In our research, we are aware of the importance of context and the fact that our study has a cross-sectional element to it. This is due to the nature that our findings can be expected to be representative within the specific period in time; and to those currently teaching. That is not to say also that future events can impact positively or negatively on the reliability aspect of our findings. For example, perhaps the way in which tests are graded is either altered or changed, would the perceptions towards academic testing of the respondents differ? This may well be the case. Therefore, we will take care in that any generalisations potentially lack a lasting longitudinal element to them.
Having previously decided on our research proposal, we then have to derive a suitable sample. Within our proposed region of BELB primary schools (those who are classified under the Belfast Education and Library Board) there exists 31 schools. This was then formed as our sample frame, with the intention of getting the co-operation of as many schools as possible in order to make generalisations about the wider population as a result of our findings. As previously mentioned, BELB was chosen due to logistical and time issues we anticipated to keep to a minimal, in comparison to what a wider sample population would have created,
Having previously decided on a questionnaire as the tool for our proposed method of survey; we then agreed on what questions to decide based on our background knowledge of the topic. ( A copy of the questionnaire can be found at appendix ). We were influenced by elements of a positivist perspective by focusing on a ‘closed-question’ style questionnaire. The advantages of this will be that it should allow for us to easily quantify our findings and as a result create Visual aids to help give increased understanding of our findings about the phenomena of the