There are approximately 1.6 billion children, adolescents and youths enrolled in primary and secondary schools worldwide. Around 264 million students are enrolled in tertiary (or higher) education, a significant rise from 2020’s 235 million. This equates to roughly 20% of the global population currently being enrolled in primary, secondary, or tertiary education. FieldworkHub has assisted clients in recruiting students, teaching staff and parents of school-aged children for a number of studies on EdTech, policy implementation and university-led academic research studies.
While the majority of education worldwide is government funded, with governments in most developed countries spending 5-6% of GDP on education, the private sector is estimated to be growing at around 8% per year. The global market for private educational services for children of primary and secondary school age has been estimated at $431 billion in 2025, while the global market for private tertiary education can be roughly estimated at $250-300 billion a year. The global market for work-related training, the other major component of private educational services, is estimated to be worth around $350 billion a year.
Education Technology (EdTech) is a rapidly growing area of the education market and a major focus for market research. Estimates for the annula value of EdTech vary from around $180 billion to $215 billion in 2025-26 with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of approximately 13%–15% . The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a key drive of growth in the EdTech market.
Focus groups allow participants to combine experiences and perspectives to explore ideas in depth. Commonly used during creative and conceptual development, they help you understand your customers’ needs, perceptions, and beliefs.
In-depth interviews (IDIs), where a moderator interviews a single respondent, can be conducted face-to-face, online, or over the phone. They are ideal for B2B research and for exploring delicate subjects with consumers and hard-to-reach groups.
Ethnographic research is a qualitative research method in which the researchers observe participants using a product or service, or carrying out other activities, in their own environment, typically at work or at home.
An online bulletin board (OBB) is an online forum for qualitative market research that enables participants to log into to carry out research tasks or reply to questions asked by a moderator at their own pace, typically over a period of a few days.
A market research online community (MROC) is similar to an online bulletin board (OBB). However, unlike an OBB, on online community may be used to serve multiple purposes, and the community may remain active for weeks, months or even years.
User experience (UX) testing is a qualitative research methodology which involves directly observing and interviewing a participant using a product or service. It is widely used for testing new versions of apps and websites before they are launched.
Customer experience (CX) testing evaluates how customers interact with a product, service, or digital platform. It helps identify usability issues and overall satisfaction to improve the customer journey and ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience.
A video survey is a type of unmoderated qualitative research in which survey takers respond to a series of instructions or questions by making short videos using their smartphone, either in ‘selfie’ mode or to record an activity.
Vox pop research involves making recordings of people, usually members of the public, responding to questions. These clips are often used in research to illustrate public opinion on widely known topics, brands, or products.
Online surveys are a cost-effective research method with great flexibility in design. Automated data handling allows the results to be available quickly and many online surveys can be completed on smartphones, helping to improve the response rate.
CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviewing) leverages technology to reach those who aren’t online. CATI interviews follow an electronic script with built in routing and type in the respondent’s answers to each question as the interview proceeds.
CAPI (computer-assisted personal interviewing) is a form of face-to-face interviewing where the interviewer reads the survey questions from a tablet device and inputs the respondent’s answers directly to the device.
A global technology company wanted to speak to teachers and education leaders in the UK about the use of educational technology in the classroom and for remote learning during the coronavirus lockdowns. FieldworkHub was tasked with recruiting 24 respondents within a week to take part in a series of online focus groups.
Two universities were co-operating on a project to explore how groups of people work together to solve problems. FieldworkHub was asked to recruit, schedule and manage incentives for 50 groups of seven people over a seven-week period, to attend a moderated two-hour session.
The University of Cambridge created an online application system for candidates wishing to study there. They wanted to conduct remote user tests, with a sample of prospective undergraduate/ postgraduate students who were applying to top UK universities. We recruited and screened in 14 respondents in less than a week.
