 Adult no.41.1 Age 18-29

30-44

45-59

60-64

65 +

18-29

30-44

45-59

60-64

65 +

18-29

30-44

45-59

60-64

65 +

18-29

30-44

45-59

60-64

65 +

1.2 Gender

Male Female

Male Female

Male Female

Male Female

1.3 Ethnic Origin

White Irish Black Caribbean Black African Black other Indian Pakistani Bangladeshi Chinese Other (please state)

White Irish Black Caribbean Black African Black other Indian Pakistani Bangladeshi Chinese Other (please state)

White Irish Black Caribbean Black African Black other Indian Pakistani Bangladeshi Chinese Other (please state)

White Irish Black Caribbean Black African Black other Indian Pakistani Bangladeshi Chinese Other (please state)

1.4 Education(Please tick which qual- ifications each adult has).

No formal qualifications

O-level/CSE/GCSE

A-Level

HNC/HND

Degree level

No formal qualifications

O-level/CSE/GCSE

A-Level

HNC/HND

Degree level

No formal qualifications

O-level/CSE/GCSE

A-Level

HNC/HND

Degree level

No formal qualifications

O-level/CSE/GCSE

A-Level

HNC/HND

Degree level

183

Appendix 3a – parent questionnaire Postgraduate qualification

Vocational Qualification

Postgraduate qualification

Vocational Qualification

Postgraduate qualification

Vocational Qualification

Postgraduate qualification

Vocational Qualification

1.5 Current study (If any adults are involved in studying at the moment please give details.)1.6

Occupation

Looking after home/family

Self-employed

Employed full-

time

Employed part-

time

Employed full-time and with a second job

Temporarily employed

Government training/employment programme

Full-time student

School pupil

Unemployed

Retired

Other

Looking after home/family

Self-employed

Employed full-

time

Employed part-

time

Employed full-time and with a second job

Temporarily employed

Government training/employment programme

Full-time student

School pupil

Unemployed

Retired

Other

Looking after home/family

Self-employed

Employed full-

time

Employed part-

time

Employed full-time and with a second job

Temporarily employed

Government training/employment programme

Full-time student

School pupil

Unemployed

Retired

Other

Looking after home/family

Self-employed

Employed full-

time

Employed part-

time

Employed full-time and with a second job

Temporarily employed

Government training/employment programme

Full-time student

School pupil

Unemployed

Retired

Other

184

Appendix 3a – parent questionnaire

1.7Relationship to the Year 7 child

Parent

Grandparent

Brother/sister

Other

Parent

Grandparent

Brother/sister

Other

Parent

Grandparent

Brother/sister

Other

Parent

Grandparent

Brother/sister

Other

Section 2 –Children in your household

Please answer for every child up to 18 years of age in your household except your Year 7 child

Child no. 1 Child no. 2Child no. 3

Child no. 4

2.1 Age2.2 Gender Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

2.3 Ethnic Origin(Please select from options given in 1.3)2.4 Relationship to Year 7 child

Brother/sister

Stepbrother/sister Other (please state)

Brother/sister

Stepbrother/sister Other (please state)

Brother/sister

Stepbrother/sister Other (please state)

Brother/sister

Stepbrother/sister Other (please state)

2.5 Occupation/Activity(Please select from options given in 1.6)

185

Appendix 3a – parent questionnaire

Section 3 –General household information

3.1 What is the main language spoken in your home?

3.2 If there is a second language used in your home, what is it?

3.3 Please tick the box that includes the current annual gross household income, that is, before tax is deducted. Please combine the total of all wage earners in the household.

under £5,000 5,000 - 9,999 10,000 - 14,999 15,000 - 19,999 20,000 - 24,999 25,000 -29,999 30,000 - 49,999 50,000 or over

3.4 How many cars do you have in your household?

3.5 Please indicate which of the following forms of transport you regularly use for family trips.

Own car/van Hired car/van Company car/van Train Local bus Bicycle Walk Taxi Coach

3.6 Do you think you have good access to buses? Yes No

3.7 Do you think you have good access to trains? Yes No

Section 4 – The home and learning

Please tick the appropriate box for each of the following questions:

4.1 Do you have a current membership ticket for your local public library? Yes No

4.2 Have you been in your local public library in the last month? Yes No

4.3 Do you buy books to help your child / children with their school work? Yes No

4.4 Do you buy other materials to help your child with their school work? Yes No

4.5 Do you have any of the following at home? Please place a tick next to any items you have.

Dictionary Encyclopedia Story books

Information books Newspapers Magazines

Television Video player Personal computer

Internet access CD-Rom Radio

Games machine Board Games

186

Appendix 3a – parent questionnaire Section 5 – Your Year 7 child

You might want to fill this section in with your Year 7 child.

5.1 Does your Year 7 child have a space to work at? Yes No

5.2 Does your Year 7 child use a computer at home? Yes No

5.3 Does your Year 7 child have a current local library membership card? Yes No

5.4 Has your child been in the local library in the last month? Yes No

5.5 Has your child ever used a homework club? Yes No

5.6 Has your child ever used a breakfast club? Yes No

5.7 Does your child receive free school meals? Yes No

5.8 Please indicate which of the following places you have visited with your Year 7 child in the last year. Please tick all appropriate boxes.

Adventure/theme Park Art Gallery Cinema Countryside activity Foreign country Museum Seaside Sporting Event Zoo/safari park Stately home/castle Sports centre/swimming baths

5.9 Does your Year 7 child belong to a group or club, eg. Religious organization, sport, drama club, Scouts, Guides, orchestra. If so, please give brief details.

5.10 Does your Year 7 child have any other after school activities or hobbies? If so, please give brief details.

Thank you for answering these questions.

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Appendix 3b – weekly logsResource-Based Learning Project – Resources Log sheet

This is a log sheet to find out about the resources that you use to do your projects. To help us you will be asked to fill this sheet in every week for the time that you are doing your project.

Name of School: ........................................................................................................

Year 7 Project – Title: ………………………………………………………………………………………

Name of Pupil: …………...………………………………………..….……………………………………

1 In School Where have you found the information that has helped you do your project?Please tick boxes for each source you have used:Dictionary Magazines Audio-cassetteEncyclopaedia Internet WorksheetsStory books CD-ROM Class discussionOther books Television Talking to teacherNewspapers Video Talking to friends

Have you used the School Library/Resource Centre to find or use any of these?Please tick boxes for each source you have used:

Dictionary Newspapers TelevisionEncyclopaedia Magazines VideoStory books Internet Audio-cassetteOther books CD-ROM Worksheets

Please tell us here of any other sources (not in the list above) that you have used:........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

2 Home Which kinds of information sources have you used at home to help you do this project? Please tick boxes for each source you have used:

Dictionary Magazines RadioEncyclopaedia Internet Audio-cassetteStory books CD-ROM WorksheetsOther books Television Talking to relativesNewspapers Video Talking to friends

Please tell us here of any other sources (not in the list above) that you have used:....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

188

Appendix 3b – weekly logs3 Out of school Which kinds of information sources have you used elsewhere, that is, not at school or at home, to help you do this project? Please tick boxes for each source you have used:

Dictionary Internet Leaflets/Pamphlets

Encyclopaedia CD-ROM Talking to relatives

Story books Television Talking to friends

Other books Video Visit to museum

Newspapers Cassette/radio Local club

Magazines Worksheets

Please tell us here of any other sources (not in the list above) that you have used:....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Where did you get these or use these?Friend’s house Relative’s house Library

Somewhere else? Please tell us where here:....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

4 Resources you could not useIs there anything else you would like to have used at school or at home or outside the home that you were not able to? Please say which resources you could not use and why.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Thank you for helping us.

Name: ------------------------------------------------------------------

Signed: --------------------------------------------------------------(Pupil)

Week: ………………………………………. Date: ……………………………………………

189

Appendix 3c – final log

Resource-Based Learning Project – Last Resources Log sheet

This is the final log sheet to find out how you felt about the resources you used for this project. To help us find out, please answer the following questions.

Name of School: ........................................................................................................

Year 7 Project – Title: ………………………………………………………………………………………

Name of pupil: ………….……………………………………………….……………………………………

1 What have you enjoyed most about doing this project? Please tell us why.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2 What have you enjoyed least about doing this project? Please tell us why.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3 Which resources did you think were the most useful for your project? Please tell us why.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4 Which resources did you think were least useful? Please tell us why.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

190

Appendix 3c – final log5 Did anyone help you with your project? Yes No

If you ticked the “yes” box, please write down who helped you.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

How did they help you?…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

6 Which resources have you used to help you with this project that you had not used before?…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

7 If there is anything that you want to tell us about your project or using resources that we have not asked, please write it in the space below.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Thank you for helping us.

Name: ------------------------------------------------------------------ Week: ------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: -------------------------------------------------------------------

Signed:-------------------------------------------------------------(student)

191

Appendix 3d – pupil interview schedule

Resource-Based Learning - Interview with Children

Introduction:The Centre for Information and Research at UCE are doing a research project about resource based learning. This is an interview to find out more about using resources to learn and how you do that. This information is confidential and will only be used by the research team. Thank you for giving your time to be interviewed for this project.

Gender: Ethnic Origin:

1 The school and Learning:

This section is about the ___ project that you did and how it has helped you to learn.

1.1 Follow up on any points from their resource log:(Have you done project work like this before? Do you enjoy it? Why? How do you feel about having to go out and look for information?)

1.2 What was the best thing about doing this project for you? (Learning to use a resource? Finding out where something was? Finding out how to get hold of something?)

1.3 If you were doing another project using resources, how would you do it differently? (Who would you ask? What resources would you use? What might have helped this time?)

2 The home and Learning:

This section is about home and learning.

2.1 What do you usually use to help you to learn at home? (Resources: Books, computer Internet, etc. Which were the most useful? Do you use these resources to do homework or other things?)

2.2 Where do you study at home? (Which room? At a desk? On the bed? Do you study/do homework anywhere else?)

2.3 Who helps you to learn? (How? How important do you think this help is? Who else helps you to learn?)

192

Appendix 3d – pupil interview schedule

3 Learning outside the home:

This section is about the activities that you do and what you enjoy doing.

3.1 What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? (Activities and hobbies, Where? When? How do you get there? Who do you go with? Allowed by yourself?)

3.2 What kind of activities do you do with your family? (Where? How often? What do you get out of it? Have you done anything recently?)

3.3 Do you go to the library? (How often? How do you get there? Who do you go

with? What do you do there?)

4 Sustainable Learning:

This section is about learning for the future.

4.1 Is there anything else that could help you with your learning? (Any more or different resources? Any resources that could be easier to get? Any help from anyone? Anything that you would like to use more?)

4.2 What do you want to be when you are older? (What other hopes and ambitions do you have?)

5 AOC?

193

Appendix 3e – parent interview schedule

Interviews with Parents

Explanation: Interview is to follow up information provided in the questionnaire and to give parents the opportunity to give their views about their child’s learning and use of resources.

Section 1 – Learning in the home

This section is about what role you think the home plays in supporting your child’s learning.

1.1 Which resources does your child use to learn at home? These could be printed, electronic or human resources.

use computer to do school work?

role of computers in supporting learning?

digital/satellite/cable television channels? (4.5)

1.2 Who helps and supervises your child when he/she uses resources at home? in what ways do you help? time available to help? does anyone else help? grandparents, friends… supervise use of computers/Internet/television? how? filters, times,

programmes? (4.5) where does child work at home? (5.1)

Section 2 – The householdPlease give more details about your experiences of education, training and employment and those of other members of the household.

2.1 Can you tell me more about your occupation/working patterns? previous occupation? (1.6) hours? (1.6) shifts?

2.2 Have you been involved in learning since leaving full-time education? currently involved in, including recreational courses? (1.5) IT courses/use?

Section 3 – Home-school relationsThis section is about how the home and the school can best work together to support learning.3.1 Do you discuss school issues with your child?

homework, problems, daily events…

3.2 Does the school contact you regularly? How?

194

Appendix 3e – parent interview schedule

parents’ evening, concerts/plays, PTA, form tutor…

3.3 Are there any ways in which the school could improve its links with the home? approachable, workshops, advice, PTA…

Section 4 – Learning outside the homeThis section deals with the role played by other agencies or organisations in supporting your child’s learning.4.1 Apart from the home and school, what else supports your child’s learning?

public library (4.1/5.3), homework club/breakfast club (5.5/6), faith schools (5.9)…

4.2 What effect do you think you child’s hobbies have on their learning? (5.9/10) access to resources, time involved, confidence, teamwork, independent

learning, stimulating, interest/excitement…

4.3 You have visited …. with your child in the past year. What do you think your child has gained from these activities?

visit regularly (at least 4 times)?, when? (5.8) more frequently? Eg. Better access, reduced cost.

Section 5 – Sustainable learningThis section is about your child’s learning in the future.5.1 What are your hopes/ambitions for your child?

careers, further education/training? lifelong learning?

5.2 Do you have any other comments to make about resource-based learning or this research project?

questionnaire, interview…

195

Appendix 3f – school resources audit

School Resources Audit

School……………………………………………………………………………………….….

Researcher……………………………… …………………………………………………..

Date…………………………….…. Time……………………………………………..

Classroom

Resource Expect pupils to use for this

project

Made available in classroom

Briefed pupils about availability elsewhere in school (please give

details)PC (word processing etc)PC (CD ROMs)PC (Internet)CD ROMs

Television

VCR

Video tapes

Leaflets

Magazines/journalsNon-fiction booksFiction booksReference booksAudio tapes

CDs

Newspapers

Worksheets

Past work

196

Appendix 3f – school resources audit

Library/Resource Centre

Opening times…………………… Number of seats/places…………………………….

Maximum loan………………….. Staffing………………………………………………..

Location in school……………………………………………………………………………

Accessibility eg. Steps………………………………………………………………………

Resource No. available

Availability (times, restrictions, procedures, etc.)

Subject areas covered

PC (word processing etc)PC (CD ROMs)

PC (Internet)

CD ROMs

Television

Video tapes

Leaflets

Magazines/journalsNon-fiction loan booksFiction loan booksReference books

CDs

Audio tapes

Newspapers

Microfiche

Worksheets

Past work

197

Appendix 3f – school resources audit

Elsewhere in school (Available to pupils outside lesson time)

Resource No. available

Location Availability

PC (word processing etc)

PC (CD ROMs)

PC (Internet)

Printed

Other

198

Appendix 3f – school resources audit

Extra-curricular activitiesActivity Days/Times Resources/help

availableSubject area(s)

Notes

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

199

Appendix 3g – teacher assessment

Resource-based learning projectTeacher evaluation sheet

School: Pupil’s name:

Please rate the above pupil’s project in terms of each of the criteria below by circling the appropriate number1=poor2=fair3=average4=good5=excellent

Range of resources used. 1 2 3 4 5

Suitability of resources selected. 1 2 3 4 5

Effective use made of resources chosen. 1 2 3 4 5

Other comments:

200