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Design and Implement a Questionnaire For A Pilot Survey

1. Objectives

The purpose for this survey will be to determine graduate activity trends in five law schools of Scotland, which are Dundee, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Strathclyde and Glasgow. This survey does not concern feedback for the quality of teaching as there are already existing schemes to monitor the competitive trends between law schools.

(a) Establish a profile of the destination/plans of students following completion of their degrees.
(b) Determine the influences and presence of changes (if any) in the objectives of students at the beginning and end of their degrees. This part of the questionnaire will:
(i) Determine expectations at the beginning of the degree.
(ii) Determine key academic, social, financial and practical influences in career decisions during the degree.
(c) Generate feedback from students on the ability of institutions to prepare students for life beyond University. This part will cover:
(i) Strategies implemented by institutions to encourage students to explore their career options
(ii) Strategies implemented to educate students in the following:
- a. Commitment required to achieve goals, including ideal CV builder activities and academic requirements.
- b. Realistic expectations
- c. Available access to career information
- d. Career advice, including CV preparation and mock interviews
- e. Time Management training for application deadlines

2. Survey Type

(a) Medium of implementation.

This survey requires to be executed in a way that is familiar and user friendly to participants. There are three key reasons why this survey is best served via electronic submission and return.

Firstly, students, like many young people, frequently utilise email in daily social lives and this format will ensure the best returns. Completion of the pilot survey should therefore be constructed in such a way that the answering of questions takes no longer than the general length of time required to respond to a social email.

Secondly, this is by far the fastest and most convenient method of submission and return. A single survey can be sent to multiple recipients using mailing list facilities. In addition, feedback tends to be timely and is received via the same PC that will be used to analyse data collected.

Thirdly, electronic mail is the most cost effective method of circulating information as costs amount exclusively to charges incurred through internet access.

(b) Size of Sample

The pilot survey is pooled from seven students from each law school. There are between 120-150 graduates in each law school. This therefore means that the entire survey population amounts to approximately 600-750 graduates, which therefore means that 35 students reflects roughly 5-6% of the student body.

(c) Appropriate software for data analysis

The key strategy for the pilot survey is to analyse the efficiency of the questionnaire in stimulating answers that collect the right sort of data. The problem with data entry mechanisms is that it is not user friendly to prosaic responses. This means that the best initial method of data analysis is to compile tabular responses for numeric and Y/N answers and prosaic summaries for open questions, with attention drawn to the answers that are more popular and stand out the most. This is best achieved using WORD. Compiling such detailed responses is however very time consuming and for the purposes of a pilot survey, the main verbal feedback is really all that is needed when the purpose is to ascertain the efficiency of the questionnaire.

3. Questionnaire

Key Note - Seven Rules of Effective Design

(a) Simplicity

(b) Achievability of aims

(d) Short Length

(e) Variety of open and closed Questions

(f) Relevance

(g) User Friendliness

Introductory Information

As a law graduate, you have completed the Law Society of Scotland's required academic stage of your legal career. It is however very clear that many Scots law graduates do not seek the conventional legal career path by taking the Diploma of Legal Practices (equivalent to the English Legal Practice Course) and then pursuing a training contract. This survey seeks information about your plan of action following graduation and the key influences that led you to your decision or influenced any indecisiveness. In addition, various influences in terms of source, quality and availability of career resources across each of the five law schools is also sought in this survey

Please read each question carefully and answer in accordance with the instructions provided.

Question 1

Which of the following law schools did you attend? (please indicate with an X)

(a) Aberdeen
(b) Dundee
(c) Edinburgh
(d) Glasgow
(e) Strathclyde

Question 2

What is going to be your course of action after graduation? (please delete appropriately)

(a) I am pursuing a legal career (If NO, please proceed to (v)) Y/N

(i) I am pursuing the DLP Y/N
(ii) I am pursuing a career as a solicitor or barrister in another jurisdiction Y/N
(iii) I have a training contract lined up Y/N
(iv) Please finish the following sentence:

I have/intend to obtain, a training contract with a firm that specialises in:

........................................................................................

(v) I will be undertaking postgraduate study Y/N

(If Yes, please specify the institution and course name)

........................................................................................

(vii) I am pursuing postgraduate study as I have decided to go into academia. Y/N

(b) I have decided to pursue a career other than law Y/N

(if YES please specify your chosen career and the steps you have taken to pursue this career)

Question 3

Is your current plan in keeping with your objectives from first year? Y/N

(if no please specify)

Question 4

Please Specify, in order of priority from 1-9, starting with 1 as the highest priority, the academic influences that helped you to maintain or change your first year goals.

(a) The content of the courses
(b) Grades Obtained
(c) Inspired lectures from guest speakers
(d) Inspired lectures from the academic staff
(e) Participation in legal activities such as mooting
(f) Availability for legal discussions such as study groups
(g) Opportunity to study elsewhere or abroad
(h) Independent research
(i) Other, please specify

Question 5

Please give a brief explanation to your answer to question 4

.......................................................................................

Question 6

Please delete appropriately:

I lived at/away from home during my degree.

Question 7

Please specify numerically, in order of priority, the social influences that were integral to life as a student at your University that caused you to maintain or change your first year goals. Your reasoning may well be negative and explanations may be provided under question 8. Please leave bank those that are irrelevant to you.

(a) Membership of University Societies
(b) Family
(c) Friends
(d) Flatmates and Condition of Accommodation
(e) Summer Programs instigated through the University
(f) Living at home
(g) My part time job (non financial influences)
(h) Community involvement outside of University but within my University town
(i) Other, please specify

Question 8

Please give a brief explanation to your answer to question 7 above.

Question 9

I am looking for financial influences that affected your life at University and consequently impacted your course of action following graduation:

Please indicate in numerical order of preference, the following positive financial influences that helped you to maintain or change your first year goals. Please leave blank the statements that do not apply.

(a) Grant/Loan/Income from parents allowed me to concentrate exclusively on my studies.

(b) My part-time job during term relieved financial worries
(c) My rent was low
(d) My full-time job during the summer funded term time
(e) Living at home relieved financial burden
(f) I used my student loan/other funds to take advantage of opportunities during the summer
(g) Other, Please specify.

Question 10

Please give a brief explanation of your answer to question 9 above

...................................................................................................

Question 11

Please indicate with an X, the negative financial influences that caused you to maintain or change your goals

(a) Debt
(b) I could not afford to rent accommodation
(c) My part time job was inadequate to raise living expenses
(d) My part time job took up a great deal of my spare time
(e) My rent was high
(f) I did not raise enough capital in one or more summers
(g) Other, please specify

Question 12

Please give an explanation to your answers in question 11 by stating how these influences affected your career moves.

Question 13

Please indicate in order of priority, the practical influences that helped you to maintain, change your first year goals.

(a) Work Experience
(b) Careers Fairs
(c) Visits from law firms/chance to speak to professionals
(d) Open Days
(e) Other, please specify

Question 14

Please briefly explain your answers to question 13 above.

Question 15

Having graduated, do you feel that your university prepared you well for the outside world? Please indicate whether the following facilities were provided by your institution:

(a) Career Advice/Facilities (other than career visits) (if yes, please answer the remainder of question (i)-(iv) Y/N

(i) There were many incentives to encourage use of the careers facilities Y/N
(ii) There were some incentives to encourage use of the careers facilities Y/N
(iii) It was up to us to research the available careers facilities Y/N
(iv) Careers facilities included (please X appropriately):
- a. CV feedback from advisers
- b. Specialist Mock Interviews
- c. Discussions on Career Options
- d. Other facilities, please specify

(b) We had/did not have student/staff mentors to take us through (please X appropriately if applicable)

(i) Career options
(ii) Course requirements recommendations for career plans
(iii) Work experience requirements/advantages
(iv) Deadlines for applications
(v) Advice on funding for future studies
(vi) Realistic feedback on chances of and requirements for obtaining chosen career
(vi) Other, please specify

Question 16

Please indicate any shortfalls in your university's provision of preparation for the real world. What sort of facilities would your have liked to have been exposed to more?

Question 17

How would the presence of the sought after facilities have better prepared your for the outside world?

Question 18

What successful activities/initiatives did the university implement and how did they affect you?

Question 19

Please specify anything else that you would like to mention that you feel would be useful information for this questionnaire?

Question 20

How would you rate this questionnaire?

Thank you very much for your time.

4. Pilot Results

Implementation was carried out electronically over a weekend period so as to enable students to ponder questions at their own leisure and submit answers via e-mail. The questionnaire was submitted on the Friday and a deadline of Sunday evening was specified for delivery of answers. The data was analysed and a report executed on the Monday.

(a) Feedback Report - Key aspects

There were no significant patterns that contrasted the five Universities other than economic bias towards Edinburgh.

(i) Breakdown of participants

There were seven graduate participants from each university, out of which 21 had obtained legal training contracts in Scotland and three were set to pursue the DLP without a contract. Three graduates had obtained training contracts in London. One graduate was to pursue legal postgraduate study in Sydney and one had opted to take Management in Glasgow. Of the remaining six graduates, one was destined for the Army, one had a Graduate Placement in management and the rest were undecided.

Of the graduates who either had or were intending to pursue a Scottish legal career, the majority were heading for corporate law, with property and family as the second highest specialisations. All three London bound graduates were heading for large corporate firms with blue chip clients.

(ii) Academic Influences

Plans had changed since first year for all who were not still pursuing a Scottish legal career. Reasons were heavily associated with grades and course content from honours courses with very little emphasis given to any of the other options specified in question 4. Of those who had changed career path, there was a consensus of academic dryness in course content but some had been determined to follow through, only to be beaten by re-sits in their first and second years.

(iii) Social Influences

Three candidates had taken a year out to study abroad, two of which were destined for London and the second for postgraduate study in Sydney. They all had rated their experiences abroad extremely highly and all were excessively well ravelled as a result of programs abroad in the summers!

Diverse University society activity rated high with almost all participants not pursuing the DLP. Of those who were, activity was largely in the field of mooting, the law society and performing Arts. Eight candidates did not work during their degree term time and surprisingly, five had studied in Edinburgh.

Six candidates stayed at home during their degrees and all were destined for the DLP.

(iv) Financial Influences

Almost all students in accommodation took out loans and most had part-time jobs during both the summer and term. The Sydney bound and London bound students used loans to fund summer programs. All stipulated that money was at the forefront of their mind regardless of help from family or the government.

(v) Practical Influences

Sixteen of the DLP bound students with contracts had done summer placements and all the London bound participants had done vacation placements with their firms. They regarded this as a definite turning point that made up for grade shortfalls.

(vi) University Facilities

All institutions had careers offices with advisers giving advice on CVs, mock interviews and career options. Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen had funda finder software.

Very few candidates had used the careers facilities extensively. Almost all candidates stated that career research was up to them and none of the institutions offered mentoring. Participants bound for London expressed grievances about this. Some of the DLP students with contracts expressed that they were not even sure whether the legal career was for them but pursued it as they did not know what else to do. Those who were undecided had shelved career plans in order to concentrate on their degrees.

Many praised their academic advisers but the more thorough answers stated that they felt their advisers had too many students on their books and advice was generally grade rather than career orientated.

5. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Questionnaire

(a) Weaknesses

Almost all participants stated that it needed to be more user friendly. They were not fond of question 2 as it followed a confused structure. The layout of questions 4, 7, 9 and 11 rendered the questions dysfunctional as many participants only numbered a few preferences, stating that other scenarios either never occurred or that no one really considers that many influences when studying for a degree. Participants were therefore frustrated with instances of irrelevance and rebelled by scoring out sentences on the form.

(b) Strengths

Participants clearly liked the open line of questioning as they were then able to convey their individual points. There was outright praise for the questions referring to University facilities and initiatives as it was felt that this was an excessively overlooked issue. The enthusiasm of participants therefore increased greatly where they felt that they were being asked topical and target reaching questions.

Conclusion

The pilot questionnaire obtained far more information than originally anticipated since many lines of questioning opened underlying demographic, social and economical factors that influenced eventual career moves. Information on shortfalls was largely forthcoming due to student passion on the topic but was hindered by lack of easy use of the questionnaire and some instances of irrelevance.

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