Placed within the context of current policy, research, and implementation provisions in early childhood education in New Zealand, this study examined the current professional development provisions for the implementation of Te Whariki in Pacific Islands early childhood centers (PIECCs) and the current approaches used by PIECCs to assess children's…

This paper reports findings from a series of focus groups with seven parents, six middle school girls, and four elementary school teachers in a high poverty urban neighborhood. The study began with the purpose of identifying the characteristics of exemplary teachers in low-income urban schools. As the research continued, it became apparent that…

This study used a focus group approach to examine the transition planning experiences and concerns of 30 family members of young adults with special health care needs throughout Massachusetts. Findings indicated: (1) parents experienced challenges with service delivery systems, day-to-day living, residential location, and uncertainty about the…

Describes how focus groups comprised of speech-language professionals, paraprofessionals, general and special education teachers, and parents in Iowa were used to conduct a needs assessment of issues in staff development and use of paraprofessional personnel and to design job-relevant personnel development programs. An attached chart lists themes…

A University of Portsmouth (England) study assessed the utility of students' group assessments of courses in generating appropriate feedback. It considered the effectiveness of student consultation meetings, usefulness of the results in course development, how this group process compares with schoolwide course evaluation surveys, and how students…

Two focus groups of high-risk inner-city African-American and Caucasian adolescent girls (15 to 16 years old) were organized to explore issues related to sexual decision making. Transcripts of the groups were reviewed for recurrent themes and viewpoints. Verbatim examples are presented. Participants reported pressures to have sex and a lack of…

A university-based degree completion program for adults conducted focus group research to refine market positioning and promotion. Focus groups averaged five current students and recent graduates who reflected, demographically, the current student population. Results gave insight into reasons for selecting the university, aspects of the program…

This study examined influences of maternal HIV on concerns among inner-city minority families. Findings indicated that beyond concerns reported by early adolescent children of HIV-negative mothers, concerns of children of HIV-positive mothers included mothers' sickness and death, adult responsibilities, and uncertainty about their futures.…

Conducted four focus groups to explore the college student experience of ethnic minorities (African American, Asian-Pacific American, Chicano/Latino, and Native American) in a predominantly White institution of higher education. Findings in terms of student voices and perspectives were grouped into six main categories: general campus climate,…

Individual and focus-group interviews explored barriers and motivations to lifelong learning among residents of a disadvantaged area of Glasgow (Scotland). Some participants were motivated to pursue adult education to improve employment opportunities, but motivations related to social and community networks were also important. The current policy…

Analysis of data from 11 interviews with parents of children with disabilities, 3 focus groups, and parent action research logs yielded 5 themes: parents felt ill-prepared to help children with homework; parents wanted more information about teachers' expectations; parents wanted individualized homework assignments; parents valued family…

Examines the uniqueness of the caregiving experiences of specific cultural groups. Results, based on focus group meetings with African American, Chinese American, Haitian American, Hispanic/Latino American, Korean American, and select Native American communities, revealed differences in perceptions of disability, family structure, care givers,…

The factors influencing students' decisions not to use computers during their education are explored, using focus-group interviews with 96 secondary and college students in the United Kingdom. Three main constructs underlying students' rejection of educational computing are defined, and how educational computing can be reconstructed is discussed.…

A series of focus group studies conducted by the Public Agenda Foundation explored public reactions to educational standards in 1993. This study revealed broad and spontaneous support for the idea that higher expectations will produce higher achievement. The strong endorsement of higher standards was also a manifestation of the public's concern…

Reports on a collaborative project on school violence and safety conducted for a partnership that serves 13 school districts in two New York counties. Focus groups collected information on the schools from school stakeholders. Recommendations for more effective channels of communication with the entire educational community are included. Provides…