Investigates young adolescents' perceptions of their peers' prosocial behaviors. Results suggest that traditional research has not addressed the diversity of prosocial behaviors that youth enact, nor emphasized behaviors that are salient to young adolescents. Such behaviors included standing up for others, encouraging others, helping others…

Uses three specific studies to analyze methods of data collection from children, including participant observation, focus groups, interviews, and structured activities. Points out the effective and ineffective aspects of each method, and deals with methodological issues such as parental consent, access to children, privacy, and confidentiality.…

Clean Break is a theatre group offering learning opportunities to women with mental health problems or criminal justice involvement. The women act as peer researchers, conducting interviews to elicit information on mental health issues that is used to provide appropriate support. (SK)

Discusses the effectiveness of using focus groups with children to explore their information-seeking behavior and describes a study that organized focus groups with children to determine their opinions on currently available Web-based portals designed for children, and how they might be improved. (Author/LRW)

Provides advice on conducting focus-group research in institutions of higher learning based on experiences with groups of university business-school students. Lists and discusses steps in focus group research, including determining research questions, determining sampling frames, selecting moderators, developing a discussion guide, recruiting…

Focus groups arranged by local Native American Master Gardeners on two Minnesota reservations determined community interest in extension-horticulture programs. Topics of interest included food preservation and historical Native-American uses of plants. (SK)

Issues involved in adapting the focus group process for low-income adults and children of Hispanic and Caucasian ethnicity include kinds of incentives, selection of location, participant recruitment and eligibility, question development, and number of groups to conduct. Children's attention span, cultural and linguistic differences, and child care…

Proposes a taxonomy of functions for direct reports of speech (and of writing and thought) in focus-group discussions. Reported speech both depicts the experience of the original utterance and detaches the reported utterance from the reporting speaker. (Author/VWL)

Research on academic dishonesty has generally relied on survey techniques, which may fail to capture students' true feelings about cheating. The present investigation uses focus group discussions to gain a fuller understanding of students' beliefs about academic dishonesty. The results suggest that, in regard to their cheating, students generally…

Investigates the telegraphed emotion of "the look," a feature of adolescent social interaction that can quickly initiate or escalate conflict. Using focus groups, teenage females were asked to define the look and to discuss its use and the consequences. Results indicate that the look often results in escalation of conflict, especially a…

Argues that focus groups provide users with valuable qualitative data not readily obtained with any other data-collection technique. Describes the focus-group process, including participant selection, moderator role, phases of the process, and advantages and disadvantages. Suggests ways that business communication instructors can incorporate the…

Focus groups with 42 primary care physicians revealed their interests and needs for continuing education. Similar interests were displayed among four specialties: family physicians, internists, pediatricians, and obstetricians/gynecologists, as well as significant overlap of opinions and ideas. (SK)

Edible Connections is a public forum intended to facilitate dialog on food system issues. Media representatives are participants, and the focus is on solutions to local food system issues and problems. (Contains 22 references.) (JOW)

Twelve focus group discussions on attitudes toward tattoos, health beliefs, and awareness of the long-term consequences of tattooing and stigmatization were conducted with 80 volunteers, 6 to 17 years of age. Attitudes toward tattoos were generally negative, although a more favorable attitude toward small tattoos was discernible among early…

This 1997 study explored in depth the views and experiences of women with breast cancer concerning disease-related mass media information. Results of focus group discussions indicate advantages and disadvantages of mass media information, and its impact upon individuals may depend on their disease status. Suggests implications for mass media…