Your Role
The DREAMS research team sincerely thanks you for your involvement in coordinating data collection for our study. Without you, this study wouldn’t be possible.
What can I expect as a participating school of DREAMS?
- Annual surveys
- Students will be invited to complete 2 surveys per year for students throughout their secondary education (2023-2026/7)
- Parents and teachers will be invited to complete 1 survey per year during the same time period.
- Students, parents, and teachers may be invited for additional follow-up interview sessions in Term 4.
- Annual school visits (if desired)
- For our team to distribute tokens of appreciation to your students for their participation and/or share about our study.
- Each participating school has an appointed teacher as a Point of Contact (POC) liaising with our research team.
- Our findings will be shared periodically through various channels (eg. on our website, social media, presentations, reports, tip sheets)
What is my role as a teacher?
- If you have students(s) participating in DREAMS, you will be invited to complete 1 annual survey sent to your email in Term 3.
- You may be invited for a follow-up interview session in Term 4.
What else can I do as part of a participating school?
2025 Timeline
Term 1
Feb – Start of student interviews
Selected students.
Feb – Start of parent survey (Year 2 data collection)
All Sec 3 students’ parents will be invited. Schools’ assistance is needed to send the invitation link to parents.
Term 2
Apr – Sept – Start of student data collection (survey) & voucher distribution (online where possible)
All Sec 3 students and last year’s survey participants.
May – Jun – Start of Focus Group Discussion sessions for teachers, parents, and students
Invited parents, teachers, and students.
Term 3
Jul – Distribution of goody bags to Sec 3 students and last year’s participants
Will be delivered directly to the school.
Jul – Start of teacher survey
Assigned teachers will be invited.
Jul (Date TBC) – DREAMS Sharing with Principals
All principals involved in the study will be invited.
Term 4
Term 4 – Parent webinar session
All parents of participating students will be invited.
Term 4 – School engagement & voucher distribution for Sec 3 students/teachers
All Sec 3 form teachers and students. Details and program may differ based on school’s schedule
Term 4 – Student Focus Group Discussions may start if not feasible in May/June
Selected students.
Term 4 – Start of parent survey (Year 3 data collection)
All Sec 3 students’ parents will be invited.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will you share your findings?
How are you protecting participants’ privacy/data?
The DREAMS research team takes our responsibility as guardians of participants’ information very seriously. We have several procedures in place to keep your data and privacy secure and protected.
DREAMS has approval and oversight from the NTU Institutional Review Board (IRB), ensuring compliance with the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). The NTU-IRB ensures the protection of human subjects involved in research studies by maintaining the highest levels of research ethics and integrity.
Your participation in this research will be kept confidential. Identifying information (e.g., name, last 4 characters of NRIC, e-mail address) will be asked to ensure the accuracy of our records, for linking of data collected at different time points, and for contacting you. Identifying information is removed and replaced with a random numeric ID to ensure anonymity before it is transferred to our research team for analysis, where everyone’s answers are combined and reported as aggregates.
The findings of this study may be reported in scientific presentations and reports, as well as social and broadcast media. Your identity will NOT be reflected or disclosed in these presentations, reports, and publications.
Who is funding/conducting this study?
This study is run by the National Institute of Education commissioned by the Ministry of Education
What happens if I don’t complete the surveys?
Opting out of any surveys will not affect your relationship with the National Institute of Education or Ministry of Education or impact any ongoing assessment/grades. You may skip any questions you do not wish to answer.
Do I have to do the surveys?
You decide whether to complete the surveys. While participation is voluntary, we encourage you to take part. Your survey responses are a direct contribution to meaningful research that can positively influence policies and practices related to student education and well-being.
Will our teachers get surveys?
Yes teachers of participants will receive a survey in their emails once a year in Term 3.
How were schools selected for this study?
A diverse range of schools were invited to obtain a diverse sample of various educational pathways. 28 schools accepted the invitation to the study in 2023.
