EVALUATION OF DISCOVERING DEMOCRACY 2000-2003
SCHOOL QUESTIONNAIRE
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING
THE QUESTIONNAIRE
 Use a dark lead pencil
Please MARK LIKE THIS
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 If you make a mistake, please erase it.
Discovering Democracy is the Australian Government’s civics and citizenship
education programme, which has been running since 1997. Curriculum resources have
been distributed to all schools through the programme which has also provided support
for teacher professional development in civics and citizenship education.
1. Who is completing this questionnaire?
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Principal
Coordinator
Executive staff / school leadership team member
Classroom teacher
2. What grades or year levels does the school include?
(Please tick which ever apply)
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Lower Primary
Middle Primary
Upper Primary
Lower Secondary
Middle Secondary
Upper Secondary
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3. What is your school enrolment?
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30 students or less
31-100 students
101-400 students
401-700 students
701 or more students
4. Where is your school located?
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Metropolitan area
Regional centre
Rural area
5. State/Territory
NSW
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Queensland
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Victoria
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ACT
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Tasmania
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Northern
Territory
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South
Australia
Western
Australia
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6. Is your school a:
Government school
Catholic school
Independent school
©Erebus Consulting Partners 2003
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7. How many years has your school been involved in Discovering Democracy?
None
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2 years or less
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3-5 years
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More than 5 years
If Discovering Democracy is not used at all in your school, please go to Question 38
8. How would you describe the current stage of development of the use of Discovering
Democracy in your school?
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Low levels of awareness
Some teachers have examined the materials and trialled some of the units of work
Some teachers regularly use the materials
Most teachers in the school or faculty make some use of the materials
The programme is a well-established part of the school’s curriculum
Yes
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No
11. Has your school developed a specific policy/statement on
Discovering Democracy?
Yes
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No
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12. Has the school developed a policy/statement on teaching civics
and citizenship generally?
Yes
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No
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13. Has your school developed a specific teaching program (i.e. whole
school/faculty scope and sequence) for Discovering Democracy?
Yes
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No
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14. Has your school developed a specific teaching program (i.e. whole
school/faculty scope and sequence) for civics and citizenship?
Yes
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No
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9. Has your school received a grant to support its Discovering
Democracy activities?
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10. If yes, how was the grant used? (Please mark all that apply)
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Teacher release time
Purchase resources
Guest speaker
Other
15. How would you best describe the way Discovering Democracy is used in your
school?
Used by the majority of teachers across the school
Used mostly by teachers in a specific subject/learning area
Used only by a few individual teachers
Not usedt
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16. In which curriculum area(s) is Discovering Democracy used in your school? (Fill all that
apply)
English
Mathematics
Science
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Studies of Society and Environment
(Human Society and its Environment)
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©Erebus Consulting Partners 2003
Creative Arts
Health and Physical Education
Technological and Applied
Studies (Technology)
Languages Other Than English
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2
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Religious Education
Other
17. In what year levels is Discovering Democracy used in your school? (Fillall that apply)
K/R/P
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7 
2 
8 
3
9
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4
10
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5
11
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6
12
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18. For those teachers who use the Discovering Democracy materials, how much time
per class would they typically spend on this area?
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Up to 1 hour/week
1-2 hours/week
More than 2 hours/week
19. Is there an individual or team with overall responsibility for Discovering Democracy in
the school?
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Yes – Head of Department/Faculty
Yes – Team/Committee
Yes – Other individual coordinator
No
20. How is Discovering Democracy usually used in your school? (Fill all that apply)
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Specific events e.g. Harmony Day
Isolated teaching activities on specific topics, e.g
Anzac Day, Rights and Responsibilities, etc
Units of work across several KLAs
Units of work within a particular KLA
As an incidental part of work in KLAs
As a comprehensive programme of study in civics
and citizenship
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21. What was the main motivation for using Discovering Democracy in your school?
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State curriculum/syllabus requirement
Individual teacher interest/speciality
Availability of materials
Response to specific school circumstances
Community expectations
22. What emphasis is given to the following student learning outcomes in your
school’s/faculty’s teaching of Discovering Democracy?
 gain knowledge and understanding of
Australia’s system of government and law
 understand the diverse make up of the
Australian Nation
 understand how participation and decisionmaking operate in contemporary Australia
 understand citizens’ rights and
responsibilities, and the opportunities for
exercising them
 develop skills for participation as informed,
reflective and active citizens (e.g., mutual
respect, empathy, and critical thought)
©Erebus Consulting Partners 2003
Strong
emphasis
Moderate
emphasis
Little
emphasis
Not at
all
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23. How would you rate the awareness of fellow teachers in your school/faculty of the
Discovering Democracy program?
Not Aware
A Little Aware
Moderately Aware
Highly Aware
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24. How would you describe the level of experience of using Discovering Democracy in
your school/faculty?
No experience
Very
Inexperienced
Inexperienced
Experienced
Very
Experienced
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25. On average over a school term, how frequently do teachers use each Discovering
Democracy component in teaching civics and citizenship?
 Units of work
 Australian
Readers
 Website
 Discovering
Democracy
through
Research
 Assessment
Resources
 A Guide to
Government
and Law in
Australia
(teacher
guide)
 CD-ROMs
 Video
 Posters and
cards
Never
Once a
Term
More
than
Once a
Term
Once a
Week
More
Than
Once a
Week
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Daily
26. How much of each Discovering Democracy component would teachers generally use
in teaching civics and citizenship?
 Units of work
 Australian
Readers
 Website
 Discovering
Democracy
through
Never
Once a
Term
More
than
Once a
Term
Once a
Week
More
Than
Once a
Week
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©Erebus Consulting Partners 2003
Daily
4
Research
 Assessment
Resources
 A Guide to
Government
and Law in
Australia
(teacher
guide)
 CD-ROMs
 Video
 Posters and
cards
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27. How relevant are the knowledge, skills and values in the Discovering Democracy
package as a whole to the way your school/faculty teaches civics and citizenship?
Not
relevant
Slightly
Relevant
Relevant
Highly
Relevant
Extremely
Relevant
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 Knowledge
 Skills
 Values
28. In what ways have teachers used Discovering Democracy components in your
school/faculty?
Once a
More than
Once a
More Than

Never
Term
Once a
Term
Week
Once a
Week
Daily
 Units of
work
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 Australian
Readers
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 Website
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 A Guide to
Government
and Law in
Australia
(teacher
guide)
 CD-ROMs
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 Video
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 Posters and
cards
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 Discovering
Democracy
through
Research
 Assessment
Resources
29. How do you rate the usefulness of the Discovering Democracy components to civics
and citizenship teaching in your school/faculty?
©Erebus Consulting Partners 2003
5
 Units of work
 Australian
Readers
 Website
 Discovering
Democracy
through
Research
 Assessment
Resources
 A Guide to
Government
and Law in
Australia
(teacher
guide)
 CD-ROMs
 Video
 Posters and
cards
Never
Once a
Term
Once
a
Week
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More
than
Once a
Term
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More
Than
Once a
Week
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Daily
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30. What factors have most affected use of Discovering Democracy electronic resources
in your school? (Fill all that apply)
Availability of technology in the school
Student access to technology
Teacher expertise in using technology
Awareness of availability of electronic resources
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31. Overall, how appropriate are Discovering Democracy units of work to your
school’s/faculty’s curriculum in civics and citizenship education?
MIDDLE
PRIMARY
Stories of People
and Rulers
Rulers and Laws
We Remember
Joining In
UPPER
PRIMARY
Parliament vs.
Monarch
The Law Rules
People Make a
Nation
People Power
Never
Used
Highly
Inappropriate
Inappropriate
Appropriate
Highly
Appropriate
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Never
Used
Highly
Inappropriate
Inappropriate
Appropriate
Highly
Appropriate
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LOWER
SECONDARY
©Erebus Consulting Partners 2003
6
Should the
People Rule?
Law
Democratic
Struggles
Men & Women in
Political Life
MIDDLE
SECONDARY
Parties Control
Parliament
A Democracy
Destroyed
Human Rights
Making a Nation
What Sort of
Nation
Getting Things
Done
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32. Who has accessed professional development for Discovering Democracy over the
past three years?
Some individuals
A single grade or faculty
Multiple grades or faculties
Whole school staff
Whole school staff and community
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33. To what extent has professional development for Discovering Democracy impacted
on the following?
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School goals and priorities
Curriculum planning and organisation
Teacher understanding and confidence
Teaching and learning practices
Quality of resource support
Assessment and reporting practices
Community understanding and involvement
Student learning outcomes
Great
extent
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Moderate
extent
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Little
extent
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Not at
all
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34. To what extent have teachers in your school accessed the following forms of
professional development support for Discovering Democracy?
 Discovering Democracy networks
 System curriculum consultants
 School based professional development provided by
members of staff
 Discovering Democracy website
 Specific inservice courses
 Conferences / seminars
©Erebus Consulting Partners 2003
Great
extent
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Moderate
extent
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Little
extent
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Not at
all
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7
35. How useful have teachers generally found the following forms of professional
development for Discovering Democracy?
 Discovering Democracy networks
 System curriculum consultants
 School based professional development provided by
members of staff
 Discovering Democracy website
 Specific inservice courses
 Conferences / seminars
Very
useful
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Moderately
useful
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Little
use
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Not at
all
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36. To what extent are the following methods used to assess student learning outcomes
in civics and citizenship education, including Discovering Democracy in your school?
Written tests
Exams
Essays
Oral assessments
Projects
Short answer questions
Participation/classroom observation
Class notes/workbook
Portfolios
Performance (e.g., a play)
Great
extent
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Moderate
extent
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Little
extent
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Not at
all
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 Community activities/civic participation
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37. How important are the following factors in facilitating use of Discovering Democracy in your
school?
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Systemic requirements
School leadership support
Availability of external support
Availability of teaching/learning resources
Funding grants
Availability of professional development
support
A strong “champion/advocate” for
Discovering Democracy in the school
Student enthusiasm/motivation
Teacher enthusiasm/motivation
Community expectations
Extremely
important
Moderately
important
Of little
Importance
Not
Important
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38. How important are the following factors in limiting use of Discovering Democracy in your
school?
 Competing systemic requirements
©Erebus Consulting Partners 2003
Extremely
important
Moderately
important
Of little
importance
Not
Important
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8
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Availability of external support
Availability of teaching/learning resources
Time constraints/crowded curriculum
Student enthusiasm/motivation
Teacher enthusiasm/motivation
Teacher Knowledge and skills
Community expectations
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39. To what extent have any of the following issues impacted negatively on the
implementation of Discovering Democracy in your school?
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Access to the resources
Quality of the resources
Cost of additional materials
Level of difficulty for students
Integrating it into the existing curriculum
Appropriateness of teaching strategies
Opportunities for professional development
Access to computers with CDROM
Access to the internet
 Competing school priorities
40.
How long did you take to complete this survey?
Great
extent
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Moderate
extent
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Little
extent
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Not at
all
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30 minutes or less
More than 30 minutes
Please return this survey by ………………..
to:
NCS Pearson Pty Ltd
Reply Paid
Discovering Democracy Questionnaire
100 Station Street
NUNAWADING VIC 3121
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION
©Erebus Consulting Partners 2003
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