Reports on the first phase of a project to identify and implement user-based design criteria in World Wide Web pages. Focus group interviews and questionnaires were used to identify the criteria that influence use of the Web and to analyze them within the context of the users' information-gathering behavior. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the potential of focus groups to address balance of power and empowerment issues in nursing research. Explains the need to involve diverse stakeholders in curriculum development, student evaluation, and appraisals of students' perceptions of their experiences. (Contains 52 references.) (SK)

Presents a review of existing taxonomies of communication strategies and results of related research involving a focus group of 68 students, which aimed to discover new strategies within the (Croatian) culture which has evaded foreign researchers. Declares that nine strategies emerged and quantifies the new strategies. Discusses differences…

Describes focus groups for therapists and supervisors practicing home-based therapy. Identifies eight topics challenging to therapists and necessary for home-based practice (i.e., crisis and safety issues, multiproblem families, therapist demoralization). Recommends focus group methodology as useful tool to assess training needs and for promoting…

Describes a study at the University of Idaho that used focus groups to explore information seeking methods and how they had changed over the past few years. Highlights include information sources; criteria used to judge information sources; obstacles to finding information; time spent; values and emotions; and the ideal information source. (LRW)

Analysis of three focus groups of educators who advocate for special education students found that educators: (1) believe there are personal and professional risks associated with advocacy; (2) want training in the areas of special education law, communication skills, collaboration and conflict resolution, and teacher advocacy; and (3) need…

Student focus groups persuaded a Kentucky school district to modify a proposed security plan. The Partnership for Kentucky Schools, a coalition of business working for continuous improvement, has produced a detailed guide "Turn Up the Volume: The Students Speak Toolkit" for schools seeking to conduct quality research. (MLF)

Conducted focus groups with deaf and hard of hearing participants (32 adult participants in all) and derived lessons for the conduct of such groups. Emphasizes that focus groups are much more productive when evaluators are sensitive to invisible communication difficulties. (SLD)

Objectives: To enhance understanding of the sexual abuse disclosure process from the perspective of preteen and teenage survivors. To reconsider prominent models of the disclosure process in light of our findings. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of data from four focus groups in which 34 preadolescent and adolescent female survivors of…

This paper reports a multi-stage study carried out between 1999 and 2001 which aimed to develop an instrument to address the need for a culturally relevant measure of quality of life for Chinese older persons in Hong Kong and similar communities. The first stage of the research involved a focus group study conducted in August 1999 which it was…

In this article we report on what Grade 8 learners say about the new curriculum reforms in South Africa -- Outcomes-based Education (OBE) and Curriculum 2005 (C2005) -- that were introduced into their mathematics classrooms. The article begins by addressing what is argued to be a gap in reform research in mathematics education. It draws primarily…

A review of articles in Psychological Assessment reveals that many researchers develop instruments without the benefit of consultation with members of the target population. To the extent that researchers do consult the target population, most fail to bring consultation in early enough to inform the identification and specification of key…

This paper describes a 10-month trial of a mobile learning organiser, developed for use by university students. Implemented on a wireless-enabled Pocket PC hand-held computer, the organiser makes use of existing mobile applications as well as tools designed specifically for students to manage their learning. The trial set out to identify the…

This article presents findings from an exploration into supervisees' perspectives on childhood memories and receptivity to corrective feedback in group supervision. Historically, students' receptivity to corrective feedback has not been explored relative to their childhood memories. Ten graduate students from four practicum groups participated in…

We examine the effects of an adult member's religious difference and geographic distance on intergenerational family continuity, using the case example of American Jewish mothers with daughters who became Orthodox and moved to Israel. Using qualitative data from a focus group with 6 women who became Orthodox and moved to Israel and separate…