Scottish Survey of Achievement: 2005 English Language and Core Skills

Scottish Survey of Achievement: 2005 English Language and Core Skills - Practitioner's Report

Section I: Pupil questionnaire results

I.1 Response rates and sample composition

Completed questionnaires were analysed for 26,385 pupils across the stages, with 650-800 pupils at each stage answering each of the mathematics questionnaires and 800-950 answering one or other of the English language questionnaires (by design, the survey sample was split 55/45 in favour of reading assessment over numeracy assessment, hence the differences in questionnaire numbers in each subject area).

Each stage sample was evenly balanced by gender, and 95% of the pupils were English native speakers. The most common second language spoken at home with members of the family was French, with 6% mentions, followed by English, with 3%.

Throughout the following sections, findings are presented as sample statistics, not weighted estimates.

I.2 Out-of-school activities

Participation in club or group activities outside of school hours was high at every stage, but particularly so at P5 and P7 where it reached over 75% (see Table I1). Significantly more girls than boys at P3 and P5 agreed that they participated in club or group activities, with little difference at P7 and a reversal in participation by S2, when significantly more boys than girls claimed participation. Numerous different types of club and activity were mentioned by pupils, including sports of various kinds, scouts and guides, pipe bands, dancing classes, and so on.

Table I1
Participation in club/group activities outside school ^*(% participation: 6,444 P3 pupils, 6,956 at P5, 7,012 at P7 and 5,973 at S2)

Stage	All pupils	Boys	Girls
S2	61	63	59
P7	77	76	78
P5	77	74	80
P3	71	69	73

* Significant gender differences at P3, P5 and (reversed) S2.

Tables I2a and I2b present the results of the enquiry into family activities.

Table I2a
Activities with adult family members outside school
(% pupils giving indicated responses: 873 P3 pupils, 938 P5, 908 P7, 789 S2)

How often do you spend time with a parent, carer or other adult family member outside school…	Stage	most days	most weeks	about once a month	2 or 3 times a year	hardly ever
talking about what you do in your free time	S2	46	27	11	2	15
	P7	49	28	9	2	12
	P5	49	26	9	3	13
	P3	46	20	6	4	24
talking about your school work and progress	S2	43	33	12	3	9
	P7	50	29	11	3	9
	P5	49	30	10	3	8
	P3	47	23	9	5	16
talking about things that have happened in the news	S2	24	30	20	3	22
	P7	27	31	17	4	21
	P5	23	30	16	6	26
	P3	19	17	11	6	47
watching TV or videos	S2	62	25	6	1	6
	P7	60	26	7	1	6
	P5	53	27	9	2	6
	P3	53	23	6	3	9
at the cinema	S2	2	13	43	20	21
	P7	3	13	48	20	16
	P5	6	14	42	20	18
	P3	7	12	29	23	29
talking about films or TV programmes	S2	35	34	9	3	20
	P7	37	31	11	3	19
	P5	34	26	10	4	26
	P3	25	18	9	6	41

Table I2b
Activities with adult family members outside school
(% pupils giving indicated responses: 873 P3 pupils, 938 P5, 908 P7, 789 S2)

How often do you spend time with a parent, carer or other adult family member outside school…	Stage	most days	most weeks	about once a month	2 or 3 times a year	hardly ever
reading or talking about books	S2	8	16	20	8	48
	P7	20	28	16	5	31
	P5	33	28	13	5	21
	P3	42	19	7	5	27
listening to music	S2	52	23	7	3	15
	P7	55	22	9	3	11
	P5	46	28	9	3	14
	P3	36	25	8	6	25
on outings or visits to interesting places	S2	15	34	30	11	10
	P7	20	39	29	8	4
	P5	25	32	24	12	7
	P3	14	29	20	19	18
at live theatre, concert or dance	S2	2	4	13	31	50
	P7	3	6	19	35	37
	P5	5	7	20	32	36
	P3	14	7	9	21	50
playing sports or games, or keeping fit	S2	30	32	18	7	13
	P7	44	35	12	4	5
	P5	51	31	9	3	6
	P3	42	30	9	6	13
shopping for clothes or other items apart from food	S2	15	47	29	5	4
	P7	20	50	23	4	3
	P5	23	45	20	3	8
	P3	18	38	20	8	17

The data not only reveal clear differences in the popularity of the various activities, but also some interesting stage differences, in particular for 'reading and talking about books', an activity that apparently decreases in frequency with increasing age.

Girls significantly more often than boys at all stages participated in the following activities with adult family members: 'talking about what you do in your free time', 'talking about your school work and progress', 'talking about things that have happened in the news', 'reading or talking about books', 'listening to music', 'at live theatre, concert or dance' and 'shopping for clothes or other items apart from food'. Boys significantly more often than girls at all stages claimed to participate with adult family members in the following activities: 'talking about films or TV programmes' and 'playing sports or games, or keeping fit'. There were no gender differences at any stage for the following activities: 'watching TV or videos', 'at the cinema', 'on outings or visits to interesting places or events'.

I.3 English language, mathematics and jobs

When asked what kind of job they would like to do when they left school or college, between them pupils at every stage mentioned dozens of different types of occupation, with some clear evidence of continued gender stereotyping. Table I3 presents the results of this enquiry, for the six jobs/occupations that were mentioned by at least 5% of P3 pupils (an arbitrary criterion): artist, footballer, hairdresser, police, teacher and vet.

Table I3
Job aspirations: the six most popular choices among P3 pupils*
(% pupils mentioning the job in their jobs list:
6050 P3 pupils, 6574 P5, 6512 P7, 5281 S2)

What kind of job would you like to do when you leave school or college?	Stage	All pupils	Boys	Girls
artist	S2	1	<1	1
	P7	2	1	2
	P5	3	2	4
	P3	5	2	8
footballer	S2	3	6	<1
	P7	13	25	1
	P5	16	31	2
	P3	13	25	1
hairdresser	S2	4	<1	7
	P7	5	<1	10
	P5	6	<1	11
	P3	6	<1	11
police	S2	4	5	3
	P7	3	4	3
	P5	4	5	2
	P3	5	8	2
teacher	S2	8	4	14
	P7	8	2	13
	P5	9	2	16
	P3	12	3	21
vet	S2	3	1	4
	P7	6	2	10
	P5	8	2	14
	P3	6	2	10

* Jobs mentioned by 5% or more of the P3 pupils. In every case, stage differences and gender differences reach statistical significance

All six jobs/occupations reveal significant gender gaps, but most particularly footballer, by far the most popular job aspiration among younger boys, and hairdresser, teacher and vet, the three most popular choices for girls.

The enquiry into pupils' perceptions of the value of language skills and mathematics to jobs of various kinds was also illuminating. To give a flavour of the findings, Tables I4a and I4b show the results for pupils choosing the response option 'very important'.

Table I4a
Importance of language skills and mathematics for jobs ^*(% pupils answering 'very important': 873 P3 pupils, 938 P5, 908 P7, 789 S2)

How important is [subject] for the people who work as…	Subject/skill	P3	P5	P7	S2
Nurses	reading		61	64	66
	writing		57	37	47
	listening		78	81	82
	talking		67	66	71
	mathematics	47	34	26	24
Bankers	reading		54	62	66
	writing		57	60	63
	listening		46	42	46
	talking		43	36	38
	mathematics	69	83	91	95
Chefs	reading	47	33	34	35
	writing	32	18	15	8
	listening	50	30	29	35
	talking	38	22	18	18
	mathematics	30	14	12	11
Electricians	reading		52	51	50
	writing		44	36	26
	listening		58	54	50
	talking		42	38	25
	mathematics	34	34	33	37
Vets	reading		62	60	62
	writing		56	52	50
	listening		69	67	64
	talking		61	55	49
	mathematics	42	31	26	27
Mechanics	reading	38	39	38	37
	writing	33	31	28	22
	listening	52	39	39	41
	talking	38	30	26	24
	mathematics	30	28	28	34

* Where gaps appear at P3, this is because pupils at this stage were presented with fewer occupations to judge.

Table I4b
Importance of language skills and mathematics for jobs ^*(% pupils answering 'very important': 873 P3 pupils, 938 P5, 908 P7, 789 S2)

How important is [subject] for the people who work as…	Subject/skill	P3	P5	P7	S2
Hairdressers	reading		13	11	14
	writing		13	9	6
	listening		21	22	31
	talking		16	15	25
	mathematics	13	11	8	7
Doctors	reading	80	85	88	92
	writing	79	80	84	84
	listening	89	91	94	94
	talking	86	87	88	89
	mathematics	61	52	50	57
Musicians	reading		48	54	57
	writing		31	33	37
	listening		25	25	38
	talking		20	14	14
	mathematics	14	14	12
Teachers	reading	83	85	90	91
	writing	84	84	85	87
	listening	77	77	75	69
	talking	83	82	76	74
	mathematics	84	87	91	84
Actors/actresses	reading		58	68	72
	writing		39	33	34
	listening		43	37	41
	talking		49	47	59
	mathematics	14	9	6
Plumbers	reading	29	28	25	23
	writing	24	28	19	13
	listening	42	38	33	34
	talking	32	30	22	18
	mathematics	23	24	21	25
Pilots	reading		52	65	69
	writing		37	42	46
	listening		63	70	72
	talking		47	50	54
	mathematics	41	41	54	67

* Where gaps appear at P3, this is because pupils at this stage were presented with fewer occupations to judge.

Pupils were fairly realistic in their perceptions. For example, all four language skills and mathematics were considered 'very important' by most pupils for bankers, teachers and doctors, but for bankers mathematics was considered more important than language while for doctors language was considered more important than mathematics. Interestingly, listening was considered the least important skill for teachers and the most important for hairdressers, though relatively low proportions of pupils thought any of the skills 'very important' for this occupation. In general, pupils revealed the same perceptions at all stages.

I.4 Lesson activities

Tables I5a and I5b present the results of this enquiry for English Language, while Tables I6a and I6b do the same for mathematics at, respectively, P5, P7 and S2 (the enquiry was not included at P3).

Table I5a
Frequency of activities in English Language lessons
(% pupils giving indicated responses: 934 pupils at P5, 923 at P7, 799 at S2)

In English Language lessons, how often do you spend your time…	Stage	during most lessons	most weeks	once or twice each term	once a year or less
with the whole class being taught by the teacher	S2	80	19	1	<1
	P7	67	30	2	1
	P5	70	25	3	2
in a small group being taught by your teacher	S2	6	19	51	24
	P7	28	45	23	4
	P5	29	51	16	4
talking on your own with your teacher	S2	8	23	37	32
	P7	13	29	41	17
	P5	19	29	36	16
working in a group on a shared task	S2	11	39	43	6
	P7	23	50	26	1
	P5	28	47	22	3
working with a partner on a shared task	S2	14	40	36	10
	P7	20	53	25	2
	P5	22	51	23	4
working quietly on your own	S2	71	22	4	3
	P7	73	19	6	2
	P5	66	22	8	4
working at a computer with partner/small group	S2	5	15	40	40
	P7	12	49	31	8
	P5	14	49	29	8
working at a computer on your own	S2	9	17	33	41
	P7	20	43	28	9
	P5	24	40	26	10
reading textbooks or reference books	S2	27	45	21	6
	P7	63	29	7	1
	P5	63	29	6	2

Table I5b
Frequency of activities in English Language lessons
(% pupils giving indicated responses: 934 pupils at P5, 923 at P7, 799 at S2)

In English Language lessons, how often do you spend your time…	Stage	during most lessons	most weeks	once or twice each term	once a year or less
writing in your jotter or your file	S2	79	17	3	1
	P7	83	14	2	1
	P5	77	17	4	2
completing worksheets	S2	32	41	22	5
	P7	59	35	6	<1
	P5	56	38	4	2
talking with others about a topic	S2	22	40	31	7
	P7	29	50	20	1
	P5	31	51	15	3
making or using maps, pictures or diagrams	S2	8	21	41	30
	P7	16	51	29	4
	P5	20	45	29	6
handling objects or artefacts	S2	5	11	29	55
	P7	9	33	42	16
	P5	14	36	37	13
watching and responding to video or audio tapes	S2	7	23	49	21
	P7	11	44	37	8
	P5	14	44	34	8
using tools and instruments to investigate things	S2	6	11	29	55
	P7	8	31	44	17
	P5	11	34	37	18
working in the school grounds	S2	15	7	17	61
	P7	18	18	38	25
	P5	17	21	39	23
visiting places outside the school	S2	2	3	17	77
	P7	6	14	61	19
	P5	8	12	53	27

The data reveal a relatively similar pattern of lesson activity in the two subject areas, with group teaching and group work more common in both subjects in the primary classroom than in the S2 classroom, whole-class teaching in contrast becoming more prevalent by S2. In both subjects areas pupils frequently worked alone, reading reference books (more common in primary than secondary classes), writing in their jotters and files, and completing worksheets (again more popular in the primary classroom). Computer use was not common in either sector, but more so in the primary classroom than at S2.

Table I6a
Frequency of activities in mathematics lessons
(% pupils giving indicated responses: 795 pupils at P5, 800 at P7, 673 at S2)

In Mathematics lessons, how often do you spend your time…	Stage	during most lessons	most weeks	once or twice each term	once a year or less
with the whole class being taught by the teacher	S2	79	18	3	<1
	P7	56	29	12	3
	P5	63	26	8	3
in a small group being taught by your teacher	S2	5	14	38	43
	P7	38	34	22	6
	P5	37	39	20	4
talking on your own with your teacher	S2	13	29	34	23
	P7	14	30	37	19
	P5	19	26	35	20
working in a group on a shared task	S2	6	18	44	32
	P7	20	42	35	3
	P5	25	45	26	4
working with a partner on a shared task	S2	9	21	39	32
	P7	17	46	34	3
	P5	19	46	28	6
working quietly on your own	S2	79	15	3	3
	P7	74	17	6	3
	P5	68	20	7	6
working at a computer with partner/small group	S2	4	9	24	63
	P7	8	36	38	18
	P5	14	40	31	15
working at a computer on your own	S2	7	12	20	61
	P7	15	33	34	18
	P5	18	36	28	18
reading textbooks or reference books	S2	57	27	10	5
	P7	70	22	6	2
	P5	62	28	7	3

Table I6b
Frequency of activities in mathematics lessons
(% pupils giving indicated responses: 795 pupils at P5, 800 at P7, 673 at S2)

In Mathematics lessons, how often do you spend your time…	Stage	during most lessons	most weeks	once or twice each term	once a year or less
writing in your jotter or your file	S2	89	8	2	1
	P7	89	8	2	1
	P5	80	14	4	2
completing worksheets	S2	40	37	19	3
	P7	58	37	5	<1
	P5	56	39	5	1
talking with others about a topic	S2	14	29	33	24
	P7	24	49	23	4
	P5	26	48	21	5
making or using maps, pictures or diagrams	S2	18	38	28	16
	P7	21	46	30	4
	P5	21	40	34	5
handling objects or artefacts	S2	7	17	33	44
	P7	12	29	43	16
	P5	13	34	37	17
watching and responding to video or audio tapes	S2	3	8	19	69
	P7	8	28	32	32
	P5	13	35	30	22
using tools and instruments to investigate things	S2	12	31	30	26
	P7	10	28	43	20
	P5	13	29	38	20
working in the school grounds	S2	16	8	14	63
	P7	17	16	38	29
	P5	16	19	39	27
visiting places outside the school	S2	2	3	11	84
	P7	5	8	46	41
	P5	7	10	47	36

I.5 Views about English Language, mathematics and subject learning

This general enquiry, which was included at all four stages, is reported in Tables I7a to I7d for English and Tables I8a to I8d for mathematics.

Pupils' reports on their subject lessons were generally positive. Most pupils considered both subjects to be important for 'other subject' learning and for jobs, they wanted to do well in them, and their teachers expected them to work hard and gave them help when they needed it. Yet despite this, enthusiasm for lessons decreases in both subjects as pupils move through their schooling.

Table I7a
Pupils' views about English Language and language learning
(% pupils giving indicated responses: 873 P3 pupils, 938 P5, 908 P7, 789 S2)

What are English Language lessons like?	Stage	yes, always	mostly	not usually	definitely not	don't know
We learn a lot of facts in English language	S2	21	58	17	2	2
	P7	31	57	10	0	2
	P5	37	49	10	<1	3
The information we get about our progress in English is given to us as levels, grades and test scores	S2	56	38	4	<1	2
	P7	43	40	11	1	5
	P5	39	36	15	2	8
We are asked to explain our answers to questions during English language lessons	S2	42	42	12	2	2
	P7	40	43	14	1	2
	P5	35	39	21	2	3
	P3	27	37	17	6	13
In English language we are shown how to improve our work	S2	51	36	10	2	1
	P7	51	36	11	1	1
	P5	59	27	11	1	2
In English language our corrected work shows us where we have gone wrong	S2	61	31	6	1	1
	P7	61	28	7	2	2
	P5	62	27	5	2	4
	P3	58	21	10	3	7
In English language lessons we discuss interesting ideas and topics whenever they come up	S2	29	45	20	4	2
	P7	30	49	17	2	2
	P5	32	44	16	3	5
We help to plan what we are going to do next in English language	S2	17	27	38	15	3
	P7	17	29	38	11	6
	P5	18	31	34	10	7
	P3	26	18	27	15	15
I get behind with the work in English language	S2	6	11	53	25	5
	P7	7	12	52	25	4
	P5	10	19	43	24	4
	P3	8	17	37	32	6

Table I7b
Pupils' views about English Language and language learning
(% pupils giving indicated responses: 873 P3 pupils, 938 P5, 908 P7, 789 S2)

What are English Language lessons like?	Stage	yes, always	mostly	not usually	definitely not	don't know
We go through the work too slowly for me in English language	S2	6	11	54	27	3
	P7	7	15	45	28	5
	P5	10	16	38	31	4
We get interesting topics and investigations to do in English language	S2	16	43	27	12	2
	P7	26	42	22	7	3
	P5	38	35	15	6	5
	P3	43	29	13	6	10
Learning in English language lessons is about asking 'Why? and What if…?	S2	12	35	34	6	13
	P7	18	39	25	4	13
	P5	22	34	24	5	15
Most of the assessment in English language is done in short tests	S2	11	38	33	8	10
	P7	12	38	36	4	10
	P5	20	35	30	6	10
Everyone is expected to work hard in our English language class	S2	72	23	4	<1	<1
	P7	79	17	3	1	1
	P5	75	18	4	1	2
	P3	80	12	3	1	4
We get regular homework in English language	S2	14	34	36	14	2
	P7	41	35	18	4	2
	P5	51	29	14	4	3
	P3	54	26	10	5	6
Pupils get extra help with English language when they need it	S2	48	35	7	3	7
	P7	62	28	6	1	3
	P5	55	31	9	2	3
	P3	53	27	12	3	6

Table I7c
Pupils' views about English Language and language learning
(% pupils giving indicated responses: 869 P3 pupils, 930 P5, 947 P7, 790 S2)

What are English Language lessons like?	Stage	yes, always	mostly	not usually	definitely not	don't know
Pupils settle down quickly at the start of our English language lessons	S2	6	61	25	7	1
	P7	10	65	21	2	2
	P5	16	57	19	3	5
Pupils hand in their work on time for English language	S2	6	71	17	3	3
	P7	11	71	14	<1	4
	P5	19	56	18	2	5
It is easy to concentrate and work hard in English language lessons	S2	25	52	17	5	1
	P7	30	49	17	2	1
	P5	37	38	17	4	4
	P3	45	35	11	3	7
Everyone has a chance to say what they think in English language lessons	S2	50	33	10	5	2
	P7	51	31	13	2	3
	P5	42	31	16	4	7
	P3	35	30	20	4	11
I enjoy reading	S2	27	29	23	19	1
	P7	41	30	18	10	1
	P5	64	21	7	6	2
I look forward to English language lessons	S2	10	30	37	21	2
	P7	17	32	31	18	2
	P5	31	31	21	14	3
	P3	47	22	14	10	6
Learning English language is important because it will help with other school subjects later on	S2	66	26	3	2	3
	P7	71	23	2	<1	3
	P5	71	20	3	1	5
	P3	65	20	6	1	8
Learning English language will help me to get a good job later on	S2	75	19	2	1	2
	P7	74	20	2	0	3
	P5	76	15	2	1	5

Table I7d
Pupils' views about English Language and language learning
(% pupils giving indicated responses: 869 P3 pupils, 930 P5, 947 P7, 790 S2)

What are English Language lessons like?	Stage	yes, always	mostly	not usually	definitely not	don't know
I find English language easy to understand	S2	41	50	7	2	<1
	P7	41	51	6	1	<1
	P5	42	44	9	3	2
	P3	57	27	10	3	2
I want to do well in English language	S2	78	20	2	<1	<1
	P7	77	19	2	1	<1
	P5	87	10	2	1	<1
	P3	84	11	2	1	2
I work hard on English language topics	S2	44	49	5	1	<1
	P7	49	45	4	<1	1
	P5	59	34	4	1	2
	P3	62	28	4	2	4
My family think that English language is an important subject	S2	69	20	2	<1	7
	P7	60	21	5	1	13
	P5	59	21	4	2	14
It is hard to catch up in English language if I miss a lesson	S2	10	25	50	11	4
	P7	16	26	42	11	5
	P5	23	30	33	9	5
I can use a computer to do the work during English language lessons	S2	12	19	40	22	7
	P7	16	21	39	16	8
	P5	15	17	34	25	9
	P3	18	14	31	26	11
I use a computer to do my English language homework	S2	19	30	36	14	1
	P7	10	16	43	29	2
	P5	9	13	33	42	3

Table I8a
Pupils' views about mathematics and mathematics learning
(% pupils giving indicated responses: 750 P3 pupils, 790 P5, 802 P7, 662 S2)

What are Mathematics lessons like?	Stage	yes, always	mostly	not usually	definitely not	don't know
We learn a lot of facts in Mathematics	S2	27	57	12	2	3
	P7	38	52	7	<1	2
	P5	45	46	7	<1	2
The information we get about our progress in Mathematics is given to us as levels, grades and test scores	S2	56	38	3	1	3
	P7	49	38	7	<1	5
	P5	41	35	14	1	9
We are asked to explain our answers to questions during Mathematics lessons	S2	38	41	18	1	2
	P7	30	51	18	<1	1
	P5	31	41	23	2	3
	P3	30	33	20	5	12
In Mathematics we are shown how to improve our work	S2	48	36	13	2	2
	P7	53	34	11	<1	1
	P5	62	26	8	1	2
In Mathematics our corrected work shows us where we have gone wrong	S2	50	35	10	3	1
	P7	61	27	9	2	2
	P5	61	26	7	2	3
	P3	49	27	13	4	8
In Mathematics lessons we discuss interesting ideas and topics whenever they come up	S2	18	34	34	11	3
	P7	27	38	29	4	3
	P5	27	37	24	6	6
We help to plan what we are going to do next in Mathematics	S2	9	25	41	21	4
	P7	20	31	35	10	4
	P5	24	26	31	12	7
	P3	24	18	25	21	12
I get behind with the work in Mathematics	S2	6	11	51	30	3
	P7	5	11	56	25	3
	P5	7	14	45	29	5
	P3	9	16	35	33	7

Table I8b
Pupils' views about mathematics and mathematics learning
(% pupils giving indicated responses: 750 P3 pupils, 790 P5, 802 P7, 662 S2)

What are Mathematics lessons like?	Stage	yes, always	mostly	not usually	definitely not	don't know
We go through the work too slowly for me in Mathematics	S2	6	13	48	28	4
	P7	5	16	46	29	4
	P5	10	17	35	34	4
We get interesting topics and investigations to do in Mathematics	S2	8	29	34	24	5
	P7	21	43	26	7	3
	P5	35	31	20	7	7
	P3	37	30	15	7	11
Learning in Mathematics lessons is about asking 'Why? and What if…?	S2	8	24	39	14	15
	P7	13	31	32	11	13
	P5	17	27	28	13	15
Most of the assessment in Mathematics is done in short tests	S2	13	46	26	7	8
	P7	18	38	30	5	9
	P5	22	34	29	5	10
Everyone is expected to work hard in our Mathematics class	S2	76	18	2	2	2
	P7	80	17	2	1	1
	P5	79	14	4	1	2
	P3	84	10	2	1	3
We get regular homework in Mathematics	S2	36	38	17	7	2
	P7	39	40	15	4	2
	P5	42	33	19	3	3
	P3	42	30	17	6	5
Pupils get extra help with Mathematics when they need it	S2	52	32	8	3	5
	P7	68	25	5	1	1
	P5	60	29	8	1	2
	P3	56	27	10	2	6

Table I8c
Pupils' views about mathematics and mathematics learning
(% pupils giving indicated responses: 751P3 pupils, 779 P5, 804 P7, 681 S2)

What are Mathematics lessons like?	Stage	yes, always	mostly	not usually	definitely not	don't know
Pupils settle down quickly at the start of our Mathematics lessons	S2	8	53	27	10	1
	P7	11	64	21	2	4
	P5	14	59	20	2	4
Pupils hand in their work on time for Mathematics	S2	8	64	19	4	4
	P7	10	70	15	1	4
	P5	16	57	19	2	6
It is easy to concentrate and work hard in Mathematics lessons	S2	26	48	18	8	1
	P7	30	50	14	3	2
	P5	35	40	17	6	2
	P3	39	37	13	3	8
Everyone has a chance to say what they think in Mathematics lessons	S2	40	35	16	7	2
	P7	48	30	16	2	4
	P5	38	32	17	6	7
	P3	32	29	20	7	12
I enjoy books about Mathematics	S2	4	13	34	47	3
	P7	15	23	32	26	5
	P5	32	26	21	19	3
I look forward to Mathematics lessons	S2	5	16	36	41	2
	P7	24	25	28	20	2
	P5	37	27	20	14	2
	P3	55	17	11	13	4
Learning Mathematics is important because it will help with other school subjects later on	S2	59	32	4	<1	4
	P7	73	21	3	1	2
	P5	73	19	3	<1	4
	P3	66	18	7	2	7
Learning Mathematics will help me to get a good job later on	S2	74	19	2	1	3
	P7	76	19	3	1	2
	P5	81	12	3	1	4

Table I8d
Pupils' views about mathematics and mathematics learning
(% pupils giving indicated responses: 751P3 pupils, 779 P5, 804 P7, 681 S2)

What are Mathematics lessons like?	Stage	yes, always	mostly	not usually	definitely not	don't know
I find Mathematics easy to understand	S2	20	59	15	6	<1
	P7	25	63	9	2	<1
	P5	30	55	11	3	1
	P3	39	38	14	6	3
I want to do well in Mathematics	S2	70	24	3	1	3
	P7	83	14	1	<1	1
	P5	89	9	1	<1	1
	P3	89	8	1	1	2
I work hard on Mathematics topics and investigations	S2	37	50	9	2	2
	P7	49	44	5	1	2
	P5	55	37	5	1	2
	P3	60	29	5	1	5
My family think that Mathematics is an important subject	S2	67	21	5	1	6
	P7	64	23	4	<1	9
	P5	67	18	4	1	9
It is hard to catch up in Mathematics if I miss a lesson	S2	13	26	48	10	4
	P7	14	30	42	12	3
	P5	23	32	29	13	3
I can use a computer to do the work during Mathematics lessons	S2	6	9	34	43	8
	P7	10	17	42	25	6
	P5	13	11	32	38	6
	P3	19	15	28	29	9
I use a computer to do my Mathematics homework	S2	3	5	38	50	3
	P7	3	6	40	48	2
	P5	7	6	20	64	3

I.6 Language interests and involvement

These enquiries appeared in a single questionnaire at P5, P7 and S2, and across two questionnaires at P3. The findings are presented in Tables I9 to I20.

In brief, the majority of pupils at all stages claimed to read at home for pleasure every week or more often, with such reading apparently more frequent at P5 and P7 than at P3 or S2 (Table I9). Stories/novels and magazines were popular at all ages, with magazines gaining favour over stories from P5 up (Table I10). Comics and sports articles were next in popularity at all ages, while newspaper reading increased in popularity from P5 to P7 to S2. At every stage half or more of the pupils reported borrowing or buying books weekly or monthly (Table I11).

There were some strong, statistically significant, gender differences in terms of reading frequency, reading preferences and book borrowing. On their own reports, girls tend to read more at home than boys do, they more frequently buy books or borrow then from a library or friends, and they prefer reading novels (stories at P3), biographies and magazines in contrast to the boys' predilection for comics, newspapers and sports articles.

Table I9
Reading at home for pleasure
(% giving indicated responses: 850 P3 pupils, 900 P5, 935 P7, 787 S2)

How often do you read at home for pleasure, including books, comics, etc?	P3	P5	P7	S2
Most days	44	59	58	44
Most weeks	30	26	26	32
About once a month	8	6	6	9
2 or 3 times a year	5	2	2	3
Hardly ever	13	7	7	12

Table I10
Home reading preferences
(% giving indicated responses: 850 P3 pupils, 900 P5, 935 P7, 787 S2)

How many of the following do you enjoy reading at home?	P3	P5	P7	S2
Novels ('stories' at P3)	61	36	46	40
Magazines	40	54	66	71
Comics	35	47	43	33
Reference books/materials	17	14	12	12
Newspapers	14	18	28	41
Sports articles	28	27	31	33
Biographies/autobiographies*	17	9	18	23
Music journals ('music books' at P3)	17	10	8	10
Travel writing	-	6	2	2
None of these	4	5	3	3

* Wording at P3: 'books about famous people'.

Table I11
Pupils' book borrowing
(% giving indicated responses: 850 P3 pupils, 900 P5, 935 P7, 787 S2)

How often do you borrow books from the library/friend or buy books from a shop?	P3	P5	P7	S2
Most days	12	9	5	4
Most weeks	28	27	28	24
About once a month	19	30	33	27
2 or 3 times a year	11	10	10	9
Hardly ever	30	24	24	35

The question about how often pupils discussed books they had read or their views about something in class revealed a clear trend across the stages towards less discussion (Table I12). With the exception of P3, girls reported significantly more frequent discussion of books in class than did boys.

Table I12
Discussing books or exchanging views in class
(% giving indicated responses: 880 P3 pupils, 900 P5, 935 P7, 787 S2)

How often do you get to discuss with other pupils what you have read or your views on something in your English language class?	P3	P5	P7	S2
During most lessons	39	32	26	18
Most weeks	37	43	45	32
Once/twice a term	15	18	20	31
Once a year or less	9	7	9	19

Among the primary pupils, a majority claimed to write at home other than for school 'most weeks' or 'most days' (Table I13). At S2 the proportion fell, with many admitting to 'hardly ever' doing so. Narrative was the most popular genre for writing at all ages, with letters and poems next in popularity (Table I14). A sizeable proportion of S2 pupils claimed not to like writing any of the given forms at home or at school. Again there were strong and statistically significant gender differences here. Girls reported significantly more frequent writing activity at home compared with boys, and preferred more than boys writing stories, poems, letters and, from P5 and up, personal reports; proportions indicating no writing preferences at all ranged from10% at P3 to 30% at S2 for girls, and from 20% at P3 to over 40% at S2 for boys.

Table I13
Personally motivated writing at home
(% giving indicated responses: 880 P3 pupils, 900 P5, 935 P7, 787 S2)

How often do you write at home other than for school?	P3	P5	P7	S2
Most days	40	46	39	28
Most weeks	24	24	26	23
About once a month	8	10	12	14
2 or 3 times a year	5	4	4	5
Hardly ever	22	16	19	30

Table I14
Pupils' general writing preferences
(% giving indicated responses: 850 P3 pupils, 900 P5, 935 P7, 787 S2)

What do you like writing at home or school?	P3	P5	P7	S2
Stories	53	57	51	39
Letters	28	19	20	21
Poems	23	22	22	10
Reports	8	6	7	5
Personal reports	7	6	14	14
None of these	15	14	20	36

The majority of the primary pupils agreed that they used all their language skills across the curriculum 'during most lessons' (Tables I15 and I16); at S2 the proportion agreeing fell for listening and talking. Girls tended to claim more cross-curriculum application of all the language skills than did boys, differences in reported frequencies reaching statistical significance.

Table I15
Reading and writing across the curriculum
(% giving indicated responses: 850 P3 pupils, 900 P5, 935 P7, 787 S2)

How often do you use your reading and writing skills in other areas of the curriculum?	P3	P5	P7	S2
During most lessons	67	67	70	63
Most weeks	22	22	21	20
Once/twice a term	6	6	6	11
Once a year or less	6	5	3	6

Table I16
Talking and listening across the curriculum
(% giving indicated responses: 880 P3 pupils, 900 P5, 935 P7, 787 S2)

How often do you use your talking and listening skills in other areas of the curriculum?	P3	P5	P7	S2
During most lessons	64	64	63	54
Most weeks	22	26	28	29
Once/twice a term	9	7	6	10
Once a year or less	5	3	2	7

There was a clear negative trend with increasing age in pupils' self-assessments in English Language (see Table I17). There were no gender differences among primary pupils, but a significant difference emerged at S2, with the girls' self-assessments becoming more negative than those of the boys'.

Table I17
Self-assessment in English Language
(% giving indicated responses: 880 P3 pupils, 900 P5, 935 P7, 787 S2)

How good do you think you are at English Language? ^*	P3	P5	P7	S2
Exceptional/very good	41	30	18	12
Good/above average	20	37	45	51
Average	11	14	26	25
Poor	4	3	4	6
Don't know	24	16	7	6

* The P3 question referred to 'language' rather than 'English Language'

The majority of the primary pupils thought everyone should learn a second language (Table I18), the proportion falling at S2.

Table I18
On the importance of learning a second language
(% giving indicated responses: 880 P3 pupils, 900 P5, 935 P7, 787 S2)

How important do you think it is in today's world to learn a second language?	P3	P5	P7	S2
Everyone should	62	57	62	48
Only if you want to work abroad	26	36	32	41
Of little or no importance	12	7	6	11

As to pupils' perceptions of the relative importance of given languages, at every stage English was considered the most important by almost all pupils, followed by French, Spanish and German (Table I19).

Table I19
Relative importance of different languages
(% giving indicated responses: 880 P3 pupils, 900 P5, 935 P7, 787 S2)

Order these languages 1-7 according to their importance in the world today (1=most important, 7=least important)*	P3	P5	P7	S2
English**	1	1	1	1
French***	2	2	2	2
Spanish	3	3	3	3
German	4	4	4	4
Italian	4	5	5
Gaelic	5	6	6	6
Dutch	7	7	7

* At P3, pupils were invited to order five languages only.
** At P5, P7 and S2 90%+ of pupils agreed
*** At P5, P7 and S2, over half the pupils agreed

Among a number of given minority languages, Chinese and Gaelic were the ones most frequently heard being spoken or seen written in their school or community, according to pupils' reports (Table I20).

Table I20
Community/school languages
(% giving indicated responses: 880 P3 pupils, 900 P5, 935 P7, 787 S2)

Which of the following languages have you heard being spoken or seen written in your school or community?	P3	P5	P7	S2
Chinese	36	40	38	37
Urdu	7	8	7	8
Punjabi	5	8	11	12
Hebrew	9	14	18	15
Arabic	10	12	17	15
Gaelic	22	35	42	37

I.7 Topics in mathematics and use of equipment

Table I21 presents the results for the enquiry into pupils' perceptions of the relative difficulty of different mathematics topics, while Table I22 records the results of the enquiry into pupils' frequency of use of mathematical equipment in mathematics lessons.

In general, the evidence is that measuring, calculating, graphical work and shape and symmetry are easier topics for pupils than problem solving, maps and coordinates, angles and algebra (not surprisingly, high proportions of pupils at P5/P7 did not know the meaning of 'algebra' and so could not judge).

Rulers were the most frequently used tool in mathematics lessons at all stages, followed by calculators at S2, cubes at P3, and 2D/3D shapes and clocks/stopwatches in the lower primary school. Measuring cylinders, along with scales, balances or weights, nets and tiles were little used at any stage.

Table I21
Pupils' perceptions of topic difficulty in mathematics*
(% pupils giving indicated responses: 752 pupils at P3, 796 P5, 808 P7, 674 S2)

How easy are the different things you learn in Mathematics?	Stage	very easy	quite easy	quite difficult	very difficult	don't know
telling the time	P3	52	27	13	6	2
measuring	P3	52	29	12	4	3
sums and counting	P3	57	32	7	2	2
word problems	P3	27	35	22	10	7
number work (sums, calculations and word problems)	S2	42	50	6	1	1
	P7	38	50	9	1	2
	P5	32	51	13	1	4
tables, graphs and charts	S2	44	44	9	1	1
	P7	53	40	7	1	0
	P5	53	35	10	2	1
	P3	39	31	18	5	7
shape and symmetry	S2	46	39	11	2	1
	P7	52	38	9	1	0
	P5	57	30	10	1	2
	P3	49	27	13	5	6
problem solving	S2	16	37	33	11	3
	P7	18	38	32	10	2
	P5	26	37	26	9	2
	P3	36	33	16	10	6
maps and coordinates	S2	35	42	17	4	2
	P7	33	41	20	4	2
	P5	28	38	23	5	7
angles	S2	31	41	21	5	1
	P7	30	44	20	4	2
	P5	38	37	16	4	5
algebra	S2	24	46	20	4	6
	P7	9	25	22	6	39
	P5	7	13	11	4	65

* In every case stage differences reach statistical significance

Table I22
Frequency of use of mathematical equipment in mathematics lessons*
(% pupils giving indicated responses: 719 pupils at P3, 796 P5, 808 P7, 674 S2)

How often do you use these things in your maths lessons?	Stage	during most lessons	most weeks	once or twice each term	once a year or less
calculator	S2	28	44	27	1
	P7	11	41	46	2
	P5	7	28	52	13
	P3	8	17	29	46
ruler	S2	72	24	3	1
	P7	87	11	1	1
	P5	82	15	2	1
	P3	59	29	9	3
protractor or angle measure	S2	7	42	48	3
	P7	7	38	48	6
	P5	5	23	39	33
metre stick or measuring tape	S2	2	8	44	47
	P7	4	20	57	19
	P5	8	26	53	13
	P3	7	21	45	27
scales, balances or weights	S2	1	7	35	57
	P7	3	13	59	24
	P5	5	22	55	17
	P3	6	15	44	35
measuring cylinder	S2	2	6	36	57
	P7	2	11	49	37
	P5	5	12	45	38
	P3	5	9	31	55
clocks or stopwatches	S2	3	9	43	46
	P7	8	23	55	15
	P5	14	30	39	17
	P3	17	28	33	22
cubes	S2	3	11	37	49
	P7	7	20	50	22
	P5	11	28	40	21
	P3	27	27	24	22
2D or 3D shapes	S2	4	16	42	37
	P7	9	25	51	15
	P5	13	26	47	14
	P3	15	26	36	24
tiles	S2	4	8	37	51
	P7	5	14	44	36
	P5	7	13	34	46
	P3	8	8	23	61
nets	S2	3	10	40	47
	P7	4	15	44	37
	P5	3	7	29	61

* In every case, stage differences reach statistical significance

I.8 The ICT questionnaire enquiries

The ICT questionnaire was completed by 507 P3/P5 pupils, 239 P7 pupils and 205 S2 pupils, all of whom had undertaken an ICT task in the practical component of the survey. It should be noted that the questionnaires were returned without pupil or school identifiers. As a result it is not possible to distinguish between P3 and P5 pupils, or to say how many of the intended sample of schools responded. In particular, it is not possible to say whether the samples of pupils that completed the questionnaire are representative of all pupils at the relevant stage(s) in Scotland. This should be borne in mind when the results of this enquiry are reviewed.

Access to computers at home

Table I23 presents the results of the question about home computer access. With few individual exceptions, pupils at all stages like computers and 90% or so have a computer at home, substantial minorities having a computer in their own bedrooms. Most of the pupils - three-quarters or more - claimed to access the internet at home.

Table I23
Access to computers at home
(% pupils agreeing to indicated statements: 507 pupils at P3/P5, 239 P7, 205 S2)

	P3/P5	P7	S2
I like computers	99	98	98
I have a computer at home	89	93	91
I use the internet at home	73	86	78
I have a computer in own bedroom	26	30	32
I have a computer in living room	25	25	22
I have a computer in another room	48	52	47
I have a computer in more than one room	8	11	8

Frequency of use of computers

The results of this enquiry are shown in Table I24. The most striking feature in the response data is the difference in reported frequency of computer use at home compared with school: at all stages these pupils reported much higher usage at home than at school.

Table I24
Frequency of use of computers at home and at school
(% pupils giving indicated responses: 507 pupils at P3/P5, 239 P7, 205 S2)

How often do you use a computer?	P3/P5	P7	S2
at home
every day	37	42	58
once or twice a week	44	46	32
less than once a week	19	12	10
at school
every day	7	7	8
once or twice a week	68	73	76
less than once a week	25	20	15

Opinions about frequency of computer use at school

As Table I25 shows, while pupils at all stages reported the same general amounts of computer use in school (see Table I24), the older the pupils the less satisfied they were that this amount of usage was appropriate - the greater they thought their in-school computer use should be. A follow-on enquiry revealed that at all stages computers were used less often in maths and science lessons than in English language and the social subjects ('topic work' for the primary stages).

Table I25
Opinions about amount of computer use at school
(% pupils giving indicated responses: 507 pupils at P3/P5, 239 P7, 205 S2)

Do you think the time you are able to use the computer in school is:	P3/P5	P7	S2
just right	72	65	47
too much	4	1	1
too little	23	34	52

Hardware use at home and at school

Pupils were presented with a list of types of hardware, and asked which of the various types they used at home and at school (frequency of use was not explored). The results are shown in Table I26. The most striking feature in the data is the clear difference between school and home, with consistently higher proportions of pupils claiming to use most types of hardware at home compared with school; in school, hardware other than floppy disks and CDROMs are apparently rarely used.

Table I26
Hardware use at home and at school
(% pupils giving indicated responses: 507 pupils at P3/P5, 239 P7, 205 S2)

Have you used any of these with a computer?	P3/P5	P7	S2
at home
floppy disc	40	58	67
CDROM	61	75	78
DVD	59	70	73
pen drive	14	11	19
scanner	29	53	60
web cam	23	36	55
digital camera	44	51	60
digital video camera	28	30	34
at school
floppy disc	24	42	31
CDROM	20	34	30
DVD	5	3	6
pen drive	7	8	3
scanner	7	11	14
web cam	4	2	3
digital camera	10	10	9
digital video camera	3	6	6

Types of computer use at home and at school

Pupils were presented with a list of possible uses of computers, and were asked to indicate which uses they made of their computers at home and at school. The results are shown in Table I27. In both locations relatively high proportions of pupils claimed to use their computers to access the internet and 'find things out', to help with school work or homework. Game playing was much m ore prevalent at home than at school, as was using email and accessing chat rooms.

Table I27
Types of computer use at home and at school
(% pupils giving indicated responses: 507 pupils at P3/P5, 239 P7, 205 S2)

What do you use the computer for?	P3/P5	P7	S2
at home
to help with school work or homework	38	71	62
to play games	76	79	75
use chat rooms	15	32	36
email	40	49	60
the internet	60	79	75
to find things out	58	66	57
something else	32	36	48
at school
to help with school work or homework	53	53	59
to play games	55	37	33
use chat rooms	4	2	4
email	16	26	32
the internet	53	65	61
to find things out	62	70	67
something else	25	23	23

Page updated: Thursday, June 29, 2006

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