Among the best examples of the professional development of teachers that has become a key component of systemic educational reform are the curriculum-based teacher networks that have been created and nurtured in public schools by external private and public funders. This study examined the impact of four such networks on teacher renewal and…

Twelve focus groups were conducted to determine how various at-risk groups would respond to Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) educational outreach approaches presented via print (posters and comic book), television, and radio media. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding HIV and AIDS were also…

Utilization of focus groups, commonly used in marketing research, as the first step of program needs assessment, is examined in this report. Focus groups are useful in generating new data that have not been constrained by a preconceived evaluation format. The goal of focus groups is not consensus building, but identification of a variety of needs.…

Focus group interviewing is a qualititative research technique in which a small number of respondents and a moderator have an unstructured discussion about selected subjects. As a market research technique, it could generate new insights and provide a deeper understanding of institutional image. (MSE)

Scratch the surface of any successful organization and readers will likely find systems designed to evaluate how well it runs. The approach to evaluation presented in this book can be applied in a variety of contexts, but the focus here is on the evaluation of leadership development initiatives. Effective evaluations keep leadership development…

In research begun in 1999, participant perceptions of the elements required for successful school-university partnerships were explored. All participants were involved in partnerships of the Chicago Public Schools with a university partner. This study asked participants, through a series of focus groups, to examine, discuss, and draw their own…

A study conducted by Public Agenda Foundation, in partnership with the National Constitution Center, examined what typical adults know and believe about the U.S. Constitution, probed what they understand their rights and civic responsibilities to be, and reported their views on the document's importance and relevance in their lives today. The…

An exploratory reliability and validity study was conducted of a relatively new response scale developed in the marketing field. Unlike many Likert-type scales, the "unbounded write-in" scale is claimed to produce distributions that more closely approximate normal distributions. This type of scale has been used in large-scale marketing studies.…

A new multi-year effort to promote the health, positive development, and well-being of children has been established in the midwest Great Lakes region. The working name of this project is the Kellogg Pre-Birth through Age Three initiative. The first phase focuses on cross-site participation in the development of an overall design. Phase 2 will…

Between January and April 2000, Mount Royal College in Calgary, Alberta, Canada piloted an anonymous online faculty-administered teaching assessment tool. Five instructors volunteered to participate, and 5 students from classes taught by each instructor joined them in focus groups, for a total of 30 focus group participants. The quantitative and…

An unprecedented and growing number of postsecondary students report psychiatric disabilities. This issue brief examines current research and practice efforts that have been addressed in meeting the needs of individuals with psychiatric disabilities within the postsecondary setting. While there is only limited research on this issue to guide…

Vocational educators in Swaziland identified professional competencies in focus group workshops. These competencies and additional ones identified in a literature review were refined into 11 competence areas needed by teachers of practical studies (agriculture, commercial, home economics, and technical). (SK)

Recounts how one scholar went about researching the subject of a women's university and later realized the error of her methods and used a focus group to research her topic. Finds that the group began with a free-flow discussion of general qualities for a women's university, moved on to collaborative learning, and to holistic collaboration across…

Describes research aimed at providing educational organizations with practical strategies for implementing electronic learning (e-learning), based on focus group discussions at an elementary school in Taiwan. Considers the strategic role of digital libraries in electronic learning environments, library collections, digital technology, human…

Examines the use of focus group interviews in understanding staff perceptions of training to work with drug users in the Therapeutic Community model. Discusses methodological issues relevant to the use of focus groups and the individual responses to the training program and the content and structure of the training program are also discussed.…