This study examined academic relevance from the perspective of college students. A qualitative focus group method was used to explore how students perceived the applicability and usefulness of their academic courses and coursework. Two focus groups of college students (N = 22) with varied class rank and academic majors were conducted. Data…

The purpose of this qualitative case study (Merriam, 1988; Stake, 1994) was to understand how teacher perceptions of their knowledge, practice and students' knowledge change in a professional development learning opportunity that is based on their background knowledge in literacy instruction and what is determined to be their zone of proximal…

Background/Context: Partnering across districts, schools, and other community organizations has become ubiquitous as a policy for promoting change. Despite growing attention to and scholarship on district-community partnerships, there is little examination of the organizational mechanisms involved in sustaining them. Purpose/Objectives: This study…

There are many unmet needs among parents of children with autism for parent respite and social time for their children. The use of undergraduate student volunteers is a potential strategy for meeting some of these needs. Separate focus groups for parents and for undergraduates were convened to assess feasibility, comfort, reservations, and mutual…

Despite substantial research into underage youth's source of alcohol, few studies have examined how they go about obtaining alcohol through various means. This study explored the nature of alcohol access by Chinese adolescents and how their own perceptions around alcohol availability influence them to source alcohol in particular ways. This…

Researchers often use focus groups to collect data for qualitative research, but focus groups can also be used by organizational leaders to articulate participants' values or principles--principles that can be used to guide organizational change. This paper examines one staff's mobilization of a focus group to collect data for a research study…

The discussion on how to integrate African indigenous knowledge (IK) into mainstream Science and Technology schooling prevails. Nigeria's colonised school curriculum is antithetical to its rich IK heritage. Guided by postcolonial theory, and the need for a culturally relevant and decolonised curriculum, this paper sought to explore seven basic 7-9…

Teens' own thoughts on fostering safe sexual practice are important perspectives in promoting adolescent sexual health yet are relatively absent in the literature. This focus group study explored teens' perceptions about the supports and challenges that exist as teens strive to engage in healthy sexual practices. Seventy-five teens participated in…

Purpose: The aim of this work was to develop a campaign to promote an environment of solidarity and support on college campuses for students with mental illnesses. Method: Data were gathered from 24 members of a Chicago university campus who were selected as representatives of key campus stakeholder groups including students, administrative staff,…

This study used grounded theory to analyze focus group data of students participating in an experiential learning course developed in partnership with a local Latino-serving community agency. A central phenomenon, Learning for Advocacy, emerged from the data, describing a process through which students' personal encounters led to the development…

Background/Purpose: Physical education teacher education (PETE) programs have been encouraged to provide teacher candidates (TCs) with the competencies and dispositions needed to implement a variety of curriculum and instructional models. Likewise, it has been suggested that TCs should have opportunities to practice implementing such models in…

The contemporary education system in the United States is inadequate in the provision of services to assure that all students exit high school with the knowledge and skills necessary to enter postsecondary education or the workforce. This is particularly true for indigenous youth (Tanabe & Mobley, 2011). According to scholars, dual enrollment…

In Australia, teachers are expected to teach a diverse range of students, including children adopted from overseas who have experienced attachment disruption and complex trauma early in life. International research identifies the potential vulnerability of this minority group at school. However, teachers' backgrounds, knowledge and experience, as…

Minority teachers are overwhelmingly employed in urban schools in underserved, low-income communities with large minority student populations. They receive little in the way of multicultural preparation, mentorship, and professional induction to meet the demands of teaching diverse student populations. This grounded theory study explores the…

This paper explores innovative environmental education strategies to conserve biodiversity in a rural-based context, in Lesotho. A case study approach was employed to investigate the community's conception of botho philosophy and how it might promote nature conservation. Focus Group Interviews were conducted with 105 participants. The responses…