Questionnaires
School Surveys
Detailed data on school-level variables such as enrollment, attendance, teacher on-task, facilities, school committees, funding and expenditure were collected through a set of four questionnaires: School Observation, Teacher Roster, Head Teacher and Teacher Questionnaire. In addition, a list of School Management Committees (SMC) members was enumerated at the school-level for household surveys.
School Observation Questionnaire
School questionnaire consisted of five sections and was based on the observation of the enumerator about school building, facilities, hygiene conditions, on-going classroom practices and teacher activities. The questionnaire also required the enumerator to record school GPS coordinates and school visit details.
Head Teacher Questionnaire
Head Teacher questionnaire compromised of two parts: information based on the head teacher’s knowledge and information based on official school records. The first part gathered data on the respondent’s personal and professional background as well as his knowledge of students, school facilities and SMC. The second part collected official school details on school improvement plan, enrollment, attendance, fee, SMC funds and expenditures.
School Teacher Questionnaire
Teacher questionnaire consisted of nine sections and was administered to all teachers present in the school . It gathered the personal and professional information of the teacher as well as his perceptions on SMC functionality, student learning and returns to education.
Teacher Roster Questionnaire
Teacher Roster collected information on teachers that are currently teaching in the school and those that left or transferred over the last two years. The survey recorded teacher information on attendance, contact number, gender, contract type, pay scale and class taught. For teachers that have left, it also covered information on reasons for leaving school. The information for the roster is to be provided by the head teacher or the senior most teacher in the school.
Household Surveys
The baseline survey also covered households to gather information on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, parent choices about child’s school, parent engagement with school’s SMC, adult perceptions of returns to schooling and quality of learning through four set of questionnaires: Household Roster, Household Head Questionnaire, Spouse of Head Questionnaire and SMC Member Questionnaire.
Household Roster Questionnaire
The household roster questionnaire collected information about gender, age, marital status, education and job status of all members of the household. This roster information was filled by the head of the household but in case of his absence, the survey was filled by other members that were required to explain their relationship to the head.
Head of the Household Questionnaire
The head of the household questionnaire consisted of fifteen sections and collected detailed information on family members, education, consumption pattern, business details, household expenditures and incomes. It also recorded information on about the respondent’s aspirations, awareness about the SMC, trust in the education system and perceptions about returns to education and quality of learning in the respective school.
Questionnaire for Female
The Female questionnaire consisted of fourteen sections and was to be filled by the spouse of the head of the household. It collected information on SMC awareness, perceptions about returns and quality of education and aspirations. In addition, it also covered topic on children education, health, use of media sources and household assets.
Adult Literacy Test
A specialized adult literacy test designed for this study was administered to the male and female heads of the household with the purpose to identify average literacy levels in the village. The test had three components that evaluated respondents' proficiency in thinking skills, numeracy and prose literacy at three difficulty levels: basic, intermediate and advanced. For each question, the enumerator read out the instructions, showed flash cards and recorded the response of the respondent. In order to move onto a higher difficulty level, the respondent had to answer at least 2 questions correctly on the given level of difficulty.
The purpose of the adult literacy test was to group villages as literate and illiterate. This will help understand where the results of the intervention are likely to be strong.
Questionnaire for Child and Learning Assessment Test
A child questionnaire was administered at both household and school level. It recorded the child’s basic information, activities and perceptions about learning and school. For children in the household, there was an additional section to record the activities and work undertaken by a child throughout the day.
The Learning Assessment Test (LAT) was also conducted to benchmark the performance of the child with regional and international standards. The test was made up of multiple choice and short-answer questions encompassing concepts from Grade 1 through Grade 5 and was based on three sections: English, Mathematics and Sindhi.
At the household level, the test was administered to children between ages 7 to 13 years regardless of their enrollment status. At the school level, the test was administered to students of grade 3 and 4 but because of multi-grade classes within the school, some students from other grades were also tested.
School Management Committees (SMCs) Questionnaire
A list of SMC members was enumerated at the school-level for household surveys and an SMC instrument was to be filled by a household member who is an Executive Member of the SMC. This questionnaire gathered personal information about the respondent and recorded detailed information on the functioning and awareness of the SMC.