Kompetanseutvikling Sør-Troms is a project that Centre for Studies of Educational Practice (SePU), at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, has been assigned by the fifth municipalities Gratangen, Harstad, Ibestad, Kvæfjord og Tjeldsund. The project period is from 2019 to 2022.

The aim of the project is that children and pupils will have an inclusive learning environment where they have good learning outcomes in accordance with their capabilities. The quality of teaching shall be strengthened by increasing the school staff’s competence to analyse and identify challenging areas of practice and support them through adequate and research-based measures. In this work it is important that the school gets information from pupils, parents, and school staff about regarding everyday life at school. All pupils, parents, and staff at this as well as the other schools in the project will be asked to participate.

The purpose of the survey

The first survey, which was conducted in the autumn of 2019, served to provide an overview of the school situation and identify areas that the school should develop further. In the next survey, which will be carried out in the autumn of 2022, the focus will be on any changes, but also identifying new areas that the school can work with. The goal is to work with educational quality at all levels.

Data from the survey will be used in two ways:

  • Each school and municipality will get access to the results from the survey through a designated online results portal, allowing them to investigate the current situation, but also to analyse any changes since the previous survey. The results will be contextualized by the teachers’ work at each school. No data will be available for groups smaller than seven.
  • When schools in different municipalities work with improvement, there is a need to evaluate along the way. The data will therefore be used for research purposes with the aim to evaluate Kompetanseutvikling Sør-Troms as a whole.

Who is responsible for the survey?

Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences is the institution in charge of the management, while Centre for Studies of Educational Practice (SePU) carries out the survey.

What does it mean for you and your child to participate?

If you decide to participate, there will be four surveys directly concerning you:

  • Pupil survey (grades 1–4)
    • Topics: Well-being, relationship to the teacher and to fellow pupils.
    • Administration: The pupils sit by a computer and the questions are read to them through speech function. The pupils themselves must assess whether they agree with each statement by clicking on one of four available smileys (very happy – happy – upset – very upset).
  • Pupil survey (grades 5–10)
    • Topics: Well-being, behaviour, relationship to the teacher and to fellow pupils, teaching, self-efficacy.
    • Administration: The pupils read the statements on a computer or tablet and respond to each statement based on the extent to which they agree with it.
  • Form/homeroom teacher (“kontaktlærer” in Norwegian):
    • Topics: The pupils’ social skills, motivation and effort, and academic achievement. The form teacher will also be asked to indicate the pupils’ cultural background (Norwegian, Sami, Western minority, non-Western minority), whether the pupils receive special needs education, and whether the pupils have a diagnosis or impairment (ADHD diagnosis, visual impairment, hearing impairment, behaviour problems or learning difficulties).
    • Administration: The form teacher completes one questionnaire for each pupil whose parent/guardian has given their consent
       
  • Parent survey
    • Topics: Satisfaction, information, dialogue, influence.
    • Administration: You will receive a username from the school that you use to log in, and respond on a tablet, computer or cell phone.

In case you as a parent wish to see the questionnaire for pupils, form teachers or parents/guardians, please contact the school.

Participation in the study is voluntary

Participation in the study is voluntary, and you may at any time withdraw from the study without providing a reason. There will be no consequences for you as a parent/guardian or your children if you do not participate in this study

Use and protection of data

Conexus Ltd. manages the data from the survey. The same company is also in charge of the national Pupil Study (“Elevundersøkelsen” in Norwegian). In the current study there is great emphasis on responsible storing of data and in accordance with the law on protection of privacy.

The project was approved by the ombudsperson for protection of privacy, Norwegian Centre for Research Data (NSD). At the request of Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, NSD has assessed that the treatment of personal information in this project is in accordance with the legal framework for protection of privacy.

This entails:

  • No information gathered through the survey that can be traced back to individuals will be disseminated
  • No information that can be traced back to individuals will be shared with anyone else, such as staff at the school
  • The analyses regarding the evaluation of the project will only be at the group level, meaning school, municipality and county, or pupil groups, such as boys/girls, pupils who do/don’t receive special needs education
  • The data is managed confidentially and de-identified.
  • Professor Thomas Nordahl at the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences and leader of Centre for Studies of Educational Practice will have access to the data, as will his research team.

Rights

While the project is in operation, you have the right to:

  • know what personal information is registered about you
  • correct personal information
  • delete personal information
  • be given a copy of your personal information (data portability)

What happens with the information about you after all the surveys have been conducted?

The project is scheduled to end in December, 2022. Then all the data will be anonymised by Conexus Ltd. deleting all original usernames in their files.

Where do you find out more?

If you have questions regarding the study itself, or would like to exercise your rights, please contact:

  • Ann Margareth Gustavsen, in charge of carrying out the survey at SePU: Cell phone:
    416 48 301. Email: ann.gustavsen@inn.no

For technical support in carrying out the survey:

For questions regarding approval of the study and protection of privacy, you may contact:

  • The person in charge of protection of privacy in research at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences: Anne Sofie Lofthus. Phone: 612 88 277. Email: anne.lofthus@inn.no

Finally

In order for the school to get the best possible picture of the state of the school, it is important that as many pupils as possible participate.