Skip Navigation


Health Education Research Advance Access originally published online on February 9, 2006
Health Education Research 2006 21(4):518-526; doi:10.1093/her/cyh078
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
21/4/518    most recent
cyh078v1
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (2)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Testa, A. C.
Right arrow Articles by Coleman, L. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Testa, A. C.
Right arrow Articles by Coleman, L. M.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Accessing research participants in schools: a case study of a UK adolescent sexual health survey

Adrienne C. Testa1,3 and Lester M. Coleman2

1 Health Protection Agency — Centre for Infections, UK
2 Trust for the Study of Adolescence, UK

3Correspondence to: A. C. Testa, Health Protection Agency — Centre for Infections, HIV and STI Department, London NW9 5EQ, UK. E-mail: adrienne.testa{at}hpa.org.uk

While methods and results of school-based studies have been reported widely in the literature, little published information exists on the practical aspects of recruiting schools and students into a study. This paper reflects on the experiences of a UK-based sexual health survey among 3007 students aged 15–18 years. The survey explored beliefs, attitudes and behaviours in relation to sexual health. This case study highlights significant aspects of planning and conducting successful large-scale research in schools, focusing on the process of conducting the research rather than outcomes. As such, the paper will benefit those intending to sample a school-based population. The key features of effective and feasible research in schools are outlined in four areas: (i) adopting suitable research tools, (ii) selecting and contacting schools, (iii) selecting students within schools and (iv) the importance of fieldworkers. On-site and post-data collection feedback from teachers are incorporated into the discussion of good practice in partnership working with schools and students in research. We conclude by discussing fieldwork experiences and outlining key recommendations for researchers across disciplines engaging in school-based studies.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Health Education JournalHome page
L. Coleman and A. Testa
Sexual health knowledge, attitudes and behaviours among an ethnically diverse sample of young people in the UK
Health Education Journal, March 1, 2007; 66(1): 68 - 81.
[Abstract] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.