Loans Unlocked: 2000 - 2002 DfES Project Research
Welcome to the DfES-funded evaluation of the Museum of Reading's loan service. This area
is for anyone who is interested in the effectiveness of learning from museum loans in
schools - particularly museum professionals, teachers and students.
What can the site information be used for?
It contains information and evidence from the project that can be used:
- to create or maintain a quality museum loan service
- to understand visitors' needs and responses when learning from loans
- to review an example of evaluation of a museum loan service
- to re-use raw data for further analysis
What is on the site and how can it be investigated?
You can choose to investigate the evaluation at the different levels of detail outlined below
1. Articles can be read to gain an overview of some
of the most significant project findings about the effectiveness of school loans within
four published articles. You can go to the findings through the articles.
2. Findings can be dipped into to select summarised information about
teacher and student responses to school loans from interviews and classroom observations.
You can access the raw data through the findings.
Findings
3. Raw Data can be browsed for individual teacher and student quotes
about loans and a detailed description of loan interaction in primary and secondary
classroom settings.
Methodology used in the DfES project
The sample
The evaluation took place in 24 primary and secondary Berkshire schools. Central to the
evaluation were teacher interviews, classroom observations and student interviews 10
months after the observations. All the data was collected and analysed by Joy McAlpine,
the DfES Project Manager. The schools were selected by general advisors from the six
unitary authorities of Berkshire. The schools were loan users and non-users from rural and
urban areas.
Teacher interviews and focus group
The teacher interviews involved 35 questions to up to 25 teachers from 24 schools. As a
pilot group of 5 schools was used to help frame the questions, some of the questions were
asked to 20 teachers instead of 25. In addition to interviews, 5 teachers formed a focus
group that fed in further insights into the designs of the 12 new Impact and Contact
loans.
Classroom observations
The 26 classroom observations were very much dependent on what the teacher wanted to show
the project manager. Questions were asked of the data after its collection. Introductory
lessons were the main way in which teachers chose to illustrate the use of loans in the
classroom. A further primary school was involved in this element of the project.
Student interviews and questionnaires
24 student interviews were conducted 7 - 10 months after the students had used the loans
in the classroom. Four students were selected by the teachers from six of the project's
primary schools. These groups included one high ability and one low ability male as well
as one high ability and one low ability female. High and low ability were defined by SAT
scores in Literacy and Numeracy. Students were interviewed in pairs of the same gender.
All interviews were recorded on video for accurate transcription.
Following the production of the new Impact and Contact loans, 3
teachers and 50 students were involved in responding to simple questionnaires about the
learning outcomes of the new designs.
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