Moreover, the sample group was demographically limited. The survey was intended to focus on this limited group as these individuals form a large component of the target market for private school education. However, the survey results could potentially have been stronger had the survey been expanded to cover all of the target market. An even stronger survey would have included those whose children have already been through the education system. The survey as presently constituted essentially focuses on potential outcomes, rather than actual outcomes. This is because the end result of education is not fully realized until later in life - grades and childhood ambitions are merely precursors to the final outcome.
The questionnaire is only somewhat reliable. The structure of the questions renders it difficult to determine the actual benefits of SGPS education. The quantitative measure - grades - is not wholly indicative of benefits. This is because private schools have a direct cost to the parents, and the parents desire high grades as an outcome. For a private school to award high grades may be more related to the desire to retain business than to the actual achievement of the child. A more accurate measure of the benefits would focus on the achievement level of the child upon leaving the K-12 system. The qualitative component of the survey lends it better reliability. Focus and ambition are two major...
The survey indicates that SGPS education is more successful in fostering these attributes in children than are public schools. This indicates that there are benefits to SGPS education.
In conclusion, the survey has limited usefulness because of the sample size, and also because of the bias among respondents. However, the design of the survey was strong. The questions were focused, sticking to the comparative between SGPS and public education. There were no double-barreled questions in the survey. The questions were moderately precise - they could have been refocused towards a more accurate understanding of the outcomes of education but for the scope of the survey they were reasonable. The use of open-ended questions indicates that ample time for thought was given to the respondents. The question that revealed the bias was important to the survey because it hints at the degree to which the bias influenced the responses. The question wording was strong - with a defined, share vocabulary and unbiased tone. All told, the structure of the survey was strong but the results limited because of a couple of key implementation factors.
Works Cited
Cooper, D.R., & Schindler, P.S. (2006). Business Research Methods (9th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill
Survey: Are there any benefits to single gender private school education? In possession of the author.
