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III. HOW SATISFACTORY IS THE SYSTEM?

Extent of people’s satisfaction with their own education

In considering the general background to opinion on present day education, it will be useful to have in mind the extent to which ordinary members of the public are satisfied with their own education, and the education of their children. Questions were accordingly designed to find this out.

It will be seen that the majority of the population are not satisfied with their own education. More of those with elementary education only were dissatisfied.

The survey was made before any far reaching changes had been made in educational organisation. “Elementary” education should therefore be understood as that type of schooling which normally finishes at 14 years and “Secondary” education as that type which begins at 10 or 11 years for a minority of the population only.

There were some interesting differences of opinion in the different economic groups.

It will be noticed that higher proportions are dissatisfied in the middle economic groups. There were also interesting differences of opinion between the occupation groups.

It will be noticed that more of the housewives than of those in either occupation groups are satisfied with their education. However an analysis of answers by sex and age, showed that whereas the opinions of men and women under 30 were similar, more men than women over that age were discontented. Whereas 72% of men between the ages of 40 and 54 would have preferred a different kind of education, only 56% of women in that age group would have preferred an education different from their own, and housewives of course include a larger proportion of older people than most other occupation groups.

Informants who said that they would have preferred a different education, were asked the reason for this.

This column does not add to 100% since some people gave more than, one reason, The general significance of the answers is quite clear; people felt that they had suffered in adult life because of a deficient education.

Informants were also asked in what way they would have preferred their education to have been different. 37% of the sample said they would have preferred to have gone to a different kind of school. The majority of these are of course, people who would have preferred a higher level of education than their own. A further 7% wished they had stayed on at school longer. Thus about two thirds, of those who would have preferred their schooling to have been different desired a higher level of education than they were able to reach.

These results explain the general support for proposals for reforming the present educational system. They show that the majority of the adult population are dissatisfied with the education they received, feel that they have suffered in adult life because of this limitation, and consequently would prefer to have reached a higher level of education.

Extent of parents’ satisfaction with their children’s education

All informants with children under 20 were also asked questions concerning their satisfaction with their children’s education. The parents concerned fall into two groups - those whose children had left school, but were under 20 and still normally members of the household, and those whose children were still being educated. The latter group covers a wide range, since it includes parents of children at nursery schools and children at universities.

Informants with children were first asked to say what education their children were having or had had, then whether they were satisfied with this.The tables below give separate results for those with elementary schools and having only elementary education, and those whose children had higher education. Central schools are included with elementary education.

It will be noticed that more of the parents of children with higher education than of the parents of elementary school children are satisfied. This is parallel with the opinions of informants on their own education. However, the proportion of people dissatisfied with their own education was higher than the proportion of parents dissatisfied with their children’s education.

The following table brings out these points fairly clearly.

When the informant or the child has secondary education, higher proportions are satisfied. It will be seen too that more of the parents with children still at school than of those with children who have left school, are satisfied. The proportion of people satisfied with their own education is relatively low.

These results suggest that when education has been put to the test as a preparation for adult life, people are inclined to take a less favourable view of it. On the other hand the differences may reflect improvement in the educational system.

In a later section of this report it is pointed out that there was little difference between those with children, and those without children so far as knowledge of the new Education Act was concerned, and a separate analysis showed that those parents who were dissatisfied with their children’s education knew more about the new Education Act than those who were satisfied. The difference however, is not great. It may be concluded from this that dissatisfaction with one’s children’s education is to some extent associated with interest in the educational process, but it is shown above that dissatisfaction with their children’s education is felt by a minority of parents only. If seems that the general interest in education and support for the proposals of the new Act, is not related particularly to the dissatisfaction of parents with the education of their children. On the other hand since the majority of people are dissatisfied with their own education it may very well be the case that the general support for changes in the system is more closely related to this.

A difference of opinion between the parents of children with elementary and with secondary education appears in the answers to a further question. This was designed to show the amount of support for increased expenditure on education.

It is clear from this table that those parents whose children have had secondary education, are more in favour of increased expenditure than other parents.

There is however overwhelming support for the proposal, and only 7% of the whole sample said that they did not consider further expenditure on education worthwhile. There was little difference in the answers given by different groups of people. Women aged over 40 were more doubtful than any other section of the population.