This study used semi-structured focus group interviews to examine specific literacy beliefs of 21 elementary pre-service teachers (PSTs) from five teacher education programs across the eastern, southern, and central parts of the USA. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed for statements about literacy beliefs. Each belief statement was also…

The present study aimed to increase understanding of how singing activities may be initiated in primary school, and what support and assistance teachers require to conduct singing activities as an integrated part of the school day. Five music teachers participated in a focus group interview. The following main themes were identified: 1)…

Based on Folk theory, Media Equation, and AI literacy research, the study constructed an interview outline and selected 72 students in 4th and 5th grade in three primary schools located in the Minhang and Putuo districts of Shanghai (two in the Minhang district and one in the Putuo district) as the study participants for focus group interviews.…

School climate is crucial for understanding everyday school life. For pupils, breaktime seems to be associated with how they feel about their school climate. To better understand school climate and what social processes pupils address, this study explores pupils' perspectives on school climate with attention on how they perceive their breaktimes.…

Primary to secondary school transition is an important time for young children as it marks the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. For some, there is "too much stuff for my brain to handle" (Participant 3) with many changes happening concurrently as students enter their new learning environment, in a context of adolescent changes.…

For optimal child development, play time has been recognized by the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights as a right of every child. But access to free time has been reduced due to the impact of one or other factors such as current lifestyle, changes in family pattern, increased academic pressure, and unsafe spaces for children until and…

Rural youth may have a distinct vantage point on STEM issues in their community, and if STEM interest is developed at a young age, the likelihood of solving these in adulthood may occur. Therefore, a place-conscious informal STEM program was developed to be delivered to youth ages eight to twelve in rural communities. Qualitative methods,…

This article presents findings from a participatory evaluation of alumni groups--Think Tanks--affiliated with the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program. Think Tanks are cocurricular settings wherein participants develop and apply skills and capacities valuable within and beyond the context of meetings. Data come from nine focus groups convened in…

This article aims to explore the symptoms and characteristics of dyscalculia. This is a qualitative study. Five experts in the field of special education took part in a focus group interview. Each expert had more than ten years of experience in their area of expertise. To determine the content validity of the protocol, three experts in special…

Children's school readiness implies their ability to adjust to the requirements imposed by school, to meet the teachers' criteria, to show progress in learning and to their abilities in general. The purpose of this research is to identify the critical incidents relating to children's school readiness. In the context of children's entry into…

The challenge in data analysis often lies in accounting for the multidimensionality and complexity of the data while simultaneously discovering patterns. Integrating and consolidating different types of data during analysis can broaden the perspective and permit obtaining complementary views. This methodological research study on data collection…

Despite the prolific research on textbook evaluation in language teaching (Garinger, 2002; Miekley, 2005; Mukundan & Ahour, 2010; Nimehchisalem & Mukundan, 2015, among others), Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) textbook evaluation is still a field to be developed. The lack of specific tools prevents CLIL teachers and other…

At the end of the first semester of the 2017/18 academic year, we conducted research in the form of focus groups on the attitudes of disadvantaged primary school students toward language learning and school. The students were asked about their thoughts relating to school, their self-perceived academic efficiency and their experiences related to…

Glasgow City Council has stated its aspiration to move 'Towards the Nurturing City' where all establishments have implemented a whole school nurturing approach. This paper seeks to document the experiences of children and parents/carers, captured through semi-structured questionnaires in focus groups, in 'nurturing establishments'. Nineteen…

The aim of this study is to determine whether items from the mathematics section of the 2012 Level Determination Exam indicate item bias according to gender and school type. In particular, the process of item bias has been determined using the Delphi technique and focus group interviews. A two-stage mixed method research has been used for the…