This paper considers the contemporary use of focus groups as a method of data collection within qualitative research settings. The authors draw upon their own experiences of using focus groups in educational and "community" user-group environments in order to provide an overview of recent issues and debates surrounding the deployment of focus…

Ethnographic research, including interviews, focus groups, and observations were conducted to explore gendered dimensions of smoking among low level smokers, including the acceptability of smoking in different contexts; reasons for smoking; the monitoring of self and friends' smoking; and shared smoking as a means of communicating concern and…

In segregated societies such as Northern Ireland, schools may become sites of risk rather than sites of learning. This is particularly likely to be the case in interface areas, which are demarcated by peace-lines and other symbolic boundaries. Drawing on maps and focus group discussions with teenagers from interface areas in North Belfast, the…

Examines attitudes and beliefs concerning the appropriate age at marriage for men and women in Thailand. For males, entering into marriage was linked to completion of military service and a period in the monkhood. For both sexes, readiness to marry was defined in terms of economic and emotional responsibilities. (Author/NRB)

This report contains information based on 29 interviews with health educators from public schools in Vermont. In addition to the interviews with health educators, it also includes information gathered through six focus groups conducted with groups of youth in public schools in central and southern Vermont. The results of these focus groups are…

In 2003 the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future convened a design team to launch the Teachers Learning in Networked Communities (TLINC) project. The initial one-year phase, funded by AT&T, involved a TLINC design team partnered with four communities, Pueblo, Colorado; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Maine; and Socorro, Texas. The…

This study examined new teacher perceptions of the impact of mentoring as evidenced through their experiences in the Louisiana Teacher Assistance and Assessment Program. Primary questions were whether participants experience mentoring as an aid in successful completion of their certification and whether the mentoring component increased teachers'…

In an interactive symposium, participants (7 male and 15 female college faculty members) were experientially introduced to focus groups by participating in a focus group. They learned key concepts related to focus group research through an exemplar. A research project was described that involved professional college faculty in focus groups that…

Over the past several years, Public Education Network and Education Week (PEN/Ed Week) have systematically explored the degree to which the American public takes responsibility for quality public education, and the degree to which the public holds itself and its elected officials accountable for promoting policies that support quality education…

Relates the history of the focus group as a research tool, explores its recent revival, and reappraises the method and its appropriateness for media and communications research. Argues that the focus group discussion should be regarded as a socially situated communication. Discusses the various relations this may bear toward different approaches…

Conducted 10 focus groups in which adolescents discussed their "growth experiences" in extracurricular and community-based activities. The 55 participants reported personal and interpersonal processes and generally described themselves as agents of their own development and change. (SLD)

Discusses methods for the performance evaluation of supervisors and describes how an instrument for upward appraisal by the supervisor's subordinates was developed at the Dayton-Montgomery County (Ohio) Public Library. Employee focus group meetings, evaluation statements for rating by staff, and preparation of draft and final evaluation…

Identifies advantages and disadvantages of using focus groups rather than individual interviews in evaluating texts. Finds that focus groups tended to identify acceptance problems, whereas individual interview participants focused on comprehension. (SR)

Focus groups provide a broader range of qualitative information useful in needs assessment and continuing education program planning. One disadvantage is a group not representative of the target audience. The effectiveness of focus groups is enhanced by combining them with quantitative methods. (SK)

Outcomes of focus groups and telephone interviews of 403 gerontology providers identified training needs, logistics of delivery, and preferred delivery methods. Results were used to develop a framework for a multilevel curriculum to address the needs of three levels of trainees. (SK)