This study was carried out at the request of the Ministry of Education, Zambia. The Commonwealth of Learning contracted Turning Points Consultancy CC, a Namibian company, who provided the services of the author, to "carry out an evaluation of the Zambia College of Distance Education (ZACODE) and submit recommendations to the Ministry of…

While college enrollment rates have increased over the last 40 years, gaps still exist across groups. College enrollment rates are lower for high school graduates whose parents have not attended college, those with low-incomes, as well as Black and Latino/a students than for other high school graduates. One source of differences across groups in…

To better understand the views of teachers and administrators on the high school dropout problem, focus groups and nationally representative surveys were conducted of high school teachers and principals. A focus group of superintendents and school board members was also included. To help interpret the results, the authors convened a colloquium…

Screening is available and effective in colorectal cancer (CRC) control, but underutilized. The purpose of this study was to use focus group data to develop recommendations for the development of educational interventions to increase CRC screening, using an audience segmentation strategy. Demographic segments were based on urban-rural residence,…

This article seeks to investigate education-related challenges encountered by internal migrant girls studying at primary schools in Turkey. From the perspectives of participants, the emerging themes included adaptation, language, low socio-economic status, peer relations, discrimination and bullying. These challenges seem to have direct or…

Purpose: Description of study participants and documentation of the desired diversity in the Prevention Research Centers Healthy Aging Research Network's Workgroup on Promoting Cognitive Health large multisite study designed to examine attitudes about brain health, behaviors associated with its maintenance, and information-receiving preferences…

Purpose: Evidence suggests that physical activity and healthy diets may help to maintain cognitive function, reducing risks of developing Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Using a cross-cultural focus, we describe older adults' awareness about cognitive health, and their ideas about how to inform and motivate others to engage in…

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.…