New schools research tool assesses learner, parent satisfaction

Increasing pressure on schools to retain existing learners and attract new ones in South Africa’s highly competitive educational sector, is compelling institutions to measure learner and parent satisfaction. In response to this pressing need, BMi Research has developed a new school satisfaction measurement tool for high-performing public and private schools.

 

“This is essentially a customer experience solution,” explains David Dean, Business Development Executive at BMi Research. “It has been specifically designed for schools to accurately measure the satisfaction of learners, parents and teachers to ensure that their needs and expectations are constantly met. The data gathered from these stakeholders can then be used by the school to inform important decisions around everything from developing the curriculum and extra murals offered, compiling marketing and positioning strategies, to crafting the school’s culture, as well as improving communication between the school and its stakeholders.”

 

The new research solution takes the form of an online questionnaire, tailored for learners, parents and teachers, to gauge their perceptions of the school, based on their personal experiences of the school’s culture and offerings. The questionnaire covers the curriculum, after-school sports, the tuck shop/canteen, arts and culture, school events, information and communication, teacher support, school facilities and fees.

 

“We opted for an online questionnaire, as it enables the research team to quickly and easily collect responses, as respondents can complete the survey in their own time. This is also more affordable than other data collection methodologies, which is another benefit to schools given the current economic climate,” Dean adds.

 

There are a number of benefits to institutions using the new solution, primarily to enhance their offerings in order to reduce scholar churn and attract new learners; to identify areas that need attention as perceived by all stakeholders; and to better understand the general perceptions of the school.

 

Over and above this, it provides schools with an opportunity to improve their overall reputation and create a positive public image; it provides parents and learners with an anonymous platform to openly and honestly voice their opinions and concerns; and helps schools develop effective marketing material for scholar growth.

 

One of the most important benefits to schools is the chance to assess the optimal pricing for school fees, to ensure they are affordable yet still market related.

 

“We are really excited to launch BMi Research’s new education CX solution. It can generate insights with the power to shape a successful strategy that speaks to the needs and expectations of both parents and learners. We believe schools will find this new solution invaluable,” says Michelle Daines, the Research Manager at BMi Research.

 

Once the surveys have been completed, the necessary quality assurance checks are done before the data is extracted, cleaned, analysed and the research report compiled.