Abstract:

Primary school boys have their own learning styles and needs which should be catered for. This has been concluded by several studies (Mather, 2019). Laws and Mann (2004) emphasize the value of capturing children’s perceptions and experiences, as they offer unique insights into their daily lives unfiltered by adult interpretations. Although various methods exist for researching with children—such as focus groups (Hennessey & Heary, 2005), observations (Christiansen, Bertram & Land, 2010), and participatory methods (Shaw, Brady & Davy, 2011)—this study centers on the design and use of an engaging qualitative questionnaire. The research aimed to gain a comprehensive understanding of boys' perceptions and experiences with this questionnaire, which was crafted specifically to capture data for a larger study relevant to their learning preferences and writing experiences. To ensure the tool's effectiveness, data were collected through the questionnaire itself, observations made during its completion, and informal semi-structured interviews conducted afterward. The triangulation of these data sources was intended to create a holistic picture of the boys’ experiences and assess the suitability of the questionnaire as a data collection tool. The study involved administering the questionnaire to a group of boys, followed by the researcher observing their engagement using a semi-structured observation schedule. Additionally, a randomly selected sample of boys was interviewed after completing the questionnaire to further explore their experiences. The collected data were analysed using content analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Findings indicate that the boys were highly engaged with the questionnaire, leaving no questions unanswered. Interviews and observations revealed that they enjoyed the process, suggesting that the questionnaire effectively captured their attention and elicited meaningful responses. The data gathered provided the necessary insights for the broader study on primary school boys' writing experiences. The study concludes that well-designed data collection tools that account for participants' interests, age, gender, and cultural background can effectively elicit the required data, thus empowering children within the research process. Consequently, it is recommended that these factors be carefully considered when developing research tools for young participants.

Keywords:

Primary school boys, questionnaire, data collection tools.