Chapter One Introduction
This report provides a summary of the information collected as part of the Focus Studies. In this part of the research eight schools, from four contrasting local authorities, were selected reflecting the range and diversity of the original sample of schools in the main survey. Within each school a series of focus groups were carried out with S4, S5 and S6 pupils. During the focus groups pupils discussed a range of issues concerning part-time employment and completed workbooks.
In addition we interviewed a range of academic staff including Headteachers, Principal Teachers, staff responsible for enterprise in education and Career Advisers associated with the schools.
In this report it is our intention to provide a review of the findings from these different sources. We have drawn on this material for the Final Report; however, this document provides a fuller summary of the elements within the focus studies element of the research.
Section A of this report provides a summary of the views that pupils expressed in their workbooks. The specific focus is on the comments that pupils provided on the potential positive and negative aspects of mixing part-time employment and full-time education and their views on the Models of recognition.
In addition participants in the focus groups completed a research tool devised to assess their enterprising attitudes. The findings from this element of the focus groups are reported in chapter 4.
Section B draws on the information from the school staff who participated in Focused Studies. In each of the eight schools we set out to discuss the issue of part-time employment with Headteachers, Principal Teachers and senior staff responsible for enterprise in education. In the case of Headteachers and staff responsible for enterprise in education semi-structured interviews were used. In the case of Principal Teachers a focus group approach was adopted. Finally we adopted an interview approach to discuss the topic with Career Advisers.
The topics covered with the different staff vary given that we were interested in reflecting the views of a range of staff with different roles within the school. Section B provides a summary of this information.
In the final section, Section C, we focus on the specific question of how part-time employment is currently used or referred to within education settings. In this section we draw on the material from pupils and academic staff.