Engagement with School, Identity and Self-esteem: Some Characteristics of Gifted and Talented Students in England (Occasional Paper 11).

This report analyses the first of an annual series of surveys of a random sample of enrolled members of the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth (NAGTY), as
at October 2004. In total there were just over 13000 students and the survey sampled 4000 of these in two response modes, (2000 by post and 2000 by email), using a
questionnaire derived from a standardised instrument developed by one of the researchers (Muijs, 1997). The response rate was 806 (40%) by postal, and 251 (12%),
by email, giving a total of 1057 valid returns overall, just over 25%. There were few significant differences in pattern of responses by either response mode. The mean respondent age was 14, with the modal age being 13. Respondent age ranged from 11-18, covering the full range of NAGTY membership.

The principal aim of the survey, which is part of a more broadly based longitudinal study, was to trace the nature of student engagement with formal schooling, sources of their social identity, and academic self-concept and self-esteem. A subsidiary aim was to test whether conventional postal surveys or surveys by email would produce different response rates and whether there would be differences in response patterns from the different response modes. In the event there were few significant differences in patterns of responses between the two modes, but as is shown above, response rate was significantly better for the postal questionnaire.