Ipsos MORI Survey of Secondary School Pupils

Since 1998 the Campaign for Learning has run questions in the Ipsos MORI Survey of Secondary School Pupils.

The overall aim of the Campaign's section of the survey was to gather information regarding how school pupils say they are taught. Specifically, the survey set out to cover the following key questions:

o What are the most common teaching methods used in classes?
o What do children say are their most preferred ways to learn?
o Who do children say they learn the most from, both in and out of school?

2007 is the fifth wave of the poll for the Camapign for Learning and was sponsored by Select Education plc. This latest poll shows children prefer learning in groups and by doing practical things.

The poll shows that pupils' understanding of how they would like to learn has changed over the years, with learning in groups or by doing practical things becoming the preferred way of learning. Parents, in particular mothers, are increasingly being seen by children as the most influential supporters of learning, adding weight to the Campaign's claims about the importance of Family Learning for children's achievement.

The summary of findings are as follows:

Common classroom techniques

Pupils were given a list of different activities which can be used in the classroom and asked to choose the three they do most often. The top mention is copying from a book or the board, with over half of children choosing this option (52%). Children also commonly listen to explanations in class - a third of pupils say they regularly listen to a teacher talking for a long time (33%) and a quarter say they take notes while their teacher talks (25%).

Activities that involve more pupil participation are also cited quite often. Just under three in ten children mention they often have class discussions (29%) and just over one in five say they regularly work in small groups to solve a problem (22%).

In contrast, the activities that children cite least often remain having people from outside school to help learning (four percent) and having lessons outside in the school grounds (three percent).

Learning preferences

Children were presented with another list and asked which three were their preferred ways to learn. Similar to previous years' survey findings, the favourite option is learning in groups (55%), followed by doing practical things (39%), learning with friends (35%) and by using computers (31%). Around one in five schoolchildren say they prefer learning alone (21%), while slightly fewer children prefer to learn from teachers (19%) or parents (12%).

In contrast, the least popular ways to learn include thinking for yourself (six percent), going to a museum or library (five percent) and by reading books (eight percent).

Learning sources

When asked to choose the three people that help them learn the most, a majority of schoolchildren opt for their parents: over three in five choose their mother (62%) and half say their father is one of the most helpful people (50%). Despite the fact that most structured learning tends to happen at school, less than half of children think their teachers help them learn the most (44%). Other commonly-cited sources include friends, siblings and grandparents.

Further information about the poll can be found by clicking here.

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This newsletter is sponsored by
Select Education, the 'Number One Education
Staffing Agency' in the UK and worldwide.
www.selecteducation.co.uk