COMENIUS WEEK

SELF – EVALUATION questionnaire: January 2004

The questionnaires were applied in 21 schools to 16 headteachers, 174 teachers and 836 pupils (aged between 8 and 18 years).

The following questions on motivation and commitment were asked:

  1. Questions for pupils
  1. Were you involved in the “Comenius Week” in your school?
  2. Do you feel the activities during the “Comenius Week” were useful for you? Please explain
  3. What do you think was missed?
  4. What would you suggest for nextyear?
  5. Did you do extra work for the “Comenius Week” outside normal school hours?
  6. Did you have to motivate fellow students?
  7. Are you happy with the results?
  8. Are you proud being a member of the team?
  1. Questions for teachers
  1. Did you enjoy working on the “Comenius Week” activities?
  2. Did you feel more involved in school activities? Please explain.
  3. Would you encourage colleagues to take part in the preparation of a “Comenius Week” in the school?
  4. Did you like working with the pupils to prepare the “Comenius Week” in the school? Please explain
  5. Did you useany new initiatives?
  6. What do you think was missed?
  7. What would you suggest for next year?
  8. Did you feel more commitment to the school?
  1. Questions for headteachers
  1. Were you involved in preparing “Comenius Week” in the school? In what ways?
  2. Did you monitor the activities of teachers and pupils involved in “Comenius Week”?
  3. Are you proud of the show prepared by the team involved in “Comenius Week” activities in your school?
  4. What do you think was missed?
  5. What would you suggest for next year?

CONCLUSIONS

(Some of the respondents did not answer all the questions, so the numbers do not add to 100 in some cases)

  1. Replies from pupils (Sample of 836)
  1. 86%of the pupilswere involved in the activities in CW (Comenius Week)
  1. 95% believed that activities helped them for different reasons
  • 12% of the pupils felt theyhad learned to work in a team;
  • 3% had made new friends;
  • 4% hadapplied their skills;
  • 2% had improved their English;
  • 6% had found out new things;
  • 3% didn’t answer;
  • 2% have stated that activities in CW didn’t help them in anyway.
  1. 40% of the pupils believed that everything in the Comenius Week was OK;

49% believed that there could have been more

  • prizes;
  • publicity for the activities;
  • teachers and pupils involved;
  • messages from the pupils from foreign countries;
  • Comenius balloons.

5% didn’t have an opinion;

6% didn’t answer.

  1. In response to the question asking for suggestions for next year:
  2. 13,5% of the pupils hadn’t any suggestions for next year;
  3. 16% suggested common activities with pupils from other countries;
  4. 20% wanted to extend the fields of activities,
  5. 11% said more pupils should be involved,
  6. 3% wanted more publicity.

[Two interesting answers: ‘We need 2 Comenius Weeks’, ‘Romania should be a part of EU’]

  1. 62% of the pupils had to prepare their activities outside normal school hours
  1. 53% of the pupils had to motivate fellow students
  1. Asked whether they were happy with the results of the project,
  2. 7% of the pupils weren’t satisfied by the results;
  3. 2% didn’t answer;
  4. 13% considered that it was very good because they had the opportunity to learn something new and interesting;
  5. 9% were satisfied because the teachers, the parents and other adults involved have appreciated their efforts;
  6. 20% were satisfied that they worked well;
  7. 7% were pleased that they could show the benefits of teamwork.
  1. Asked whether they were proud of their involvement:
  2. 4.5% of the pupils gave a negative answer;
  3. 3.5% did not answer;
  4. 3% believed they are good (special) because they are in the Comenius team;
  5. 9% are proud that they represented the school in joint activities with other schools;
  6. 14% said that was a way to find out new things;
  7. 14,5% have felt very good inside the team.
  1. Replies from teachers. (Sample of 174)
  1. 86% had enjoyed being involved in Comenius Week activities
  1. Asked about their own involvement in Comenius Week:
  2. 17% of the teachers hadn’t felt involved;
  3. 17% had a directcontribution;
  4. 23% had prepared specific activities;
  5. 20% had helped pupils to produce promotion materials;
  6. 23% had simply been assistants
  1. 80% of the teachers hadencouraged colleagues to participate
  1. Asked if they had liked working with pupils to prepare the Comenius Week:
  2. 8% of the teachers hadn’t answered;
  3. 3% had a negative answer;
  4. 89% were pleased that they worked with pupils (39% in the preparation of the promotional materials, 21% in the preparation of some special activities, 4% in making suggestions)
  1. 49% hadn’t used any new initiatives, 3% don’t know, 9% didn’t answer, but 39% did something specially in the Comenius Week
  1. When asked about what was missing during the week:
  2. 14% of the teachers considered that everything was OK;
  3. 19,5% didn’t know;
  4. 13% said that was a lack of time;
  5. 10% believed that the activities needed more teachers and pupils involved;
  6. 10% considered that it was necessary to get more publicity for the activities;
  7. 6% missed good communication
  1. Asked about suggestions for next year;
  2. 21% of the teachers hadn’t any suggestions;
  3. 21% wanted an extension of the activities topics and the participation of the teachers and pupils from the partner schools;
  4. 13% needed more adavance and detailed information about the activities;
  5. 16% have considered that more teachers and students must be involved
  1. 67% felt more involved in school life, 11% didn’t and 12% were undecided.
  1. Questions for headteachers.(Sample of 16)
  1. Asked about their involvement:
  2. 25% of the headteachers had given some advice;
  3. 6% had given the responsibility of monitoring to someone else;
  4. 6% had only been interested in the financial part;
  5. 53% were directly involved.
  1. 87,5% of the headteachers monitored the activities
  1. 100% of the teachers were satisfied by the activities and their results. (They said that the teachers and students were really involved, that they acted very seriously, that the activities contributed to team-building and that they were appropriate for Comenius project objectives)
  1. While 19% of the headteachers believed that everything was OK, 81% had some concerns. (These included lack of interest from the parents and local authority, and the lack of time, publicity, and teacher and pupil involvement)
  1. 6% of the headteachers hadn’t any suggestions for next year; the others suggested:
  2. more diversification;
  3. more prizes for the pupils and the best project at Bucharest level;
  4. participation of teachers from the partner countries;
  5. earlier publicity etc.

INSP. Dana Moraru