Research designBack

1) Parents

Telephone interviews were conducted by interviewers under close supervision. All data were collected by our interviewers using a Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) system which allowed real-time data capture and consolidation. To ensure data quality, on top of on-site supervision, voice recording, screen capturing and camera surveillance were used to monitor the interviewers' performance.

The target population of this survey is parents who are raising at least one child of age 18 or below and speak Cantonese. If more than one eligible subject had been available, the one who had her birthday next was selected.

The survey was conducted during the period of September 12 to November 11, 2012. 1,034 respondents were successfully interviewed. The effective response rate was 61.0%, and the standard sampling error for percentages based on this sample was less than 1.6 percentage points. In other words, the maximum sampling error for percentages was less than plus/minus 3.1 percentage points at 95% confidence level.

2) Representatives of private institutes

Telephone interviews were conducted by interviewers under close supervision. All data were collected by our interviewers using a Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) system which allowed real-time data capture and consolidation. To ensure data quality, on top of on-site supervision, voice recording, screen capturing and camera surveillance were used to monitor the interviewers' performance.

The target population of this survey is private education / learning centres owners or representatives who are in the position to make recruitment decision and speak Cantonese. The target group of the organization should include children and teenagers aged below 18. When telephone contact was successfully established with a target company, the representative who was in the position to make recruitment decision was then invited to participate in this survey.

The survey was conducted during the period of September 14 to October 11, 2012. 1,007 respondents were successfully interviewed. The effective response rate was 68.4%, and the standard sampling error for percentages based on this sample was less than 1.6 percentage points. In other words, the maximum sampling error for percentages was less than plus/minus 3.2 percentage points at 95% confidence level.

3) School principals

The target population of this survey was defined as principals or vice-principals of local kindergartens, primary schools and secondary school. This part was conducted by self-administered paper questionnaire. The invitation letter and self-administered paper questionnaire were faxed to 2,149 secondary schools, primary schools and kindergartens in mid-September, 2012. School principals were invited to complete the questionnaire and return the questionnaire via fax, email or mail to POP’s office directly on or before October 5, 2012.

The data collection period started from September 17 to October 5, 2012. A total of 348 questionnaires were received and 258 were considered valid. The response rate was 12.0%, and the standard sampling error for percentages based on this sample was less than 2.9 percentage points. In other words, the maximum sampling error for percentages was less than plus/minus 5.7 percentage points at 95% confidence level.