Background/Context: This study investigates how people are prepared for professional practice in the clergy, teaching, and clinical psychology. The work is located within research on professional education, and research on the teaching and learning of practice. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: The purpose of the study is to…

Although education provision has recently improved in Bangladesh, the exclusion of children in the poorest families remains a pressing issue. Surveys in Bangladesh about school attendance have to date been confined to the dominant ethnic groups. Data are lacking for ethnic minorities such as indigenous children. To address this issue, we surveyed…

According to the Quality Assurance Agency, "Assessment describes any processes that appraise an individual's knowledge, understanding, abilities or skills", and is inextricably linked to a course or programme's intended learning outcomes. It also has a fundamental effect on students' learning where it serves a variety of purposes including…

This paper focuses on German teenagers and their contact with English in two different contexts: in free-time activities typically involving the mass media, and in institutionalised language learning settings at school. It draws on an empirical study carried out in German secondary schools. Its mixed methods approach combines a questionnaire study…

Objective: To assess the perceptions of rural and urban Costa Rican adolescents regarding which barriers and motivators affect their adoption of an active lifestyle. Design: Data were collected in focus group discussions. Participants: 108 male and female adolescents aged 12 to 18 from the 7th to 11th grades. Setting: Two urban and 1 rural high…

Adolescents' subjective well-being (SWB) is associated with a variety of schooling experiences, particularly their perceptions of teacher support. This article presents results of a mixed-methods study conducted to identify which types of perceived social support enacted by teachers are most strongly associated with middle school students' SWB…

This article describes the application of a university-community partnership model to the problem of adapting evidence-based treatment approaches in a community mental health setting. Background on partnership research is presented, with consideration of methodological and practical issues related to this kind of research. Then, a rationale for…

Makes the case for, and demonstrates the use of, poetic transcription as a form of presenting evaluation findings. Taking language from focus group interviews, the evaluator constructed a poem intended to provoke readers into a process of reflection meaning making about the program being evaluated, the method by which the representation was…

Empirical evidence suggests that television and other media influence adolescents' attitudes and behaviors. Much of the research in this area is based on surveys in which adolescents are asked to rank the relative importance of a fixed set of factors such as parents, peers, and media. We reviewed data from focus groups conducted with adolescents…

People who leave welfare commonly return, and this phenomenon has become more pressing in the time-limited TANF program. Fostering stable TANF exits may be particularly difficult in poor inner-city areas because of job shortages and neighborhood deterioration. Perspectives of TANF leavers from five focus groups in Chicago about problems leading to…

Background: The Arizona State Museum, Tucson, received a grant for the school year 2007-08 from the Institute of Museums and Library Services, Museum for America Programs. The goals of this grant were (1) to continue a vibrant, monthly offering of family programs at the Arizona State Museum (ASM) around the topic of museum exhibitions, (2) to…

Purpose: This article reports on a study to identify "building blocks" for quality report cards for geriatric care. Its aim is to present (a) the results of the study and (b) the innovative step-by-step approach that was developed to arrive at these results. Design and Methods: We used Concept Mapping/Structured Conceptualization to…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to review the barriers associated with implementing a campus-wide smoke-free policy as perceived by the American Cancer Society's Colleges against Cancer (CAC) Program chapter representatives. Design/methodology/approach: Four focus group sessions were conducted at the annual CAC National Leadership Summit in…

One of the most important factors to ensure young people's active involvement in the implementation of the reforms that are being carried out and the emergence of an economically strong and politically stable Russia is their social and psychological mood, their willingness to take action in accordance with definite civic attitudes and value…

The town hall focus group method is described in this paper. We start by outlining the circumstances that brought about this unusual research strategy. Then, we describe the tactical decisions we made that allowed this particular effort to be a success. We conclude with a series of concrete suggestions for conducting focus groups with large groups…