Questionnaire for Adult Education Institutions

Diversity in the institution – reality, challenges and measures

The aim of this questionnaire is to provide essential indicators of successful processes of dealing with diversity in organisations.

This questionnaire has a internal function in the realisation of DivCap Project:

1. It will be used for desk research on the adult educations involved in the project using sources like mission statement, leaflets, advertisements, videos, annual reports, curricula, website and social media, etc. This information will be the background information of the interviews for the case studies.
2. It will be completed after the interviews with information we have got out of the discussions.

More important is the external function of this questionnaire. It can be used by adult education institutions in general to measure the diversity policy and diversity management in the organisation and the outcomes can be used as starting point for what should be improved.

You are invited to use the tools we will provide you, in order to improve or implement a Diversity Policy in your Organisation. In case you accept our invitation, the first step to analise diversity in your own organisation is answering the questionnaire that we offer you with the help of your staff, and fostering reflection about the questions we propose to you.

Start working on the questionnaire (see below) based on desk research of sources like mission statement, leaflets, advertisements, videos, annual reports, curricula, website and social media, etc.

You have to collect and study everything that can be made available in writing / textually and figuratively about your organization.

This applies both to what your organisation writes itself – website appearance, folders / flyers, annual reports, magazines, documentaries – as well as what has been written about the organization, be it in magazines, (digital) or other available media. This also applies in particular to hard facts – e.g. statistics, figures, services, offers, financial and political conditions and frameworks, sponsors / subsidy providers and the like.

After that, in order to complete the information, we strongly recommend you to interview a group of workers composed by:

• Two teachers/ adult educators / staff members
• One representative of the management
• One support staff person
• One person with close contacts to learners/clients

If you need further information, you can visit how to prepare the interview section.

Complete the Questionnaire after the interviews with information you have got out of the discussions. After the desk research and the interview, you should be able to answer the questions below.

Questionnaire for analising diversity in your organisation

(click here to download the Questionnaire in PDF format)

1. Institucional framework

   1. What’s the main objective of your institution?
   2. What kind of legal body is it?
   3. In which way external legal frameworks (e.g. a subordinate institution, network regulations) restrict policies and management decisions of your institution?
   4. If there exists a mission statement: Which formulations contains it showing openness towards different cultures and countries of origin?
   5. What are the main reasons for the institution to adopt diversity management / is interested in adopting diversity management?
   6. Are there internal guidelines for educational leaders and employees endorsing equal opportunities and equal treatment for all?
   7. Does your organization have a complaints office or contact person when employees do not experience equal treatment?
   8. Are complaints about discrimination reported? If yes which ones?

2. The institution in the migration society

   1. Who is addressed specifically by the institution’s products and services?
   2. Does the institution evaluate the composition of participants (age, gender, cultural background or other categories)?
   3. If yes: What percentage of migrants participates in the course offer?
   4. Which are the most important difficulties for migrants to attend courses in your institution?
   5. Does the institution provide specific support services to migrants to facilitate the access to courses? If yes, please present examples!
   6. Are courses offered in any foreign languages also, which ones?
   7. How the institution presents itself in the public? Which kind of people are visible in printed or online public relations? Please add examples.
   8. In which languages does the institution present itself?
   9. Which examples of positive measures to invite people with migrant background into the institution do you have?
   10. In which way the institution is connected to migrant communities?

3. Human resources

   1. How many employees does your institution employ?
   2. How many of them have a migration background?
   3. At which levels do employees with migration background take positions in the organization?
   4. Does your institution use neutral formulations in the job advertisement?
   5. Does the human resource department expect a photo attached to the application documents or do they point out that it is not wanted?
   6. In which way the human resource department considers “intercultural competence” as a requirement for job applicants?
   7. Are women, people with disabilities and people with migrant backgrounds expressly invited to apply?
   8. Does your institution use a discussion guide so that the job interviews are as consistent as possible?
   9. Is multilingualism acknowledged as an important skill?
   10. Does the institution offer flexible working conditions taking into account cultural celebrations days, offer of halal food in the canteen, presence of a prayer room? Which ones?
   11. In which way comparable abilities, qualifications and professional experience are acknowledged (independently of formal recognition)?
   12. What do you think are the main challenges for administrative staff in relation to diversity?
   13. In which way managers are prepared for leading a diverse team?
   14. How can professionalism in the field of integration be developed equally in all departments?

4. Our house, our languages

   1. In which way does your institution facilitate the access to the building (e.g. reception, guidance system in the floors, multi-lingual advice, easy language)?
   2. Does the institution speak – quite in the literally sense – the language of those target groups which are out of reach? Which communication channels are used for reaching those groups?
   3. In your opinion: which are the most relevant obstacles to reach migrants?

5. Networking

   1. Which migrant organizations exist in the region / city? With which ones does your institution cooperate?
   2. Does the institution cooperate in recruitment campaigns with migration organizations?
   3. What attitude does your institution for further education adopt for cooperation or networking in general?

6. The educational process

   1. Who teaches? In which way is your educational staff divers?
   2. Do teachers provide special support in the courses for participants with difficulties in some specific subject? If yes, which ones?
   3. Does the institution provide any support to teachers (e.g. intercultural mediator) for handling intercultural conflicts in the courses? If yes, which ones? If no, which ones should be implemented?
   4. Do the methodologies in the courses promote inclusion (e.g. collaborative work in heterogeneous groups, project learning, welcoming procedures)? If yes, provide examples!
   5. In your opinion: which are the most relevant challenges for teachers/trainers including participants with migration background in the lessons/courses

7. Last questions

   1. Beside of ethnicity and cultural background – the topics of the project: Which dimensions of diversity could be relevant for your institution? And why?
   2. Do you have any further comments to this questionnaire?