Private vs Public Schools parent Perspectives

METHODOLOGY

Parent Perspectives on Why They Send their Children to Private Schools, as Opposed to Public Schools

Methodology

Introduction

The relevance of quality education cannot be overstated. Towards this end, various stakeholders in the educational sector ought to be aware of the various factors that impact the delivery of quality education. This way, interventions and better policies can be formulated and implemented in an attempt to create effective and conducive learning environments. A significant amount of money is assigned each year by the government to the public education sector. The fact that parents opt to enroll their children in private schools is a clear indication that there are some issues and/or concerns that need to be addressed in the public education system for the same to appeal to parents. Stakeholders in the public education realm ought to be aware of the failings of the public education system so that they can be active participants in efforts to address the said system’s specific undesirable attributes (in the eyes of parents).

The main research question will be:

What lies behind the motivation by parents’ to enroll their children in private schools, as opposed to public schools?

The sub-questions will be:

Is the decision by parents to enroll their children in private schools influenced by academic factors?

Is the decision by parents to enroll their children in private schools influenced by parent-school relationship?

Is the decision by parents to enroll their children in private schools influenced by availability (or unavailability) of school facilities?

Research Design

In seeking to describe the parents’ private and public schools perceptions, there will be need to embrace a descriptive research approach. It is important to note that in the words of Corbin and Strauss (2008), “descriptive research aims to accurately and systematically describe a population, situation or phenomenon” (211). The approach, as the authors further point out, could be categorized into; survey study and correlational research. In the present study, the most ideal approach will be a survey design. This is more so the case given that this particular approach, as Corbin and Strauss (2008) point out, not only has good statistical significance, but is also convenient and is associated with high representativeness. It should also be noted that unlike correlational research, this particular approach makes it possible for the study to be applied to a single group or several groups. Further, the approach would make it possible for one to make use of diverse methods or techniques in efforts to gather data about the sample. The said method and techniques could be inclusive of, but they are not limited to, online surveys, questionnaires (mailed or hand-delivered), interviews (face-to-face or telephone), etc. In comparison to the various other approaches, surveys could also make it easier for one to obtain results that are statistically significant (Creswell, 2003). This, according to the author, is more so the case given the survey method’s high representativeness. It would also be prudent to note that the low cost nature of this approach could also be deemed a plus in this particular context.

Sampling Strategy

According to Corbin and Strauss (2008), a sample could be conceptualized as persons that could be deemed representative of the larger population. There are various advantages of the utilization of a sample in research. For instance, a sample helps save a great deal of time and resources. This is more so the case given that without a sample, research would ordinarily target the entire population – a logistical nightmare in those instances where there is a large population involved.

In the present research, the first step in as far as sampling is concerned will be the selection of the academic institutions for sample determination. A list of schools in the areas of interest will be obtained from the education ministry. Then, a total of 6 public and 6 private schools will be selected from the list. The selection will in this case be done randomly. After the completion of this stage, the researcher will then seek to determine each school’s targeted sample. It would be prudent to note that in the past, various sample size determination methods have been suggested. It would, however, be prudent to note that an ideal sample size, as Creswell (2003) observes, ought to be largely representative of the entire population under study. A small sample would, thus, not be ideal. With this in mind, there will be need to deploy a proportional sampling approach in which case the sample size will be 10 percent of the entire population under study.

Research Ethics

Lichtman (2006) makes an observation to the effect that research participants have a right to be safeguarded from all kinds of risks. According to the author, risk in research could assume many forms, i.e. legal risks, loss of confidentiality, socio/economic risks, psychological risks, and physical risks. Save for loss of confidentiality, participation in the present research is not associated with any other potential risk. There are a number of approaches that could be deployed in an attempt to secure the confidentiality of participants in this case. In this case, participants will - during the informed consent process - be made aware of the measures that will be embraced to secure the confidentiality of the relevant data. More specifically, in the labeling of data, effort will be made to replace actual parent names with participant codes. In this case, a name-to-code matchup list will be developed and maintained separately. Participants will, however, be made aware of the fact that the research team will have access to their personally identifiable data. This will be done so as to ensure that participants are aware of the safeguards put in place to promote confidentiality, as well as the limitations of the said safeguards, so that they can make informed choices about participating in this study.

Informed consent is also crucial in research. As a matter of fact, Lichtman (2006) points out that it is considered a key pillar in research ethics. More specifically, in the words of the authors, the intent of informed consent is that “is that human participants can enter research freely (voluntarily) with full information about what it means for them to take part, and that they give consent before they enter the research” (104). In addition, in many jurisdictions, including our own, all research undertakings that have human participants must integrate informed consent. In the present study the participants identified will be requested to complete an informed consent form indicating their willingness to participate in the study. It is important to note that the said form will capture all the relevant information (i.e. purpose of research, participation scope, processes, etc.) that participants would need to arrive at a decision on whether or not to take part or participate in the present study. A phone number and email address will be indicated in the said informed consent form so that participants can reach out and seek clarification about any aspect of the study.

Data Collection Method

The sample in his case will comprise of a total of 386 participants who will be randomly selected. The questionnaire survey happens to be the main data collection instrument in this case. It is this particular instrument that participants will be asked to complete. Corbin and Strauss (2008) describe a questionnaire survey as “a technique for gathering statistical information about the attributes, attitudes, or actions of a population by a structured set of questions” (319). As the authors further point out, this particular instrument could be administered in various ways or formats. The instrument will be ideal in this case owing to its convenience and cost effectiveness. Also, given that the researcher does not necessarily have to be physically present at the time the questionnaire is being completed, this could be deemed a rather quick way of collecting the relevant data. In the present study, follow-up focus group interview will complement data from the questionnaire survey. Participants will be expected to respond to a survey having a total of four parts. Whereas the first section will seek to capture the participants’ demographic information, the second part will assess private/public school academic factors. A total of 18 items will be included in the second section. Sections three (6 items) and four (4 items) will measure the relationship between parents and the school, and the perception of parents regarding the facilities at academic institutions, respectively.

Researcher Bias & Rigor of Study Design

I decided to study this particular research topic after establishing that most of the parents I knew (specifically friends and relatives) were enrolling their children to private schools as opposed to public schools. For this reason, this is an issue I have witnessed at a personal level. It would be prudent to note that the issue does indeed matter to me owing to the fact that the government has in the past invested significant amounts of money in the public education system. There is need to establish exactly why parents are still in favor of private schools despite the said heavy investment by the government in the public education system. There is also need for the relevant stakeholders to develop better understanding of the factors that influence the various decisions made by parents in relation to the education of their children as this understanding will inform future efforts to better or improve the quality of education.

Personally, I am of the opinion that the growing trend of parents opting to send their children to private schools as opposed to public schools is not ideal given that the citizens of this great nation pay taxes so as to gain access to better services, i.e. in as far as education, infrastructure, security, healthcare etc. are concerned. Thus, I feel that we should not be having a record number of private schools mushrooming across the nation as parents opt to shun public schools in favor of private schools.

I hope that this study will make a finding to the effect that the decision by parents to enroll their children in private schools is motivated by the need to gain access to better learning environment. A finding of this nature would be in line with the findings of numerous other research studies that finger a better learning environment as a key consideration in parental decisions over which school to enroll their children in.