Outcome Monitoring Manual Revised PDF

PPA Outcome Monitoring
Manual
Understanding
the difference we
are making for
girls.
Created by: Laura Hughston
Contents
How to use this guide ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Chapter A: The PPA from the perspective of Schools and Teachers.............................................................................. 7
A1. What do we want to understand ..............................................................................................................8
A2. Planning.............................................................................................................................................9
A3. Ethical considerations ............................................................................................................................9
A4. Data collection process & tools .................................................................................................................9
A5. Data entry & quality ..........................................................................................................................10
Pre Fieldwork...................................................................................................................................... 10
Fieldwork .......................................................................................................................................... 10
Post fieldwork ..................................................................................................................................... 11
During data entry ............................................................................................................................... 11
Chapter B: Adolescent monitoring Tools ............................................................................................................ 12
B1. Schooling from the perspective of those who dropped out .................................................................................. 13
B1.1 What do we want to understand ...........................................................................................................14
B1.2 Planning..........................................................................................................................................14
B1.3. Ethical considerations ........................................................................................................................15
B1.4. Data collection process & tools .............................................................................................................15
B1.5. Data Entry & Quality ........................................................................................................................16
Pre Fieldwork...................................................................................................................................... 16
Fieldwork .......................................................................................................................................... 17
Post fieldwork ..................................................................................................................................... 17
B.2. School, community and the future from the eyes of adolescents ....................................................................... 18
B2.2 Planning .........................................................................................................................................19
B2.3 Ethical considerations .........................................................................................................................20
B2.4 Data collection process & tools ..............................................................................................................20
B2.5 Data entry & quality ........................................................................................................................21
Pre Fieldwork...................................................................................................................................... 21
Fieldwork .......................................................................................................................................... 21
Post fieldwork ..................................................................................................................................... 21
B3. Plurality of voices and views ...................................................................................................................... 23
Focus Group Discussions with Adolescents ............................................................................................................ 24
B3.2 Planning for data collection ................................................................................................................25
B3.3 Ethical considerations in field research ...................................................................................................26
B3.4 The Data collection process ..................................................................................................................27
Questions 1 3: Value of education .......................................................................................................... 27
Questions 4 5: Child Protection in the School ............................................................................................ 27
Questions 6 7: Use of Punishment and Views of Corporal Punishment ............................................................. 29
Blind Voting: Violence in School ............................................................................................................... 29

Questions 8 10: Gender and expectations .................................................................................................. 31
Questions 11 13: School Accountability ...................................................................................................... 32
Questions 14 15: SRHR .......................................................................................................................... 33
Questions 16 19: About Plans Accountability ............................................................................................. 33
Optional Activity A: Gender preference for education Sara and Joseph ........................................................... 35
Optional Activity B: Exiting Education ...................................................................................................... 35
Optional Activity C & C1: Teacher Abuse story of Anna/Peter ...................................................................... 37
Optional Activity D: Ranking good and bad teacher behaviour........................................................................ 38
Optional Activity E: School Accountability Game .......................................................................................... 39
Optional Activity F: Ranking future scenarios by probability.......................................................................... 41
Optional Activity G: Changes in awareness, beliefs and behaviours through body mapping ..................................... 42
B3.5 Data entry & quality ........................................................................................................................45
Pre Fieldwork...................................................................................................................................... 45
Fieldwork .......................................................................................................................................... 45
Post fieldwork ..................................................................................................................................... 45
Chapter C: Accompanying Adolescents on their way to school .................................................................................. 47
C1. What do we want to understand ............................................................................................................48
C2. Planning ...........................................................................................................................................48
C3. Ethical considerations ..........................................................................................................................49
C4. Data collection process & tools................................................................................................................49
C5. Focus Group Discussions with Parents ........................................................................................................50
C5.1 What do we want to understand with the Parents FGDs .......................................................................... 50
C.5.2 Planning for data collection ........................................................................................................... 51
C5.3 Ethical considerations in field research ............................................................................................... 51
Questions 1 2: Value of education.......................................................................................................... 52
Questions 3 4: Punishment in School ........................................................................................................ 53
Questions 5 6: Decision making and Accountability ..................................................................................... 54
Questions 7 8: The Future .................................................................................................................... 54
Questions 9: SRHR ................................................................................................................................ 54
Questions 10 14: About Plans Accountability ............................................................................................. 54
C6. Data entry & quality...........................................................................................................................56
Pre Fieldwork...................................................................................................................................... 56
Fieldwork .......................................................................................................................................... 56
Post fieldwork ..................................................................................................................................... 56
Chapter D: Analysis and Reflection ................................................................................................................... 58

D1. Calculated indices ............................................................................................................................ 60
D2. Graphs not displaying percentages ...................................................................................................... 61
D3. Continued Improvement ................................................................................................................... 62
Planning for data collection

On a quarterly basis, we will be selecting the schools in each PU where we will be collecting data.
This sampling will be communicated in a timely manner to all countries. Additional data collection
will be required for the year end.
On a quarterly basis each Country will collect data from:
Adolescents
Focus groups with girls and Focus groups with boys as per selected sample
Conduct a Knowledge Attitudes and Behaviours survey with 60 girls and 60 boys as per
selected sample
Conduct a follow up study on 8 dropout girls as per selected sample of schools
Schools
Conduct a short assessment in selected schools
Distribute and collect questionnaires to teachers in the sampled schools targeting those
teaching in grades 7,8 and 9
Community
Conduct interviews with eight local leaders in each sampled community
Conduct a FGD with mothers and one with fathers in each sampled community
Conduct an assessment of Community Child Protection Committees where these exist
The arrangements that need to be made for each tool are discussed under the headings for that
activity. This will include the materials that need to be prepared prior to the data collection.
Each PU team is responsible for making timely arrangements with the schools and ensure the data
collection is not intrusive or disrupting of school activities.
Both female and male facilitators and note takers are required for the FGDs, where necessary, PU
teams need to ensure the selected individuals are available on the data collection date and have
received some training on their respective roles. (More details under the FGD guidance on the role of
note takes.)
How to use this guide

M&E Officers, PPA coordinators and anyone involved in the data collection should be familiar with
the content of this guide prior to commencing data collection. A printed copy should be available to
data collectors in the field to refer to during data collection. To aid understanding, in this guide, we
will use the following symbols:
Facilitation Style
Giving more details and guidance on the facilitation style required for the
section.
Sensitivity
Alerting you to issues when particular sensitivity is required to draw attention to
situations where it will be important to be particularly delicate and sensitive when
questioning.
Observation
Guidance on particular things to observe and note during the session, for both the
facilitator and the note taker to pay particular attention.
Timing
Will indicate the recommended time for each section.
Technical information
information on the workings of the systems and other tips.
Materials
Highlighting the materials and resources you are going to need for the session.
Instructions for the Notetaker

Highlights important instructions for the note taker.
Chapter A: The PPA from the perspective of

Schools and Teachers
School Monitoring Tools
School Monitoring Tools

This chapter provides an overview of the data collection to be conducted QUARTERLY in SCHOOLS
(collectively referred to here as the schools tools) for the extension phase (YR4 & YR5) of the PPA
projects part of on-going monitoring and evaluation efforts. The schools tools consist of the
following:
1.
SQ1 (School Assessment) to be administered QUARTERLY in ALL COUNTRIES which

consists of a series of closed and open ended questions with the aim of obtaining
information on enrolment/dropouts, activities of the school management committee,
school accountability and other such issues.
Conducted through a face to face interview with an individual representing the school.
This tool is to be implemented in [different for Kenya] however not all countries will be
required to complete all sections of this tool. Below we include a breakdown for each country
on which sections they will need to complete:
Country
Cambodia
Kenya
Malawi
Mali
Pakistan
Rwanda
Zimbabwe
2.
Sections
Section A, B, C, E, E1, F, G
Section A, B, C,D, E, E1, F, G
Section A, B, C,D, E, E1, F, G
Section A, B, C, D,E, F, G
S2T (Teacher Questionnaire) to be administered both QUARTERLY in ALL COUNTRIES

EXCLUDING PAKISTAN, which is a self-administered questionnaire that the data
collectors will drop off at each school, allowing for teachers (teaching in grade 7,8,9) to
fill anonymously at their convenience. The data collectors will subsequently collect the
filled questionnaires at a pre-arranged date.
Plan UK staff will randomly select these Schools in which this assessment is to take place.
A1. What do we want to understand

From the school data collection we are interested in understanding how the school is functioning as
an institution. The tool probes into various areas of a well-functioning school including record
keeping and attempts made to contact and bring back students who have dropped out. School
management, accountability and child protection are also probed in this tool.
The teachers tool is a self-administered questionnaire aimed at gaging the PPAs contribution to the
quality of teaching in the school and the application of the teaching methodologies and behaviours
promoted by the PPA.
A2. Planning
Once the schools have been sampled, each PU is responsible for making arrangements with the
schools where data collection will take place. For ease, the schools where data collection is taking
place are the same where the adolescents data collection also takes place. It is important when
planning, to ensure that our data collection does not interfere with school activities.
Since the Teachers questionnaire is self-administered, it is important for the data collectors, during
the interval between the drop off of the questionnaire and the arranged collection date, regularly
remind their contact person within the school, to follow up with teachers who have not returned
their filled questionnaire to ensure the maximum number of successful returns.
Optional Additional Schools
Although COs are only requested to assess 8 schools per quarter, 2 per PU (except
Kenya and Pakistan) the data entry template allows for an additional 2 schools per
PU.
A3. Ethical considerations

School management has a right to decline taking part in our data collection. If this happens, please
contact UKNO to sample an alternative school.
It is also important that individuals within the school are given the opportunity to opt out from the
data collection if they wish to do so. The majority of the data collection tools are entirely anonymous
and respondents should be informed of this. Respondents should be informed of the reasons for our
data collection and encouraged to be entirely honest in their answers as this will enable us to
improve our programming. You can share a copy of the tools with the school prior to collecting data
in order for the school management to approve the data collection.
Remind respondents that honesty is a gift and we will are grateful to them for their generosity in
sharing with us feedback that will enable us to improve our programme and learn from it.
A4. Data collection process & tools

The school tool is composed of several chapters. Not all the countries will be using every chapter of
the tool the table above indicates which chapters are applicable to each country.
After the introduction with the respondent, who should be a member of the school management
team (or equivalent), and act as a spokesperson for the school, proceed from chapter A to the
completion of all the questions applicable to the country.
Timing - School Tool

It is important to bear in mind that the interview is a busy professional who has a
full work schedule. Try to keep the interview for the entire tool to a maximum of
40 minutes. The tool should easily be done in this time.
Materials - School Tool

The interviewer should print and bring at least two printed copies of the translated
questionnaire to the school. If requested a copy of the questionnaire can be left
with the school for their reference.
S2T is a self-administered this means that the questionnaires will need to be distributed at the
selected school and completed questionnaires may need to be collected at a later date (i.e. a week
later). Teachers are asked to complete the survey anonymously in their own time. Bring 10% more
copies of the survey that are needed (appropriately translated) to each school and deliver them to
the contact person (headmaster etc.), asking him/her to share it among his/her colleagues within the
school.
Two days after delivering the questionnaire, call the contact person again and remind them of the
survey and the date when you will be collecting the surveys. Check that they have distributed the
questionnaire to all the teachers and enquire about any problems (do they need more
questionnaires? Are the teachers on leave etc?).
One day before returning to the school to collect the questionnaires, call the contact person again
and remind them once more that you are coming to collect the questionnaires and check on progress.
Note that we are allowing for some refusal or failure to return the questionnaire. Some teachers
would have moved school, some might be sick or on maternity leave and others may simply not want
to fill the questionnaire. We are aware that this will happen; please collect those that you are able to
collect
A5. Data entry & quality

The following data quality control procedures should be considered in order to ensure that data
collected across the 7 countries is equally reliable.
Pre Fieldwork
If the questionnaires are being translated into community languages, CO staff must check the
translated surveys before being issued for field use.
Interviewers should fully be familiar with the tools and be confident answering questions about each
of the section or any clarifications that interviewees might have.
Fieldwork
Training/field preparation:
The interviewer(s) should understand clearly the questions in the questionnaire.

Before leaving the interviewee, quickly check that the survey has been filled in
completely and that there are no gaps or questions missed. Check for any inaccuracies
and for contradictory answers entered, and correct them before leaving the
interviewee. (for example, if you have marked that the school management committee
meets both weekly and monthly - this is a contradictory answer: check the correct
answer before leaving the presence of the interviewee)
Post fieldwork
Questionnaire checks (before data entry)
The main checks undertaken are:
The survey forms have been filled in completely and correctly

Any handwritten notes are clearly legible
where only one answer is applicable per question, check that only one answer was given
and that no contradictory answers were entered in the same questionnaire
During data entry

Staff carrying out data entry should be supported in using the survey form and inputting data into
Excel by the M&E Officer. The template provided allows only for the answers on the questionnaire to
be entered. While entering all the survey forms, staff should also be checking to see they have been
completed correctly. Where there are frequent errors (with questions missed, for example) this
should be brought to the attention of the PPA coordinator, so further mistakes can be avoided in the
future.
If there are major mistakes, the questionnaire must be discarded and it might be necessary to carry
out further data collection to reach the required sample.
The PPA coordinator/M&E Officer should carry out random checks on the data entered in the
template (for example, on questionnaire each 4 entered) comparing the paper version with the data
entered in excel. If a significant number of errors are spotted by the PPA coordinator/M&E Officer, it
might be necessary to re-check all the records entered into the data entry template.
The data entry template provides an excel tab for each tool in each PU.
The data entry templates should facilitate and speed up data entry. Only the answers present on the
questionnaire are available from the menus and only the names of the sampled schools per PU are
available for selection.
Essential Fields
For the data analysis, there are some fields that must be entered or the analysis will
be flawed. For the school tool, the essential field is the School Name for the
Teachers' questionnaire; the essential field is the teacher's gender. If Essential
fields are left blank, the questionnaires must be discarded as the data cannot be
used.
Chapter B: Adolescent monitoring Tools

This chapter provides an overview of the data collection to be conducted QUARTERLY with
ADOLESCENTS for the extension phase (YR4 & YR5) of the PPA project as part of on-going monitoring
and evaluation efforts.
The Adolescent tools consist of the following:
1.
2.
3.
AD1 (Drop out follow up) -administered QUARTERLY in ALL COUNTRIES

FTKBH1 (Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviour) -administered QUARTERLY in ALL
COUNTRIES
FGD (Focus Group Discussion) with girls and boys in PPA schools - administered
QUARTERLY in ALL COUNTRIES
This chapter provides guidance on the tools, sampling method to be used for each tool as well as
outlining procedures for data quality control.
The adolescent data collection tools are the largest and more time consuming tools, as adolescents
are the focus of our programme. Each tool is described below in its own section whilst the actual
tools and additional materials can be found in the appendices.
B1. Schooling from the perspective of those who

dropped out
Dropout follow up study
Dropout Study
The tool consists of a series of closed and open ended questions with the aim of obtaining
information on reasons for dropouts to be conducted through a face to face interview with girls who
have dropped out of school in the last 6 months.
This tool is to be completed with 8 girls (4 girls per school, 2 schools per country) who have dropped
out of school for the quarterly data collection.
Whilst our analysis focuses on adolescent girls who have dropped out of school, CO who are able to
do so, are welcome to collect data from boys as well.
B1.1 What do we want to understand

With this study we aim to understand the reasons that lead to adolescents dropping out of school,
what can be done to prevent dropout and what could be done to enable dropouts to return to
school. The study is quite short to avoid burdening the respondents and essentially focuses on two
clusters of reasons for dropping out: Home reasons and School reasons. With this research we aim to
understand which factors or combination of factors primarily cause adolescents to end their
schooling before completion and what can be done to prevent further dropouts.
It is important to remember that we do not conduct this study in order to identify individual cases to
help, although if, in the course of the study it emerges that we might be able to provide some
assistance or link an individual to support services, PU staff should take this opportunity. More
information on this under the Ethical consideration section.
B1.2 Planning
The interviewer conducting the school assessment described as part of the school tool, should collect
information in the sampled schools about drop out cases in the last six months (only one school per
PU - different for Kenya and Pakistan) at the time of carrying out the school assessment.
It is advisable to collect contact details for more cases than the minimum sample, as some girls may
not be accessible, may have moved or refuse to take part in the survey.
It is advisable to have female enumerators for the data collection. However it is more important that
the interview is carried out in a sensitive and unobtrusive way, taking care not to elicit any
expectations from the adolescents or their family members.
Local staff as well as the school staff will be able to advice on the best time to visit the girls. Some
may have dropped out because of work and may not be available during the day; others may have
chores or caring responsibilities. The interview should take place at a time and in a location
convenient and comfortable for the interviewee.
The interviewer conducting this study must be fully trained in Plan's Child Protection policy prior to
undertaking the research.
Additional dropout cases and boys dropouts

the tool does not limit the number of cases recorded. If data collectors are able to
gather data from more than the minimum number sampled the analysis will be
deeper and more meaningful.
Data collected from boys will not appear in the analysis and reflection tab but will
contribute to our global analysis on the reasons for dropout.
B1.3. Ethical considerations

By its own nature, this research involves visiting vulnerable adolescents in or near their homes. All
normal and necessary precautions must be taken to ensure that the adolescent is comfortable with
the interview and signed consent from both the adolescent and the parent/guardian must be
obtained. An example of consent form can be found in Appendix 1.
The interviewer must fully understand Plan's child protection policy and the research can only take
place if child protection standards can be guaranteed. Furthermore there are several other ethical
considerations in this case.
Firstly, it must be noted that the interviewee is likely to be a vulnerable individual who has already
suffered some form of exclusion (but may be suffering from several multiple forms of exclusion).
Particular care should be taken to ensure the interviewee is comfortable and gives informed consent
to the interview.
Secondly, the nature of the questions can cause further risk. In particular questions in relation to the
reasons for drop out and who made the decision to drop out. Ensure particular care when asking
these questions.
Thirdly, given the nature of Plan's work, it is possible that the interviewee or their family may
interpret the visit as an attempt by Plan to bring the interviewee back to school by providing some
kind of material support. It is extremely important to be clear about the purpose of the visit and not
create false expectations.
Finally, questions on the reasons and who took the decision to dropout may expose the respondent
to harm, both physical and psychological, particular care must be taken when asking these questions
and give the respondent the option to opt out of answering those questions.
The respondent and their parent/guardian have the right to withdraw from the interview at any
point. Make sure they understand that this is their right. If this happens, apologise for the
inconvenience and inform them that they are always welcome to contact Plan at any point with
queries or further questions.
B1.4. Data collection process & tools

Having collected the list of dropouts from the selected school, in the last six months, randomly select
from the list the names of those you will visit. This could be done by dividing the total number of girls
drop outs by 4, this will result in number x. Then determine the corresponding number to the day of
the week when the data collection is taking place, f.e 3 for Wednesday and 4 for Thursday. Starting
from the top of the list, count down the number corresponding to the day of the week, to identify
your starting point in that list. From the starting point, select every x , the girl to be interviewed.
For our sample, we require that a minimum of 4 girls sampled per school, if convenient more girls
can also be interviewed and boys can also be interviewed.
If a sampled girl in not available at the time of the visit, all reasonable attempts should be made to
return to the girl's house to avoid bias in the research. However, if this proves impossible, select the
next girl on the list as substitute. Select a substitute as well, in case one of the girls or their guardian
declines to do the interview.
After arriving at the house (or other suitable location) and checking it is a convenient time for the
interview, explaining clearly the reason for the research and obtaining a signed consent form from
both the interviewee and the parent/guardian, proceed with the interview taking care not to
express any judgement on the interviewee or her choices.
Pay particular attention to the interviewee's body language and signs of unease
when answering. If you see that the interview is making the girl uncomfortable:
STOP, apologise and leave. Observe any signs that may suggest that the interviewee
will face negative consequences in the household or neighbourhood from
answering any of the questions.
The question regarding disability, violence in school, poor quality of teaching and
who
the decision
to drop
out,
all be askeditself.
very sensitively. Remind
More tips on how to
askmade
the questions
are also
found
onshould
the questionnaire
the interviewee that she has a right to decline to answer any question and that all
the information will be treated confidentially and anonymously.
Bring at least 10 copies of the printed questionnaire with you even if you only
need 4, to allow for mistakes and cases of interviewees withdrawing half-way
during the interview. Bring also at least 10 printed consent forms with you.
A consent form can be found in Appendix 1.
B1.5. Data Entry & Quality

Pre Fieldwork
Fieldwork
Training/field preparation:
Ideally, all data collectors will have experience of working with surveys
interviewee. (for example, if you have marked that the school management committee
meets both weekly and monthly - this is a contradictory answer: check the correct
answer before leaving the presence of the interviewee)
Post fieldwork

During data entry

Staff entering data should be supported in using the survey form and inputting data into Excel by the
M&E Officer. While entering all the survey forms, staff should also be checking to see they have been
completed correctly. Where there are frequent errors (with questions missed, for example) these
should be brought to the attention of the PPA coordinator, so that further mistakes can be avoided.
Where there are frequent errors (with questions missed, for example) this should be brought to the
attention of the PPA coordinator, so further mistakes can be avoided in the future.
Essential Fields
be flawed. For the Dropout Study, the essential field is the Gender of the
Respondent. If Essential fields are left blank, the questionnaires must be discarded
as the data cannot be used.
B.2. School, community and the future from the

eyes of adolescents
Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours Survey
Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours Survey

The tool consists of closed questions only including simple Yes/No questions, true/ false questions
and scale questions to obtain a better understanding on knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of
adolescent girls and boys on a range of issues including gender equality, gender based violence,
future aspirations and SRHR.
The tool is self-administered however they are expected to be completed under supervision
of project staff and teachers.
This tool is to be completed with 60 girls per country (30 girls per school, 2 schools per
country) and 60 boys per country (30 boys per school, 2 schools per country)

The Knowledge Attitudes and Behaviour (KAB) survey enables us to better understand how
adolescents see their school and their communities, as well as their hopes and ideas about the
future.
The survey is completed by the adolescent individually in the familiar surroundings of a classroom in
their school and it is anonymous enabling total honesty. This method of collecting data allows us to
collect information from many students but does not enable us to probe the reasons behind the
adolescents responses. For deeper probing, we rely on the information yielded through the FGD.
The tool starts by asking questions in relation to the individual's experience of school, participation in
groups etc. to then probe more personal areas of beliefs and value. The final section of the
questionnaire covers more personal areas and questions in relation to SRHR1 and self esteem.
B2.2 Planning
In order to carry out the survey, prior agreement with the school is necessary to ensure the
availability of an appropriate venue and of the students.
Students can complete this in their own classroom but supervision is required to ensure the
adolescent maintain their focus on the questions and comply with the instruction.
Bring at least 30% printed questionnaires than you need in case somebody makes a
mistake or the school requires a copy. Bring additional pens should the adolescents
need them. For accountability, it is also advisable to share a copy of the
questionnaire with the school prior to the data collection.
The three questions on SRHR should be removed in the Pakistan version of the questionnaire.
B2.3 Ethical considerations

Both students and the school have a right to be informed of the reason for our data collection and
how the information is going to be used. The anonymity of the survey should be highlighted during
the introduction. Participation should be entirely voluntary and any student that does not wish to
take part should not be pressurised to do so.
The data collected can, and should be shared with the school and the adolescents including our
analysis of it. It is good practice to return to the school, after the data was collected and analysed, to
present findings.
Here is a sample introduction that the data collector could use to introduce the survey to the
adolescents who have accepted to take part in the study:
Thank you for accepting to answer this questionnaire for us. My name is <Data collectors
Name> and I am here on behalf of Plan. As you know Plan has been implementing a project
in this school and we are collecting information to better understand your views and what is
important to you. Here you are the experts and we want to learn from you. The views and
information you will give us today will help us to inform and improve our programme and
therefore we would like to invite you to be completely honest in your answers. There are no
right or wrong answers, but just opinions and everyones opinions have the same weight.
You are not obliged to participate and if you would rather leave, this is ok.
This questionnaire is anonymous and you are not required to write your name on any part of
the questionnaire.
It should take you just half an hour to complete this questionnaire, which will cover a range
of topics in relation to your experiences at school, at home in the community as well as what
you think and hope for your future. If at any point you dont understand a question, please
raise your hand and I will explain it. After everyone has completed the questionnaire, you are
welcome to ask any questions, in plenary or in private, and I will do my best to answer, but if
I dont know the answer myself, I will ensure one of my colleagues returns here to provide
you with an answer. .. So lets start
B2.4 Data collection process & tools

The adolescents should complete the questionnaires individually and without interaction between
themselves. If any adolescent has a question in relation to any of the points in the questionnaire,
they should raise their hand. The data collector should approach the adolescent and clarify the
question ensuring not to influence the answer that adolescent gives in any way.
A classroom setting is the preferred setting for this exercise allowing adolescents to take the survey
in silence and comfortably sitting at a desk.
Timing
It should take adolescent approximately 30 minutes to complete the survey. An
additional 10 minutes introduction and explanation will bring the total of the
exercise to 40.
As each completes the survey, adolescents can return the filled paper to the data collector and
should be allowed to leave the room. The data collector must remember to thank the participants as
they leave and ensure that any questions they have, either about the process or about Plans project
are answered.
B2.5 Data entry & quality

Pre Fieldwork
Data collectors should fully be familiar with the tools and be confident answering questions about
each of the section or any clarifications that interviewees might have.
Fieldwork
When collecting filled questionnaires, the data collector should, as much as possible, check that all
questions have been answered, especially the gender of the participant. Check that no personal
details are recorded on the form (like the participant's name) and erase those details if present.
Ensure that the name of the school is recorded and if the participant has failed to include this
information, note the name of the school on the questionnaire as it might be difficult to remember
later.
Post fieldwork

During data entry

Staff entering data should be supported in using the survey form and inputting data into Excel by the
M&E Officer. While entering all the survey forms, staff should also be checking to see they have been
completed correctly. Where there are frequent errors (with questions missed, for example) these
should be brought to the attention of the PPA coordinator, so that further mistakes can be avoided.
Where there are frequent errors (with questions missed, for example) this should be brought to the
attention of the PPA coordinator, so further mistakes can be avoided in the future.
available for selection
In the data entry sheet, the questions are ordered and numbered as they are in the questionnaire.
When entering the data the following fields must be completed:
-
School name
Gender of respondent
Age of respondent
Essential fields
All attempts should be made to ensure all respondents have answered the question
on their gender. Questionnaires without a respondents gender should be
discarded as the data will not be analysed. The respondent's age is also used for
some of the analysis.
B3. Plurality of voices and views
Focus Group Discussions with Adolescents
Focus Group Discussions with Adolescents

In each country several focus group discussions are to take place depending on the number of
schools targeted by the programme and sampled in that quarter. As much as possible, we would like,
in each PU carrying out FGDs, to sample one group of slightly younger adolescent girls and boys and
one group of slightly older adolescent girls and boys. However, this will not be possible in all
locations and in all schools. In the selection of participants for FGDs, please try to include, where
available and appropriate students with disabilities.
There are a total of 19 questions (no follow up questions) to ask, divided by subject and this
guidance will detail the questions, how to ask them and what we want to understand with those
questions. Some flexibility and awareness of the context should be applied in asking the questions
and in finding the correct translation, which may not be the literal translation of the English
questions presented here. CO teams will know the best way to ask questions and should first look at
the section "what do we want to know" before using their judgement in translating the questions
that will yield the information we are trying to obtain.
There are also 8 blind voting exercises to be undertaken as part of each FGD. The blind voting
exercises should NOT be followed by discussion and will therefore be very quick.
The blind vote questions and options have changed from those asked quarter one.
There are NO mandatory activities are included in this template but there are 7 optimal activities. All
FGD with both girls and boys should cover all the questions and all the blind votes, plus select at
least one optional activity, ideally 2 optional activities.
The same optional activity should take place in each school with girls and boys but a different
optional activity can be undertaken in a different school.
To recap:
1 FGD = 19 questions + 8 blind votes + 2 optional activities (1 activity if time is

limited)

We are conducting these FGDs to better understand adolescents preferences and views and it is
crucial that we utilise this time to qualitatively understand their thinking, as quantitative data is
obtained through the KABs. During the FGDs we explore issues relating to schooling and barriers to
access and enjoyment of quality education.
With these focus group discussions we would like to hear as much variety as possible. So, before
beginning, tell participants:
If someone has said something that you agree with and you would
say the same thing, then go ahead and raise your hand to say simply,
I agree with this. If you have some other opinion or a different
reason for what you think, then please do give us this new
information. While we want to allow everyone time to speak, by
allowing them to raise their hand to say, I agree, can greatly speed
up conversations while encouraging various responses.
This guide will look at each section and explain:
-
The information sought under each section

How each section should be facilitated
How to collect and interpret the information
B3.2 Planning for data collection

All the FGD need to be planned ahead, including arranging time and location with the school when it
is convenient both for the school administration and the students.
Since it is necessary that each FGD is facilitated and recorded by two persons of the same gender of
the participants, advance planning is also required to ensure this is in place.
Advance planning could enable to carry out both FGDs (girls and boys) in parallel in two different
areas within the school and will facilitate the availability of a suitable venue.
Each FGD should have a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 9 participants. If it is not possible to attain
the minimum number, the FGD will need to be rescheduled.
Each FGD should be facilitated by a trained facilitator of the same gender as the participants. The
facilitator should be supported by a note taker of the same gender of the participants who has been
trained in note taking and is fully informed of the process and the order of the questions. The note
taker should clearly understand what information is important for us so as to ensure they will record
what is of interest to the programme and summarise the salient points correctly. This guide provided
advice on what we consider to be of interest. The note taker should also be familiar with the
activities that will be undertaken during the FGD, including the chosen optional activity.
It is important to plan in advance and decide with optional activities will be undertaken in each FGD
to ensure both that the appropriate materials are ready and to inform the note taker to make sure
we capture the correct information in the notes.
For each question, the note take should mark how many participants have expressed
agreement with each answer category as well as the reasons for their answer.
Participants could, for example, come to the same conclusion but for different reasons.
We need to know how many participants agree with each answer to know how
widespread each opinion is but also the reasons for reaching those conclusions, which
might differ from individual to individual.
For each FGD you will need to bring plenty of
- Paper and pens for notes and blind voting.
- Pebbles/beans for voting
- option papers for OPT.B
- a set of scenario cards for OPT.F
- the materials necessary for any other chosen optional activity.
B3.3 Ethical considerations in field research

In any research that deals with vulnerable or marginalized populations, it is imperative to pay close
attention to the potential to do harm through asking questions or eliciting conversation. The team
(facilitator + note taker) will need to be trained on Plan's Child Protection policy and competent in
applying it. They must be fully confident in identifying and referring any cases and have direct access
to the CO's child protection focal point.
The team (facilitator + note taker) must obtain verbal informed consent from EVERY participant in
each FGD; each participant will be told that his/her name will not be used in any project documents
and only ask their first name. If, at any point in a conversation it appears that the participant no
longer wants to speak or be present, then it is imperative that the facilitator
a) Can identify this easily and
b) Stop the research immediately.
The participant should never be coerced to take part in the first place or to keep answering while
taking part.
It is extremely important that we always behave in a way that is in line with our views and values.
Both the facilitator and the note taker must show respect for the adolescents at all times and
comply with our child protection policy.
Participants must be informed of the reason for collecting this data and participation must be on a
voluntary basis only.
It is also important to encourage the participants in order to keep them motivated during the
process. The facilitator should, when appropriate, use statements like Thank you for your answers
and insights, this will help us very much with our programme.
The following statement (literal translation is not necessary as long as the general meaning is
preserved) should be made at the beginning of each FGD:
Thank you for accepting to spend time with us today and help us in
our research. We are conducting this group discussion as part to
better understand your views and what is important to you. Here you
are the experts and we are here to learn from you. The views and
information you will give us today will help us to inform and improve
our programme and therefore we would like to invite you to be
completely honest in your answers. There are no right or wrong
answers, but just opinions and everyones opinions have the same
weight. You are not obliged to participate and if you would rather
leave, this is ok. If at any point during the conversation you feel
uncomfortable or you dont like the questions Im asking, please feel
free to say so and you will be excused for that part.
We value your thoughts and we will keep the information you give us
confidential. This means that we will not talk about who said what,
outside of this room. I would like to ask each of you to promise they
will do the same. My note taker <name> is here to take notes but will
not record anybodys name. We will only use the information
anonymously. However, if in the course of this conversation,

something emerges that can put someone in this group or outside of
this group, in any danger; we have an obligation to report it and
ensure it is followed up to make sure nobody is hurt.
The conversation today should last just over one hour and there will
be a few activities that we will do in a group. I will be asking you
about a range of issues in relation to your experiences at school, at
home, in the community as well as what you think and hope for your
future. If at any point you dont understand a question, please raise
your hand and I will explain it. You are also welcome to ask any
questions, during the discussion and afterwards too. .. So lets start
B3.4 The Data collection process

Questions 1 3: Value of education
The first three questions (after the introduction) are:
Q1
Q.2
Q3.
Why is Education important?

In general, do you think you are learning valuable knowledge in school? Why/ Why
not?
In your opinion, what will determine when you leave school?
With these three questions we are trying to gage what type of experience the adolescents are having
at school and how much they value what they are learning. Finally question 3 probes in what they
think will determine when they leave school.
These three questions should be simple to answer, but remember this is the very
beginning of the FGD and participants need to warm into the topic and into the
group. Allow the group to discuss this if you feel it helps strengthen the dynamics of
the group, but do not dwell on these questions too long.
In this part of the FGD the participants are still getting to know each other, the
facilitator and the dynamics. Ensure that the group does not create a
'spokesperson' (most confident) to represent them but that everyone has a
chance to express themselves without forcing anyone to speak. This can be
done by asking 'Does anyone have a different opinion?' or 'If someone had a
different opinion, why would they think differently?', then allow someone else
to explain and elaborate.
The note taker here should take care to record how many participants have
chosen each answer as listed in the data entry tool as well as any responses that
fall into the category of other. Note what they others are. Make sure you
capture the reasons for choosing each answer type as this is the most
important information for the qualitative analysis.
Questions 4 5: Child Protection in the School
With these questions we are trying to understand the adolescents perspective on the schools child
protection policy and work in their experience. We also want to understand what is important for
them in a child protection committee and what would be required to strengthen them.
Please ensure you use the correct wording to describe the Child Protection Committee in the target
area. Different countries use different wording or slightly different structures for their child
protection work. Here we are trying to understand if students would know the structure responsible
for their protection and if they trust such a structure. It is therefore important to use the wording
they will recognise, if they are familiar with it, being careful not to influence their answers if they say
they are not aware of the committee in place.
Q.4
Q.5
In your opinion, is the Child Protection Committee in your school effective in reducing
violence and making students feel safe?
In your opinion, what are the important characteristics of a Child Protection Committee
to give young people like you confidence to approach and report any abuse?
If the adolescents are not aware that there is a Child Protection Committee (or
equivalent) in their school, make sure you dont make them feel that this is their
fault. Do not be tempted to elaborate by asking if they know of Mr or Mrs X who is
on the Child Protection Committee etc. Just note the answer and move to the next
question.
When discussing the role of the Child Protection Committee make sure that you
dont allow discussion on personal experiences of the Child Protection Committee
(any report or claim made) either by any of the participants or anyone known to
them. Keep the conversation referring to cases and away from individuals.
Questions 6 7: Use of Punishment and Views of Corporal Punishment

Q.6
Q.7
What types of punishments are given to students in this school?

What do you think of the choice of punishments teachers make?
With these questions we are trying to understand the situation in relation to corporal punishment in
the school as well as students perspectives on the types of punishments given. We want to
understand the adolescents views on punishment, therefore no judgement should be expressed on
their answers even if we disagree with what the adolescents are saying. Whilst collecting data, we
should refrain from raising awareness or attempting to persuade anybody. The facilitator should be
careful not express an opinion for example: Teachers should never use corporal punishment because
its against the law or make any comment on the fairness of punishments.
Note that here we are trying to understand punishment, and regular chores given to adolescents, for
example, as part of a rota for keeping the school clean, should not be discussed here. We are only
interested in chores given as a form of punishment. We also want to make a distinction between
the chores that benefit the entire school or community (for example cleaning the schoolyard) and
those chores that are for the personal benefit of one teacher (for example doing the teachers
laundry).
By now enough confidence should have been established between the group and
the facilitator in order for the adolescents to open up without fearing the facilitator
will report back to the school what was said. If appropriate, remind the group of our
confidentiality agreement and of their anonymity.
Here we do want to hear about specific examples of punishments given to the
students both whether they were thought to be fair or unfair and why. Be careful
not to allow the conversation to become a long list of examples of who did what
when and how they were punished, instead try to understand the type of
punishments given and how fair, unfair or exploitative the punishments are.
Blind Voting: Violence in School

With the blind voting exercises we are trying to understand how prevalent violence is, what type of
violence is experienced by adolescents and who perpetrates violence in school.
You can run the eight blind votes all at once or run the first two, then ask about corporal punishment
(Q.6 Q.7) to break up the monotony of the voting, as you prefer. In the data entry template the
votes are all together, but this is not important.
There are two suggested methods of conducting the vote depending on materials and personal
preference (but each country can use their own understanding of cultural preferences to apply the
principle of blind voting):
1. Giving each participant one small paper at the start of each vote, ask the participants to fold
the paper in 2 horizontally; then write the first answer on the top part of the paper, the
second answer in the bottom part. (care should be taken when collecting the papers to
mark clearly which vote they belong to)
2. With their eyes closed and their heads down, ask participants to raise their hands voting for
each answer.
Choose the most appropriate voting mechanism for the culture and context.
The first two blind votes ask about the frequency and seriousness of violence.
The subsequent votes, have two parts: the first asks about the frequency of each type of violence,
the second asks about the perpetrators.
The answer categories are always the same and they have changed since quarter one:
When asking about frequency the answer categories are: often, sometimes, rarely and never.
When asking about the perpetrators, the answer categories are: teachers, students, others.
The second vote is new, here we are asking about the seriousness of violence:
When violence happens in your school, how serious is it?
The answer categories for this are: not serious at all, sometimes serious, very serious or no answer.
For all votes, No answer, is a response category as adolescents are allowed not to take part in the
vote or not to answer the question. This also covers the option of adolescents thinking that there is
no violence in their school at all.
The blind votes need to be introduced to the group. The facilitator should explain what a blind vote is
and that we are collecting this information blind and anonymously. The facilitator needs to explain to
the group that there will be no discussion on the subject, but just a blind vote.
For the second part of each vote, when we are asking about perpetrators, the facilitator should
emphasise that we are NOT ASKING NAMES but just the role within the school.
An example of introduction for the first blind vote could be:
We are now going to take a blind vote. This means I will ask you a question
but I dont want you do discuss out loud. I will ask you the question and I
would like you to write the answer on the top part of the paper you have
just folded/raise your hand without showing anybody what you wrote. Your
answer is totally secret and we will not discuss this at all.
My question to you is: How often does violence happen in your school, does
it happen often, sometimes or never? Again, how often does violence
happen in your school, doe it happen often, sometimes or never? Dont look
at others vote and dont show others what you have voted.
Allow enough time for everyone to write their answer/raise their hands, but
dont look at anyone in particular. If you notice someone is not writing
anything down, dont comment on that and allow that to happen. Continue
with the second part of the vote:
On the second part of your paper I would like you to answer my next
question. Again, we will not discuss this and your vote is entirely secret.
Im interested in knowing who commits violence but I dont want to know
about Names, I just want to know their role in the school. I want to know if
it is teachers or students or others. So this is my question: Who commits this
violence, write on the second part of your paper, teachers if you think its
teachers, or students, or others or leave your paper blank for nobody. Again,
who commits this violence?
When conducting blind votes 3 -8 you introduce each type of violence with these descriptions:
-
Verbal violence is violence that is committed through words, it includes insults, calling
someone offensive names, yelling, making threats to hurt, humiliating remarks etc.
Physical violence is violence committed on the body and it includes hitting, punching, pulling
hair, pushing, kicking etc.
Sexual violence is violence that has a sexual connotation and includes making sexual
advances, touching or being forced to touch someone, forcing someone to take their clothes
off or forcing someone to watch someone else taking their clothes off, forcing someone to
have sex, exchanging sex for money or good grades, forced marriage etc.
List of blind votes:
BV1: How frequently does violence happen in your school?
BV2: When violence happens in your school, how serious is it?
BV3: How often do you or someone you know personally experience verbal violence at
school?
BV4: Who do you think commits most of this verbal violence in school?
BV5: The second type of violence is physical. How often do you or someone you know
personally experience physical violence at school?
BV6: Who do you think commits physical violence in school?
BV7: The third type of violence is sexual. How often do you or someone you know personally
experience sexual violence at school?
BV8: Who do you think commits sexual violence in school?
Questions 8 10: Gender and expectations

With these questions we are trying to understand if any gendered preference for education can be
seen in the group and if the group experiences different expectations from teachers and
communities around them. With these questions we are trying to understand the differences in
expectations that teachers and communities communicate to young people in relation to their
gender. Do participants think that education is important for everyone or is it more important for
one gender? Why? What do they feel their community think in relation to whom should be
educated?
We are also trying to understand what are the young peoples perceptions and expectations about
their future roles in relation to their gender.
Q.8:
Q.9:
Q.10:
Who is more encouraged to go to school in this community, based on what

teachers/parents/leaders say?
Is there a difference in the way teachers treat boys and girls?
Is there a difference in the careers options for girls and boys?
Allow the conversation to flow here and allow all different opinions to emerge.
When the conversation seems to stop on one view as Do you think everyone holds
this opinion or are there others who think differently?. Here it is very important to
ask Why?. Try to understand why each person, thinks the way they think.
In this section it is really important for the note taker to take many notes on the
reasons for each opinions and the plurality of views and behaviours. Do all the
teachers behave in the same way? Why do they behave like they do? Why do
adolescents think one thing is more important than another in determining their
future career?
Questions 11 13: School Accountability

In this section we are trying to understand school accountability from the perspective of adolescents.
We want to hear their perspectives and experiences of participating in school governance, the work
done by the student representatives etc. Great diversity of views is possible as each student will have
a different experience. Welcome different opinions and allow all of them to be expressed.
Q.11: Does the school management listen to the requests and needs of the students (through
the school council/speak out clubs etc.)?
Q.12: Do you think the students representatives represent you well?
Q.13: Why? What are the reasons for speaking or not speaking out to school management?
Allow the conversation to flow here and invite different opinions. When the
conversation seems to stop on one view as Does everyone think like this or does
someone hold a different opinion?. Here it is very important to ask Why? Try to
understand why each person, thinks the way they think.
In this section it is really important for the note taker to take many notes on the
reasons for each opinions and the plurality of views and behaviours. Do all the
teachers behave in the same way? Why do they behave like they do? Why do
adolescents think something is more important than something else in determining
their future career?
Questions 14 15: SRHR

In this part of the FGD we are trying to understand where adolescents learn about sex and sexual
health, who they feel comfortable asking and where would they go for help if they needed it. These
questions can be sensitive and care and attention should be used to ensure everyone in the group is
comfortable with the process.
Q.14: Where/to whom do you go if you want to learn about SRHR?
Q.15: Do you think that a young person your age, if they wanted to, they could access SRHR
services freely?
It is important to make the adolescents feel comfortable answering honestly. To do
this its important not to introduce any judgement on their answers like suggesting
that only adults or teachers area suitable sources of information on SRHR etc. Be
open and listen to their preferences and ideas.
Q.15 Should be asked in a totally de-personalised way: it should be asked in relation
to a generic person your age. When the participants elaborate pay attention that
there is no pressure, neither from the facilitator nor from other participants, on any
individual to disclose personal access to services. If necessary, interrupt and clarify I
just want to know about how young people feel about these services in general but
not specifically about anybodys personal experience or history.
Questions 16 19: About Plans Accountability

With these questions we aim to understand how adolescents relate to Plan and our programme. We
want to understand how the adolescents relate to our staff and out programme. Our objective for
this section is to gather information on how we can improve the way we relate to our beneficiaries.
Only honest answers will be of use to us, polite answers will not enable us to learn; therefore invite
participants to be entirely honest and open with us.
Q.16: Understanding that Plan has a rights-based approach and we are unable to provide
direct support, or build infrastructure, if Plan wanted to improve its programme, what
should we do?
With this question we would like to understand what we could do to improve our programme
without creating expectation of direct support or infrastructure. This might be more difficult in areas
where we are, as part of some programme (PPA or not PPA-related), supporting individuals with
scholarships etc. Facilitators need to use their knowledge of activities in the area and seek guidance
from the PPA coordinator on the best way to ask this question.
This question also offers a further opportunity to reinforce the message of our rights-based approach
to the communities, but we should avoid the temptation to turn the FGD into an awareness session.
The data entry template still contains the option of requesting direct support or infrastructure,
because we know that these requests frequently emerge even when we were clearly trying to avoid
them. We can still capture the frequency of such requests as they enable us to better understand
where we need to heighten our awareness about the type of work Plan does.
Local knowledge of Plans work is necessary to ask this question correctly. With this
question we would like to understand who we can improve without inviting
requests for direct support such as scholarships or building infrastructure. We have
to be careful not to create expectations with this question and we should take the
opportunity to reinforce the message around the rights-based approach, without
necessarily using the wording of rights-based approach, which is may be
misunderstood.
Q.17: Do you know how to raise a concern about Plan/NGO and partners work in your
community? And with Plan/NGO staff?
Q.18: Have you ever raised any concern about Plan/NGO and partners?
Q.19: if answered yes to the question above. Where you satisfied with the response and why?
When facilitating this section, be clear that it is OK to have different opinions and
different responses.
Optional Activity A: Gender preference for education Sara and

Joseph
This activity consists in telling the group a story and asking the group to say how they think the story
should end. The objective of this exercise is to understand decision making in the household
relation to education and the gender of children. The story presents a household with a dilemma
and asks the participants what they think should happen.
The names of Sara and Joseph can be changed to suit the local culture to common local names.
The story can be loosely translated and should be narrated as story:
I now would like to tell you the story of Sara and Joseph who are brother
and sister your age. They are both going to junior school and they want to
continue with their studies but their family is not very rich at all. Recently
their father has been offered a big business opportunity and he could
make a lot of money, but the family will need to produce much more from
the farm if they are to take advantage of this business opportunity. Sara
and Joseph already help at the farm when they are not in school, but to
take advantage of this opportunity, much more labour is needed. What do
you think should happen?
Without influencing the group, try to understand the decision making process that the household
would follow to decide if they will be taking one child out of school, both children or neither. We are
particularly interested in knowing the reason for the decision. What are the factors they consider?
We are primarily interested in knowing the reasons for the decisions. We would like to
understand which factors are considered in the decision and which are the most
important factors. We are also interested in gender considerations. Observations in
relation to who takes the decision and if gender is a factor in the decision.
Optional Activity B: Exiting Education

With this activity we are trying to understand the expectations each individual has in relation to
exiting the education system.
Label different corners and areas in the room (before the FGD starts) with the different options.
Please note options have changed from those in Q1. The new options are:
a) graduation at this cycle then then end education
b) graduation at this cycle and continue with education
c) drop out before graduating from this cycle
d) don't know
When running this activity, inform the adolescents that you will ask them to walk in silence to the
corner of the room that represents when they think they will exit the education system. Before
asking them to walk over, give each member of the group two small cards, one with a happy face and
one with an unhappy face. Ask each member of the group to keep these cards hidden, in their
pockets, under their shirts etc.
Ask the group to silently walk over to the corner in the room that represents the point at which they
think they will exit education. After everyone has reached their destination, ask each participant to
reveal the card that displays their feelings in relation to exiting the school system at that point. For
example, if someone is happy about exiting education after graduation at this cycle, they display the
happy face and so on.
Once everyone has displayed the card with their emotion return back to the group.
For this activity we need to record how many participants walked over to each area as
well how many were happy and how many were sad.
We also want to understand the reasons for being happy or sad and any additional
information on how the decision to exit education will be made.
After returning to the group, ask the participants to share their thoughts. How did they feel to move
in different directions? Ask why they think they will exit the education system at that point and allow
them to discuss the decision making process. Finally ask why they expressed to be either happy or
sad about their expected point of exit. Where the reasons primarily to do with their households or
with the school?
Optional Activity C & C1: Teacher Abuse story of Anna/Peter

This activity consists in telling the group a story and asking the group to say how they think the story
should end. The objective of this exercise is to understand adolescents decision making in relation
to reporting a teachers abuse of power. There are two slightly different stories, on for the girl
groups (Anna) and one for the boys group (Peter); however those stories are very similar and present
the dilemma of an adolescent with a great opportunity and a teacher who is abusing his power.
The names of Anna, Peter and Mr Adam can be changed to suit the local culture to common local
names.
Annas story can be loosely translated and should be narrated as story:
I will tell you the story of Anna a girl your age. Anna can sing very well
and she has been selected to participate in a national singing
competition. The top three winners of the competition will be offered a
big prize in money and a place in an excellent boarding school. Anna's
music teacher, Mr Adam, knows that she really wants to win and he has
been asked to write a report about Anna for the judges of the
competition.
Sometimes, Mr Adam, asks Anna to do his laundry or clean his room and
occasionally he makes her cook his food. Anna knows Mr Adam should
not do this and told him to stop many times before. He has not stopped
and now she must spend more time practicing her singing to win the
competition. What should Anna do?
Peters story can be loosely translated and should be narrated as story:

I will tell you the story of Peter a boy your age. Peter plays football very
well and he has been selected to try for a place in a prestigious national
team. He will travel to the capital where he will be assessed by a panel of
professionals and the top three boys in this selection will be offered a
place in the junior team which includes a place in an excellent boarding
school. Peter's sports teacher, Mr Adam, knows that he really wants to
win and he has been asked to write a report about Peter for the judges of
the competition. Sometimes, Mr Adam, asks Peter to work on his farm
and do various chores for him, like feeding his animals. Peter knows Mr
Adam should not do this and told him to stop many times before. He has
not stopped and now Peter must spend more time practicing to win the
football competition. What should Peter do?
After telling the group the story, ask them what the adolescent should do in this dilemma.
When facilitating this activity, be clear that it is OK to have different opinions and
different responses. The group does not need to reach a consensus on how to
behave in this dilemma.
For this activity we need to record both how many participants say that the protagonist
of the story should report, or keep quiet or stand up to Mr Adam etc. We are also very
interested in knowing why they chose each option. All reasons are interesting for us.
For the second part of this activity we want to ask specifically, whom the protagonist would
approach to ask for help.
Here we are trying to understand what reporting mechanisms within the school receive the
students confidence. The students confidence is the most important aspect that we are trying to
understand and no judgement should be expressed by the facilitator on the opinions expressed. We
are interested in understanding whom they trust and why.
For this part of the activity we are interested in knowing whom they trust and why. It is
possible that each individual has a different opinion or different persons they trust. Pay
particular attention to why they trust or distrust each role or group.
Optional Activity D: Ranking good and bad teacher behaviour

With this activity we aim to understand which teachers behaviours are seen as more important and
more serious from the perspectives of the adolescents. The activity consists in presenting the group a
series of 7 cards that describe the good and bad behaviour or 7 teachers. Each teacher is presenting
as having some good behaviours and some bad behaviours. We are asking the group together, to
select two teachers to reward and two teachers to punish. We are doing this to understand which
issues are more important in the eyes of adolescents (for example: is bullying affecting adolescents
more than corporal punishment or gender discrimination?). The teachers cards are in appendix 4.
Present the activity to the group by saying:
You have been asked to go to a far-away school. In this school they are
preparing to reward and punish teachers at the end of the year and would
like you to act as independent judges. Both the school management and
the student council have produced reports on each teacher saying what
they do right and what they do wrong and here are these cards. I would
like you to select two teachers who should be rewarded and two who
should punished. The punishment they will receive is not too severe but it
will help them understand what they have done wrong.
This is a group activity and the group should reach a consensus. Dont allow
anyone to dominate the group. Allow the group to reach an agreement on the
ranking by themselves without influencing them but if you feel the discussion is
taking too long, gently speed up the discussion by saying Two more minute to
complete this exercise.
We are primarily interested in knowing why they think one behaviour is more or
less important than another. Why does one behaviour deserve more severe
punishment? The note taker should be careful to record the reasons expressed by
the group. The final ranking should also be recorded and entered in template.
OPT.D
This activity could take a little longer than the other activities and will need strong
time keeping facilitation to ensure it does not run overtime.
Optional Activity E: School Accountability Game

With this short activity we aim to understand adolescents perspective on school accountability
without asking directly the question. This activity consists in asking a the participants to agree or
disagree with certain statements read by the facilitator, whilst one participant takes 0,1, 2 or 3 steps
based on how many participants agree with the statement. Introduce the game by asking the
participants to imagine that their school is a pond. In this pond lives a very grumpy stork that always
complains about everything, and many frogs and other wildlife. Since the stork is always so grumpy,
the frogs provide balance and express the truth.
Having pre-prepared small pieces of papers with the pictures of frogs and one with the picture of
stork (Appendix 5), ask participants to draw from a hat/container with the folded pictures. Whoever
draws the stork will impersonate the stork in the game and all the others will impersonate frogs.
Instruct them as follows: the stork cannot talk or make any noise but can only walk. The frogs dont
walk but the can croak and jump. Whenever the facilitator reads a statement, if the frogs agree with
the statement they should croak and jump up and down, but, if they disagree they should stay silent
and still.
If the frogs stay silent, the stork should stay still, if only one or two of the frogs croak and jumps, the
stork should take one step forward, if three or four frogs croak, the stork should take two steps, if all
the frogs croak, the stork should take three steps.
Essentially: When only a minority in the group agrees with the statement one step
When the majority in the group agrees with the statement two steps
When there is unanimous agreement with the statement three steps
When there is unanimous disagreement with the statement zero steps
To make sure everyone understands, play a trial run. By reading out the following statements:
- "Bananas are a nicer fruit than apples",
- "In general dogs are more friendly than cats",
- "In general boys are better than girls at sports".
After the trial run, make the stork go back to the initial position and read the statements one by one
a) School management never listen to what the students want
b) When students do wrong they are punished, when teachers do wrong they are never punished
c) School management responds to the needs of boys more than to the needs of girls.
d) School management is not interested in students' opinions
e) We don't know how school management makes any decision about spending their budget
f) If a student raises a concern with school management, they are punished
d) Students role is to study, not to participate in school management
Facilitate this activity as game and allow the participants to be light-hearted.
Observe carefully if any of the participants feel uncomfortable about this game and
make sure that there are no members of the school management or teachers
observing the game. If the participants feel very uncomfortable playing this game,
cancel the game.
For this activity we want to record how many steps have been taken by the stork
for each statement. It might be necessary for the note taker to move in the room
in order to be able to observe the steps taken by the stork.
(the note taker should NOT record the steps taken for the 3 trial statements on
bananas and cats).
Observe carefully if any of the participants are uncomfortable with this game and if
they are weary of each other during the game. Be aware if there are any student
council representatives.
Remember: child protection is our primary concern! Should you detect that there
is a risk when playing this game: cancel the exercise and replace it with another
optional activity.
Optional Activity F: Ranking future scenarios by probability

With this activity we aim to understand how adolescents see their future and what they believe are
the most likely outcomes for themselves and their peers. The exercise consists in a group exercise
where the group ranks a set of possible scenarios in order of what they think is more likely to happen
to someone in their class/age group.
The girl scenario cards are in Appendix 2 and the boys are in Appendix 3.
Asking the group to think not of themselves in particular but at their class/age group on
average/general; ask them to rank in order of probability the different outcomes. Remember that
this is a group exercise and that each group will do only one ranking: the girls will rank the girls
options and the boys will rank the boys options. The introduction could be:
We will now do a group exercise. I have here a set of 8 cards with short
stories about a girl/boy and what becomes of her/him in the future.
Thinking of your peers in your class, girls/boys like you in your class, I would
like you to rank this from what you think is more likely to happen to them to
what you think is least likely to happen. I would like you to do this as a
group and I will only observe, you will be the ones making the decisions and
ranking the cards.
After the introduction and handing over the cards, allow the group to make all the
decisions. We are interested in knowing why they think something is more or less
likely to happen to them. Occasionally ask why think something is more likely or
less likely, but dont express judgement on their choice. Dont allow anyone to
dominate the group.
We are primarily interested in knowing why they think one outcome is more or less
likely than another. The note taker should be careful to record the reasons
expressed by the group. The final ranking should also be recorded and entered in
template.
OPT.F
This should be a short activity that will also help to revitalise the group. The group
should be able to reach an agreement on the ranking by themselves but if you feel
the discussion is taking too long, gently speed up the discussion by saying Two
more minute to complete this exercise.
Optional Activity G: Changes in awareness, beliefs and behaviours

through body mapping
With this activity we aim to understand how adolescents views, beliefs and behaviours have
changed over time and in relation to the programme and/or activities we are conducting with them.
The exercise consists of using a body map to reflect on changes.
Start the activity by drawing on a big flipchart the outline of a person. This can be done using a preprepared flipchart, or by asking one of the adolescents to lay down on the flipchart on the floor, then
drawing the outline around them. Note that adolescents are generally more sensitive about their
body shape and therefore this should be done sensitively.
Draw a line vertically down the middle of the outline and write before on the left side and after on
the right side.
BEFORE
AFTER
Ask children to either write, write on post-its or tell you and you write for them how things have
changed in the last year through the activities done by the programme.
Start with the Head: how did they use to think about life, school, education, their future
opportunities? How did they used to think about gender differences? How do they think now? What
are the changes that have happened in their awareness and thinking? Why do they think these
changes have happened (or not)? What do they know now that they didnt know before? How did
they get these new ideas?
Follow with the Eyes: what did they used to see before that they dont see now? What are they
seeing now that they didnt see before? Why do they see different things now (or not)?
Continue with the Ears: what kind of talk did they use to hear in school and in the community and
how has that changed now? What kind of comments are they hearing now that they didnt hear
before from parents, teachers, leaders, students? Why have these changes taken (or not) place?
Continue with the Mouth: what are they talking about now that they didnt use to talk about before?
Who are they talking with that they never used to engage with? How are they expressing themselves
differently than before? Why?
Continue with the Heart: how do they feel now that is different from how they felt before? What are
they concerned or worried about now that they didnt worry about before? Have their feelings
changed in any way? Why? Do they wish for different things now? Why?
Continue with the Hands: what are they doing now that they didnt do before? Why? What
are/arent they able to do now that they could/couldnt do before?
Finally go to the Feet: where are they going now that they didnt used to before? Why? Where
are/arent they able (or not) to go now that they could/couldnt do before?
Here we want to hear about how the programme has influenced adolescents
views, beliefs and behaviours, without influencing them. If the programme has
not changed the way they see or behave, its ok to allow that truth to emerge. Also
note that adolescents normally change due to age anyway.
As much as possible try to steer the discussion around the thematic areas of the
programme like rights, gender, SRHR. To find out, without influencing, if they are
now aware of new rights, taking new opportunities to speak up, accessing services
they didnt before?
OPT.G
This activity will take a little longer than the others, but make sure the discussion
does not carry on too long. We are very interested in changes in behaviour and
practices (hands and feet) as well as attitudes and knowledge therefore make sure
the group does not run out of energy by the time you get to hands and feet.
We are primarily interested in knowing why they think one outcome is more or less
expressed by the group. We are mostly interested in knowing changes in
knowledge/awareness, beliefs/values and behaviours/actions. We are not
particularly interested in knowing if a change was listed under eyes, head or ears.
The data entry template aims to capture primarily the data that is relevant for the programme and
therefore has some pre-defined answer categories that we would be interested in hearing about.
However, during facilitation we should not suggest those answers, but only note and listen to what
adolescents are saying. Note if they are making a reference to a particular activity we did but dont
prompt those answers. For example, if they say they are now aware that they have a right to refuse
to do chores for a teacher, you can ask What made you aware of that?, rather than asking Was
this because of the training we did last year?. We are also interested in regressive changes that
might have taken place. If participants mention negative changes in their beliefs, attitudes or
behaviours whether or not these are due to the programme, we want to know this. Examples of
regressive statements could be: We are now more aware that girls are weak and vulnerable and
cant do the same things as boys, Girls now get better opportunities than boys, We used to attend
community meetings but now its not safe for us to be in the streets so we stay at home.
The data entry template allows for plenty of changes as well as having a other
knowledge/awareness change, other belief/value change and other behaviour change answer
categories, where you can also include other changes raised by the group.
In the data entry template there are also categories for Regressive belief/value change and
Regressive behaviour change if these emerge during the exercise. Note that there is no regressive
knowledge/awareness because its difficult to un-learn something that was previously known.
Capturing changes in the data entry template

The data entry template aims to capture changes relevant to the programme,
therefore changes in infrastructure for example, are not an option even if they
can affect community dynamics. In the data entry template there are options of
possible changes that could be mentioned both progressive and regressive but
only the type of change is listed not the corresponding body part as the same
change can be mentioned under different boy parts by different groups. For
example one groups could say We see disabled children out and about
more(eyes) and another group might say We now think more about including
children with disabilities (head); but both groups are referring to the same
change in attitudes and awareness.
B3.5 Data entry & quality

Pre Fieldwork
If the questions are being translated into community languages, CO staff must check the translated
surveys before being issued for field use.
The selection of participants should be at random, as much as possible but always ensuring voluntary
participation.
Both the facilitator and the note taker should fully be familiar with the questions and the sequence in
which questions will be asked including the various activities. The note taker should have previous
experience and be familiar with what is of interest to us in this exercise. Note taking template to
support note taking are included in Appendix 6.
Fieldwork
Each focus group discussion will be conducted by one facilitator, with the help of one note taker,
both of the same gender of the participants.
Although the data entry template already contains a range of possible answers, DO NOT READ THESE
ANSWERS TO THE GROUP, instead allow the conversation to flow naturally whilst the note taker
should be able to recognise the answers in each category. For every question there is an other
option in the data entry sheet. The note taker should take great care to record ever new or different
answer/reason is mentioned by a participant.
We are also interested in levels of agreement with each answer. It is important to record if the group
agreed unanimously or if only a few people presented one answer. Whilst it is inappropriate to count
or take votes (at the exception of those outlined above), the note taker should record the number of
participants who share the same view.
The facilitator should invite as many diverse views as present in the group and steer the group away
from reiterating the same reasons/answers over and over. When someone is in agreement with what
was said by a peer, the facilitator should simply conclude that they agree with their peer then ask the
group for further views.
Post fieldwork
The note taker should review the notes and ensure that everything written in shorthand or any
symbols/abbreviations are explained. The note taker and the facilitator should do the data entry
together to make sure all the data is entered, including observations, body language etc.
During data entry

In the data entry template, it is not necessary to enter everything that was said but only the most
important points. It is however very important that full notes are available and accessible to the
PPA coordinator who will need them to complete the reflection and analysis. These do not need to
be typed as long as the PPA coordinator is able to read them and understand them.
There should therefore be two sets of record, the information captured in the data entry template,
which consists of most agreement and disagreement with the different answer categories and the
results of the activities, plus a summary of main points in English.
A second record, capturing the discussion that took place during each FGD. This does not need to be
translated in English but must be accessible and read by the PPA coordinator who must have these
records on hand when completing the analysis and reflection which will as specific questions on this.
Chapter C: Accompanying Adolescents on their

way to school
Community monitoring tools
Community monitoring tools

This chapter provides an overview of the data collection to be conducted QUARTERLY in
COMMUNITIES (collectively referred to here as the Community tools) for the extension phase (YR4 &
YR5) of the PPA projects part of on-going monitoring and evaluation efforts. The community tools
consist of the following tools:
1.
LKAB (Local Leaders Questionnaire) to be administered QUARTERLY in ALL COUNTRIES

which consists of a series of closed and open ended questions with the aim of obtaining
information attitudes of local leaders and their relationship with Plan and the project.
This is to be conducted through a face to face interview.
This tool is to be implemented with 8 local leaders per country [2 per PU except for Kenya].
2.
CPF1 (Community Child Protection Committees monitoring tool) to be administered

QUARTERLY in Malawi, Kenya, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.
This tool consists of a series of closed and open ended questions with the aim of
obtaining information on the activities of the Community Child Protection Committees,
administered through a face to face interview with a person representing the
committee.
This tool is for Community-based Child Protection Committees ONLY, school based child
protection committees are assessed as part of the school tools.
This tool is to be implemented in ALL Community-based Child Protection Committees within
the sampled communities.
3.
Parents Focus Group discussions to be administered QUARTERLY in ALL COUNTRIES

with parents of students attending the selected PPA schools in grades 7,8 and 9. It
consists of a series of questions aimed at obtaining information about knowledge,
behaviours and attitudes of parents in relation to the programmes thematic areas.
C1. What do we want to understand

From the community data collection we are interested in understanding communities are supporting
adolescents in their education. The tool probes into various areas of a well-functioning child
protection committee and reflects on our efforts to strengthen these. The local leaders tool
examines attitudes and beliefs in relation to education, gender, SRHR education and violence.
C2. Planning
Once the communities have been sampled, each PU is responsible for making arrangements with the
child protection committees within the area where data collection will take place.
Each PU should sample randomly local leaders among those who are influential and have been the
target of our awareness raising, by compiling a list of all those local leaders and randomly drawing
names our of a hat.
Arrangements should also be made to sample parents of adolescents attending the target schools in
grades 7, 8 and 9. Participation to the focus groups is of course voluntary.
C3. Ethical considerations

Interviewees and participants to FGDs have a right to decline taking part in our data collection, it is
important to make all reasonable efforts to arrange the data collection at a time that is suitable for
the interviewees and that does not disrupt the exercise of their functions. The Local Leaders tool,
does not request the interviewee for their name as we want to hear their opinion without
judgement.
Interviewees should be informed of the reasons for our data collection and encouraged to be entirely
honest in their answers as this will enable us to improve our programming.
Remind respondents that honesty is a gift and we will are grateful to them for their generosity in
sharing with us feedback that will enable us to improve our programme and learn.
The Community-based Child Protection Committees requires the interviewee to discuss the TYPE of
cases encountered NOT individual cases. The interviewer should not ask details of individual cases,
names or other personal information.
C4. Data collection process & tools

After the introduction with the respondent and thanking them for their availability to support our
data collection and out project, proceed to ask each question without expressing a judgement on the
answers. The possible answers listed on the form should only be read out when the interviewer is
uncertain on how to classify the interviewees answers.
Materials Community Leaders questionnaire
The interviewer should print additional copies of the questionnaires to ensure there
are spare available should somebody want to make a correction.
Timing
Both questionnaires (leaders and Community-based Child Protection
Committees) are short and should take a maximum of 20 minutes to administer.
Optional Additional Leaders

There is no upper limit to the number of local leaders to interview. A minimum of 8
per country is required but more are welcome!
C5. Focus Group Discussions with Parents

In each PU a focus group discussion with mothers and one with fathers of adolescents in grades 7,8
and 9 in the sampled school is to take place.
There are a total of 14 questions (no follow up questions) to ask, divided by subject and this
guidance will detail the questions, how to ask them and what we want to understand with those
questions. Some flexibility and awareness of the context should be applied in asking the questions
and in finding the correct translation, which may not be the literal translation of the English
questions presented here. CO teams will know the best way to ask questions and should first look at
the section "what do we want to know" before using their judgement in translating the questions
that will yield the information we are trying to obtain.
There is one mandatory activity which is the story of Sarah and Joseph. For details about this activity
please refer to OPT.A on page 36.
To recap:
1 FGD = 14 questions + mandatory activity
C5.1 What do we want to understand with the Parents FGDs

We are conducting these FGDs to better understand parents preferences and views and it is crucial
that we utilise this time to qualitatively understand their thinking, and compare it with the
adolescents experiences. During the FGDs we explore issues relating to schooling and barriers to
access and enjoyment of quality education.
With these focus group discussions we would like to hear as much variety as possible. So, before
beginning, tell participants:
If someone has said something that you agree with and you would
say the same thing, then go ahead and raise your hand to say simply,
I agree with this. If you have some other opinion or a different
reason for what you think, then please do give us this new
information. While we want to allow everyone time to speak, by
allowing them to raise their hand to say, I agree, can greatly speed
up conversations while encouraging various responses.
This guide will look at each section and explain:
-
The information sought under each section

How each section should be facilitated
How to collect and interpret the information
C.5.2 Planning for data collection

All the FGD need to be planned ahead, including arranging time and location with the school when it
is convenient both for the school administration and the parents.
Since it is necessary that each FGD is facilitated and recorded by two persons of the same gender of
the participants, advance planning is also required to ensure this is in place.
Advance planning could enable to carry out both FGDs (mothers and father) in parallel in two
different areas within the school and will facilitate the availability of a suitable venue.
Each FGD should have a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 9 participants. If it is not possible to attain
the minimum number, the FGD will need to be rescheduled.
Each FGD should be facilitated by a trained facilitator of the same gender as the participants. The
facilitator should be supported by a note taker of the same gender of the participants who has been
trained in note taking and is fully informed of the process and the order of the questions. The note
taker should clearly understand what information is important for us so as to ensure they will record
what is of interest to the programme and summarise the salient points correctly. This guide provided
advice on what we consider to be of interest. The note taker should also be familiar with the
activities that will be undertaken during the FGD, including the chosen optional activity.
For each question, the note take should mark how many participants have expressed
agreement with each answer category as well as the reasons for their answer.
Participants could, for example, come to the same conclusion but for different reasons.
We need to know how many participants agree with each answer to know how
widespread each opinion is but also the reasons for reaching those conclusions, which
might differ from individual to individual.
C5.3 Ethical considerations in field research

In any research that deals with vulnerable or marginalized populations, it is imperative to pay close
attention to the potential to do harm through asking questions or eliciting conversation. The team
(facilitator + note taker) will need to be trained.
The team (facilitator + note taker) must obtain verbal informed consent from EVERY participant in
each FGD; each participant will be told that his/her name will not be used in any project documents
and only ask their first name. If, at any point in a conversation it appears that the participant no
longer wants to speak or be present, then it is imperative that the facilitator
a) Can identify this easily and
b) Stop the research immediately.
The participant should never be coerced to take part in the first place or to keep answering while
taking part.
It is extremely important that we always behave in a way that is in line with our views and values.
Participants must be informed of the reason for collecting this data and participation must be on a
voluntary basis only.
It is also important to encourage the participants in order to keep them motivated during the
process. The facilitator should, when appropriate, use statements like Thank you for your answers
and insights, this will help us very much with our programme.
The following statement (literal translation is not necessary as long as the general meaning is
preserved) should be made at the beginning of each FGD:
Thank you for accepting to spend time with us today and help us in
our research. We are conducting this group discussion as part to
better understand your views and what is important to you. Here you
are the experts and we are here to learn from you. The views and
information you will give us today will help us to inform and improve
our programme and therefore we would like to invite you to be
completely honest in your answers. There are no right or wrong
answers, but just opinions and everyones opinions have the same
weight. You are not obliged to participate and if you would rather
leave, this is ok. If at any point during the conversation you feel
uncomfortable or you dont like the questions Im asking, please feel
free to say so and you will be excused for that part.
We value your thoughts and we will keep the information you give us
confidential. This means that we will not talk about who said what,
outside of this room. I would like to ask each of you to promise they
will do the same. My note taker <name> is here to take notes but will
not record anybodys name. We will only use the information
anonymously.
The conversation today should last just over one hour and I will be
asking you about a range of issues in relation to your experiences with
your children and in the community as well as what you think and
hope for your childs future. If at any point you dont understand a
question, please raise your hand and I will explain it. You are also
welcome to ask any questions, during the discussion and afterwards
too. .. So lets start
Questions 1 2: Value of education

The first three questions (after the introduction) are:
Q.1
Q.2
Why is Education important?

In general, do you think your children are learning valuable knowledge in school? Why/
Why not?
With these three questions we are trying to gage parents views of the value of education for their
children. As usual we are also interested in understanding why they hold a certain opinion.
These three questions should be simple to answer, but remember this is the very
beginning of the FGD and participants need to warm into the topic and into the
group. Allow the group to discuss this if you feel it helps strengthen the dynamics of
the group, but do not dwell on these questions too long.
In this part of the FGD the participants are still getting to know each other, the
facilitator and the dynamics. Ensure that the group does not create a
'spokesperson' (most confident) to represent them but that everyone has a
chance to express themselves without forcing anyone to speak. This can be
done by asking 'Does anyone have a different opinion?' or 'If someone had a
different opinion, why would they think differently?', then allow someone else
to explain and elaborate.
The note taker here should take care to record how many participants have
chosen each answer as listed in the data entry tool as well as any responses that
fall into the category of other. Note what they others are. Make sure you
capture the reasons for choosing each answer type as this is the most
important information for the qualitative analysis.
Questions 3 4: Punishment in School

With these questions we are trying to understand parents perspective on punishment in school. We
are trying to understand how parents view the punishments their children receive at school, gage
their feelings about corporal punishment and understand their attitudes towards discipline. As usual
we are also interested in understanding why they hold a certain opinion.
We are not trying to understand or hear stories about the specific punishments received by their
children or by specific teachers but mostly interested in their attitudes towards punishment in school
and if their views have changed over time, as well as any reference to Plans work in relation to any
changes in attitudes, but without influencing their answers in relation to Plans work.
Q.3
Q.4
Is corporal punishment appropriate to use in school?

What do you think of the choice of punishments teachers make?
Note that we are not trying to hear about the specific punishments their
children receive from specific teachers, but we are interested in punishment and
discipline in school in general.
Questions 5 6: Decision making and Accountability

With these questions we are trying to understand parents views on school accountability as well as
their own decision making. We want to understand if parents think its important to consult
adolescents when taking decisions that affect them. Do they feel that the school listens to students
and to parents, are they consulted enough by the school and how do they feel about these
consultations? Do they wish to be consulted or do they feel that school management should be
better left to the school authorities alone?
With the question on decision making, we primarily want to understand who influences their
decisions and whom they regard as opinion leaders. We are also interested finding out if their views
have changed over time, as well as any reference to Plans work in relation to any changes in
attitudes, but without influencing their answers in relation to Plans work.
Q.5
Q.6
When you have to make an important decision about your child's future, whose opinion
is important to you?
Does the school management listen to the requests and needs of parents and students
(through the school council/PTA etc.)?
Questions 7 8: The Future

With these questions we are trying to understand parents views and expectations for their childrens
future. We are interested in their realistic expectations for their childrens education as well as how
they feel about it. How do they feel about the level of education they expect their children to get? As
usual we are also interested in understanding why they hold a certain opinion. We want to
understand if parents think that boys and girls should have different aspirations in relation their
education or career and if so, why.
Q.7
Q.8
In your opinion, what will determine when your children leave school?
Is there a difference in the careers options for girls and boys?
Questions 9: SRHR
With this question we simply want to understand parents attitudes towards SRHR education.
Q.9
Sexual and reproductive health education should be taught at school?
Questions 10 14: About Plans Accountability

With these questions we aim to understand how adolescents relate to Plan and our programme. We
want to understand how parents relate to our staff and out programme. Our objective for this
section is to gather information on how we can improve the way we relate to our beneficiaries. Only
honest answers will be of use to us, polite answers will not enable us to learn; therefore invite
participants to be entirely honest and open with us.
Q.10: In your opinion how good is Plan's work?

Q.11: Understanding that Plan has a rights-based approach and we are unable to provide
direct support, or build infrastructure, if Plan wanted to improve its programme, what
should we do?
With these questions we would like to understand what we could do to improve our programme
without creating expectation of direct support or infrastructure. This might be more difficult in areas
where we are, as part of some programme (PPA or not PPA-related), supporting individuals with
scholarships etc. Facilitators need to use their knowledge of activities in the area and seek guidance
from the PPA coordinator on the best way to ask this question.
This question also offers a further opportunity to reinforce the message of our rights-based approach
to the communities, but we should avoid the temptation to turn the FGD into an awareness session.
The data entry template still contains the option of requesting direct support or infrastructure,
because we know that these requests frequently emerge even when we were clearly trying to avoid
them. We can still capture the frequency of such requests as they enable us to better understand
where we need to heighten our awareness about the type of work Plan does.
Local knowledge of Plans work is necessary to ask this question correctly. With this
question we would like to understand who we can improve without inviting
requests for direct support such as scholarships or building infrastructure. We have
to be careful not to create expectations with this question and we should take the
opportunity to reinforce the message around the rights-based approach, without
necessarily using the wording of rights-based approach, which is may be
misunderstood.
Q.12: Do you know how to raise a concern about Plan/NGO and partners work in your
community? And with Plan/NGO staff?
Q.13: Have you ever raised any concern about Plan/NGO and partners?
Q.14: if answered yes to the question above. Where you satisfied with the response and why?
When facilitating this section, be clear that it is OK to have different opinions and
different responses.
C6. Data entry & quality

Pre Fieldwork
Fieldwork
Training/field preparation
Ideally, all data collectors will have experience of working with surveys
interviewee. (for example, if you have marked that the committee meets both weekly
and monthly - this is a contradictory answer: check the correct answer before leaving
the presence of the interviewee)
Post fieldwork

During data entry

Staff carrying out data entry should be supported in using the survey form and inputting data into
Excel by the M&E Officer. The template provided allows only for the answers on the questionnaire to
be entered. While entering all the survey forms, staff should also be checking to see they have been
completed correctly. Where there are frequent errors (with questions missed, for example) this
should be brought to the attention of the PPA coordinator, so further mistakes can be avoided in the
future.
Essential Fields Leaders questionnaires

be flawed. For the Leaders tool, the essential field is the Type of Leader for the
Community-based Child Protection Committees it is Name of the respondent. If
Essential fields are left blank, the questionnaires must be discarded as the data
cannot be used.
Chapter D: Analysis and Reflection
Analysis and Reflection

There are three data entry templates on for each tool: school, adolescents, and community. In each
of these, the last tab on the excel data entry template is an analysis and reflection area. After
entering the data collected, visit the analysis tab to reveal the analysis automatically generated, CO
will not be required to create formulas or carry out any data analysis.
The PPA coordinator, in collaboration with all relevant team members, is required to reflect on the
analysis produced and respond to the reflection questions in the Data analysis and Reflection tab.
Most of the analysis produced by the template is presented in a graphic form and mostly presenting
figures in percentages (although there are some graphs that present absolute numbers - but these
can be easily identified and are listed below).
Each graph or pictorial representation has a caption for the data source within the specific tool. For
example "source: School Dropout" indicates that the data in that particular graph is sourced from the
Dropout Research, equally the caption "source: KAB" indicates that the source for the data in that
particular graph is the Knowledge Attitude and Behaviours questionnaires.
Data is represented disaggregated by PU as well. This allows the team to observe any difference in
the experiences and views expressed school staff in each PU.
The implementing team, under the leadership of the PPA coordinator, should reflect on the data
visualised and consider if any changes are required to implementation or ways of working.
In each of the templates, last part of the data analysis captures the respondents' (school
representatives and teachers) views of Plan and Plan's work. This in one of the beneficiary feedback
mechanisms that are put in place in the PPA extension phase. Understanding how our relation with
schools and teachers is affecting their work can help us improve our work and become more
accountable.
The Analysis and Reflection tab is divided in several areas according to the different barriers to
adolescent girls' education identified at baseline and the areas surveyed by each tool.
The Adolescents tool is the largest file and contains most of the data and the analysis, since
adolescents are the focus of our programme.
In the adolescents tool, each area brings together data on the same barrier from the three different
sources Dropout Study, KAB and FGD. This allows the team to look and reflect on each barrier from
different perspectives and explore the difference between PUs and between the responses of boys
and girls.
Although at first it might look overwhelming, teams are invited to take their time to explore the
different results, paying attention at differences between the experiences of girls and boys and
attempting to understand what might cause these differences. The data from FGD is also captured
here, but merely as the number of answers under each category. At the time of the analysis it is
important to make use of the notes taken during the FGD to understand the reasons put forward by
girls and boys participants for their answers. The data obtained with FGD is essentially qualitative
and should not be interpreted quantitatively. The value of FGD comes from shining a light into the
reasoning and motivations of individuals and capturing the plurality of voices. Whilst it is important
to understand if a specific response is echoed by the group or only held by a few, the notes taken
during the FGD remain the primary source of data and should be use to interpret the results. More
tips on which notes to review at are found in each reflection area on the sheet itself.
In all the three tools, the analysis and reflection area is broken down in sections by barrier/topic and
each section contains a Reflection area. The team is invited to review and reflect on the analysis
produced by the template and reflect on it. The reflection areas also pose specific questions and
make reference to other sources of information that should be consulted when reflecting. It is
important that the teams reflection exercise is not limited to answering the questions presented in
the reflection area, but that instead, the team reflects on the evidence presented to draw a deeper
insight into the realities in the programme. The questions are only intended as a prompt for the
team.
The team should cross-reference between the analysis areas of all three tools. For example, when
analysing and reflecting on violence in school, the team should take into consideration the evidence
from the adolescents tool, the evidence from the school tool and the community tools as well as the
notes from the FGDs on the specific questions. The template itself provides guidance and refers to
each specific section that must be used for cross-referencing.
Individual support on this is also available and teams are welcome to initiate contact with UKNO and
ask for support.
D1. Calculated indices

There are very few indices that bring together the answers to several questions into a unique score
for a specific dimension. All are calculated in the same way as follows:
-
Two points are assigned for a strongly positive answer, one for a positive answer, zero for a
neither positive nor negative answer, minus one point for a negative answer and minus two
points for a strongly negative answer.
The indices are:

1. Relationship with teachers and school (in Adolescents Tool)
Based on the answers to the following questions;
- In general I like school
- My teachers praise me when I work hard in school
- Teachers treat students with respect
2. Value/worthiness of school (in Adolescents Tool) changed in quarter 2 now only includes 3
questions instead of 6!
- Homework is a waste of time. (Q5)
- Education is so important that its worth it to put up with things about school that I dont
like (Q30)
- The things I am learning in school are going to be very important for my later life (Q31)
3. Acceptance of violence (in Adolescents Tool) changed in quarter 2 now only including 3
questions instead of 5!
- It is okay for a boy to hit a girl if she insults him (Q23)
- It is okay for a Girl to hit a boy if he insults her (Q24)
- In general, its okay to hit someone who hits you first (Q25)
4. Acceptance of Gender based violence (in Adolescents Tool)
- A wife should tolerate violence from her husband to keep the family together (Q26)
- Violence between husband and wife isa personal matter and other people/neighbous
should not interfere
- Plus an additional 2 points if there is a difference in the answers to questions 19 and 20
indicating the person sees a difference between the way girl and boys should be treated in
the same situation.
5. Gender equitable (in Adolescents and Leaders Tools)
-
In general boys are better leaders than girls (Q16 in adolescents tool, Q14 in leaders tool)
Girls should have the same freedom as boys (Q17 in adolescents tool, Q15 in leaders tool)
Boys are naturally more violent than girls (Q18 in adolescents tool, Q16 in leaders tool)
In general, the father should have greater authority than the mother in making family
decisions. (Q19 in adolescents tool, Q17 in leaders tool)
If both husband and wife have jobs, the husband should do a share of the housework such as
washing dishes and doing the laundry (Q20 in adolescents tool, Q18 in leaders tool)
6. Leaders preference for educating boys (leaders survey)

-
It is more important for a boy than a girl to finish school (Q7)_

If there are not enough resources at school such as books, tables and desk it is appropriate
that male students should be given preference. (Q8)
In a marriage, it is best if the man has more education than the woman (Q9)
D2. Graphs not displaying percentages

In addition to all the indices mentioned above, the following graphs display absolute numbers and
not percentages:
Communities Tool:
-
How good is Plans programme: measured on a scale from 1 to 10 (1=very low 1= very high)
Confidence in Plans response to issues raised: measured on a scale from 1 to 10 (1=very low
10= very high)
N. of cases brought to CPC
All cases types and cases referred by CPC
Community confidence in CPC (1=very low 10= very high)
School Tool:
-
All data on enrolment and school teaching staff

Teacher to student ratio
Schools with suggestion box
Confidence in Plans response to issues raised: measured on a scale from 1 to 10 (1=very low
10= very high)
How good is Plans programme: measured on a scale from 1 to 10 (1=very low 1= very high)
Adolescents tool
- Who made the decision to drop out
- MD2
- OPT.E
- How good is Plans programme: measured on a scale from 1 to 10 (1=very low 1= very high)
- Confidence in Plans response to issues raised: measured on a scale from 1 to 10 (1=very low
10= very high)
D3. Continued Improvement

Feedback on the tools, process and analysis templates is also very welcome. This represents a new
initiative for the PPA and for UKNO, we acknowledge that this is a learning experience, and
challenges might emerge as we implement the system as well as problems we hadnt envisaged.
With your feedback and your collaboration, we can improve the system to better respond to our
needs.
Well Done!
and lets keep improving and learning.

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PPA Outcome Monitoring

Blind Voting: Violence in School ............................................................................................................... 29

Chapter D: Analysis and Reflection ................................................................................................................... 58

Planning for data collection

How to use this guide

Instructions for the Notetaker

Chapter A: The PPA from the perspective of

School Monitoring Tools

School Monitoring Tools

SQ1 (School Assessment) to be administered QUARTERLY in ALL COUNTRIES which

S2T (Teacher Questionnaire) to be administered both QUARTERLY in ALL COUNTRIES

A1. What do we want to understand

A3. Ethical considerations

A4. Data collection process & tools

Timing - School Tool

Materials - School Tool

A5. Data entry & quality

The interviewer(s) should understand clearly the questions in the questionnaire.

The survey forms have been filled in completely and correctly

During data entry

Chapter B: Adolescent monitoring Tools

AD1 (Drop out follow up) -administered QUARTERLY in ALL COUNTRIES

B1. Schooling from the perspective of those who

Dropout follow up study

B1.1 What do we want to understand

Additional dropout cases and boys dropouts

B1.3. Ethical considerations

B1.4. Data collection process & tools

B1.5. Data Entry & Quality

The survey forms have been filled in completely and correctly

During data entry

B.2. School, community and the future from the

Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours Survey

Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours Survey

B2.1 What do we want to understand

B2.3 Ethical considerations

B2.4 Data collection process & tools

B2.5 Data entry & quality

The survey forms have been filled in completely and correctly

During data entry

B3. Plurality of voices and views

Focus Group Discussions with Adolescents

Focus Group Discussions with Adolescents

1 FGD = 19 questions + 8 blind votes + 2 optional activities (1 activity if time is

B3.1 What do we want to understand

The information sought under each section

B3.2 Planning for data collection

B3.3 Ethical considerations in field research

anonymously. However, if in the course of this conversation,

B3.4 The Data collection process

Why is Education important?

Questions 4 5: Child Protection in the School

Questions 6 7: Use of Punishment and Views of Corporal Punishment

What types of punishments are given to students in this school?

Blind Voting: Violence in School

Questions 8 10: Gender and expectations

Who is more encouraged to go to school in this community, based on what

Questions 11 13: School Accountability

Questions 14 15: SRHR

Questions 16 19: About Plans Accountability

Optional Activity A: Gender preference for education Sara and

Optional Activity B: Exiting Education